Buckelvolvo meeting 2025 in Unkel
08.10.2025On Thursday, September 4, 2025, the participants of this year's Buckelvolvo meeting gradually arrived in the small wine village of Unkel. First, everyone received their participant bags with roadbooks, brochures about the area, and promotional material. The little old metal humps were very popular. Then we checked into our rooms, all with a view of the Rhine, at the idyllic Rheinhotel Schulz, located directly on the Rhine. We spent the afternoon in the hotel's beer garden in dry, partly sunny weather. In the evening, we dined at the hotel restaurant, choosing from a small menu.
On Friday, September 5, 2025, after what had been a long journey for some, our vintage Volvos were allowed to stay in the hotel parking lot for the whole day. We were picked up directly at the hotel and first took a guided tour of the pretty wine village, followed by an interesting tour of the Rabenhorst beverage company, known for its iron-rich “Rotbäckchen” juice from the 1950s, which is still produced today with the same label. Afterwards, the 44 participants of the meeting enjoyed a boat trip on the Rhine to Bonn and back. Before dinner at the wine bar “Zur Traube,” we sampled a glass or two of wine at the wine festival taking place that same weekend.
On Saturday, September 6, 2025, we set off in our Buckelvolvos and an Amazone on a trip along the Siebengebirge, the northern Westerwald, and the Wiedtal. Our first stop took us to the small Elvis museum. Jonny Winter, alias “Elvis,” treated us to live music and non-alcoholic drinks, while his wife guided small groups through the interesting museum. After lots of fun and a great atmosphere, we took some farewell photos in front of the museum and, to the tune of “Muss I denn zum Städtele hinaus,” we continued on to the Wied Valley for lunch at Nassens Mühle in Waldbreitbach.
After this refreshment, we learned a lot about the life of the Romans during the guided tour of the “Roman World at Caput Limitis” in Bad Hönningen. At the end of the trip, our humpback Volvos climbed the Erpeler Ley. There we were able to enjoy the view over the Rhine Valley and the remains of the Ludendorf Bridge, the famous bridge of Remagen. We spent the evening at the Rheinhotel Schulz enjoying a wonderful buffet, some funny speeches, and looking forward to next year in a great atmosphere.
After checking out on Sunday morning, we parked our humpback Volvos in a nearby parking lot right on the Rhine with Uncle's promenade and the Rheinhotel in the background. Of course, we took lots of photos. Then we continued our journey to Königswinter, where we climbed the Drachenfels on the historic cog railway, the oldest of its kind in Germany. After visiting the castle ruins and marveling at the incredibly wide panoramic view from up there over the Siebengebirge, Westerwald, and Eifel mountains to Cologne Cathedral, the meeting ended with a traditional ice cream in the early afternoon.
It was a successful meeting with beautiful summer weather, which is not a given at this time of year. All the Buckelvolvos, some of which had been on the road for hours, reached their homes throughout Germany safely and dry.
