Margate and Balfour Winery

A beautiful sunny day with a brisk breeze to blow away the cobwebs greeted us as we set off for Margate and Balfour Vineyard.

WonderWorks

Our first stop was WonderWorks, set in the old Hornby factory on the outskirts of Margate. Alongside a very welcome comfort stop and eatery, the factory is a small museum featuring Hornby, Airfix, Pocher and Corgi exhibits, together with beautifully detailed '00 gauge railway layouts and even the chance to race Scalextric cars. For many, it brought back memories of childhood Christmases and long forgotten hobbies.

One unforgettable part of the café was a genuine Banksy artwork, which certainly

sparked conversation over coffee and sausage rolls.

From there we headed into Margate, where everyone happily went their separate ways for a few hours. Some explored the seafront and the town's wharf, while others visited cafés, galleries and fish and chips. 

Margate & the Shell Grotto

Some visited the fascinating Shell Grotto, discovered in 1835. Nobody really knows when it was constructed or what purpose it served, although some people have claimed the grotto is the origin of the town's winding underground passages, covered almost entirely in shells which, were unlike anything else and well worth the visit.

Leaving Margate for what Mr Google confidently informed us would be a 1 hour

20 minute drive to Balfour Vineyard, we eventually arrived around 1 hour 50 minutes later... oops! Heavy traffic led to an "interesting" detour down a very narrow country lane — more on the great coach

adventure on next page!

Coming up next...

Heavy traffic led to an ‘interesting’ detour at one point down a very narrow country lane complete with passing places, overhanging trees and several moments where passengers quietly held their breath as the coach edged past surrounding vehicles. We hope nobody in the surrounding villages was too

inconvenienced by the unexpected appearance of a large coach squeezing

through their peaceful lanes.

Narrow lanes, passing places and lots of leafy bits - an adventure for the driver and the passengers!

Fortunately we arrived in time for the wine tasting which, naturally, was the most important part of the day. The three wines sampled came in at approximately £35, £50 and £65 a bottle - definitely not Lidl prices.

A few members couldn’t resist taking advantage of the vineyard discount; most agreed it was well worth it, with several bottles carefully tucked away for future

celebrations and special birthdays.

Three very good reasons to visit!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS THE WINES WE SAMPLED Definitely not Lidl prices! £35 £60 £65 (Approx. per bottle) Coach Adventure The Great Wine Tasting –

the most important part!

Superb '00' gauge layouts Margate, mystery tunnels, narrow lanes and wines definitely not priced like Lidl.