September 2019outandaboutlive.co.uk 81Germany TRAVEL
almost opposite Burg Rheinfels, and into
the hills above. The Forstbach Valley and
its ancient woodland were tranquil, with
acorns and leaves constantly falling.
By luck we were staying during the Rhine
in Flames spectacular. From Campingplatz
Loreleyblick we cycled three miles, following
a remarkable flotilla of some 50 large
pleasure craft. With all the boats in place,
a firework display lit up the Rhine, turning
Oberwesel red – and all to the music ofPink
Floyd’s albumThe Dark Side of the Moon!
On our final day we rode up into thehills behind Bingen before eventually
dropping back down into Oberwesel. As we
freewheeled down a narrow street, there
came the sound of a brass band. My wife,
Lizzy, and I thought perhaps it was our
welcome and reward for 40 miles of cycling
(albeit electric-powered). Actually, we’d
arrived to witness the superb Wine Parade
(3pm) with a concert, bands, people dressed
in medieval costumes and tractors pulling
carts carrying blonde maidens.
It was time to leave St Goar and
Oberwesel’s wine celebrations and head
about 140 miles east to Heusenstamm
in search of a memorial plaque forthe
Lancaster crew. We negotiated the
semi-pedestrianised road leading to
Heusenstamm’s railway station and
shoehorned the ’van into its small car park.
We didn’t know where the plaque might be.
A path from the parking led past well-
tended allotments towards an avenue
of trees in early autumn colours. I don’t
know why we went that wayas there was
no signpost, no marker, but we found the
plaque tucked by a hedge in this pleasant
part of Heusenstamm.
It’s only small, attached to a simple
rectangular stone and you wouldn’t know it
was there unless you were looking. Oliver’s
name and those of his fellow crewmen who
died that night are engraved on it. We+BELOW INSETBessemer
pipingatVölklingenTHE JOURNEY
We travelled from County Durham to Dover for
the ferry to Calais.We drove to St Goar, then
Neckargemünd, with a detourto Heusenstamm.
From there we reached Saarlouis, then headed
to Treis-Kardenbefore returning to Calais.We
spent 15 nights in Germany in September
THE COSTS
FuelAverage 28mpg........ ............................................£225
FerryDover-Calais return..........................................£110
Site fees..............................................................................£339
AttractionsTwo adults: BurgRheinfels and
VölklingenWorks................................................................£44
Public transportTwo adults: return foot
ferry at St Goar.....................................................................£7
Total costs.....................................................................£725
1,030
miles