In mid September we flew to Pisa enroute to Radda in Chianti for a family wedding. Clare's niece Yolanda married Tom Stephenson from New Zealand in a civil ceremony. It was a small, intimate family occasion and we stayed at Villa Dievole, a classic vineyard/hotel estate in the Tuscan Hills just north of Siena.
We returned our rental car to Milan Malpensa and then took a bus to Stresa on Lake Maggiore for a night. It felt mandatory to take a water taxi over to Isola Bella before boarding the train back to Sion to check on progress on the chalet. The northern lakes of Italy can be very busy at times but we still like spending time there. Como is still the favourite.
Isola Bella
We returned our rental car to Milan Malpensa and then took a bus to Stresa on Lake Maggiore for a night. It felt mandatory to take a water taxi over to Isola Bella before boarding the train back to Sion to check on progress on the chalet. The northern lakes of Italy can be very busy at times but we still like spending time there. Como is still the favourite.
Isola Bella
After returning to England it was time to head north to Scotland for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
We took the opportunity to spend a day at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire before moving on to York for a visit to the Minster and the National Railway Museum.
As Clare has family in Aberfeldy we always try to visit there and it was a perfect place to base ourselves for the drive down to Gleneagles. It was a great weekend to watch live golf and also the final day victory by Europe on television. Some of my walking friends had also made the trip up for the golf so we were able to revisit old times with a 9 hour walk to bag 2 Munroes on the Balmoral Estate.
I have wanted to take Clare to the Lake District ever since I passed through there in 1993 so we drove to Grasmere. It was about 4pm when we first set eyes on this lake, the light was beautiful and the next 2 hours around, up and over the hills was almost a religious experience it was so perfect.
A gold star for the writer for romantic!
The builders were moving at pace on our new home so we took a short hop to the Alps to check progress and make some final selections. It was the first time we had been in the Valais in November and it is quite spectacular. The blend of colour on the changing leaves on the mountain trees with those of the vineyards along the valleys from the train was gorgeous.
Chateau Nomade
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