(Northern) California Dreamin’

Judith Schrut moves on to the next stop of her Northern California road trip: Mendocino.

It was always going to be a wrench to leave San Francisco but now that we were, it was time to pick up that rental car. Despite her go-green touchy-feely vibe, it’s difficult to get the best out of California without a motor. Sorry, the car rental folk told us on arrival, we’re clean out of the rock bottom budget babe you paid for. Would you like this luxury SUV for the same price? No thanks, but we will take that sexy Mini Cooper convertible there in the corner instead. So off we rolled, with SF fogging over and the wind nipping at our Mini-tail, over the glorious Golden Gate and on to the wild, winsome north.

This was California’s famous wine country– Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties– just starting to recover from their most devastating wildfires to date, causing death, destruction and costs upwards of $10 billion. Driving the highway, we saw charred mountains and burnt out buildings, but somehow felt the indomitable California spirit wouldn’t disappear any time soon.

Photo Geoffrey Davies

We headed straight to picturesque Mendocino for a few days’ stay. Mendocino is coastal nature at its most glorious. If you enjoy the open air you’ll be spoilt for choice, with an abundance of forests, rivers, beaches, dunes, cliffs and canyons open to the public and impressively cared for by the California State Park Service. We spent a memorable day walking the Mendocino Headlands, a completely gorgeous route across miles of scenic, well-trodden coastal paths, the infinite, blue Pacific on one side and forests of redwood, fir and giant red mushrooms on the other. We weren’t alone, but there’s plenty of room for all: day hikers, picnickers, wheelchair users, horseback riders and dog walkers.

All you need to know about Mendocino parks and recreation at www.parks.ca.gov.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsPhoto Geoffrey Davies

Stay

Napa-Sonoma-Mendocino counties are bursting with charming and historic small towns like Sebastopol, St Helena and Gualala, breathtaking natural scenery, farm-to-table eateries and of course wineries, over 1000 of them. To enjoy this part of Northern California to the full, you really ought to stay at one of the welcoming B&B Inns typical of the area. We stayed at the extraordinary Glendeven Inn.

After the stunning drive up Highway 101 and Pacific Coast Highway with their nonstop scenic vistas of coastal headlands, wild beaches and redwood forests, we reached the Inn at sunset in time for the evening reception in the Wine Barn. It’s easy to get used to this lovely treat, nightly offerings of local wine and hors d’oeuvres served at cozy candlelit tables by our congenial host John.

Photo Geoffrey Davies

After a comfy night, we woke to the sound of gulls, the sight of John’s llamas grazing in the meadow beyond our window and the sun rising over the Pacific. At precisely 9 am, a knock on our door heralded the arrival of our in-room three course breakfast. We savoured every mouthful of fresh squeezed organic juice, piping hot souffle of the day, homebaked bread and baked apples with anise hyssop and berries. But it’s not just the breakfast that sets Glendeven apart from other inns. There are the beautiful grounds and gardens, the guest lounge with its views to the sea, endless fresh coffee– or sherry— and delicious homemade cookies. And did we mention the plush featherbeds and linens, personal handwritten note of welcome and little bag of feed for the chickens? So many reasons to stay here.

Find out more at glendeven.com

Eat

A few years ago, vivacious British entrepreneur and all around character Kelvin Jacobs saw a surprising gap in the otherwise crowded NorCal foodie scene and, with his wife Liz, opened the first and only fresh fish restaurant in the Mendocino area. Wild Fish has been wildly successful, so on the eve of our visit was typically packed with a local and loyal stream of diners queuing out the door; Liz and Kelvin seemed to know each guest personally. The kitchen uses only local wild fish and organic produce. Everything is made from scratch and in house. The food was a treat and the ocean views stunning…and we left feeling we too had become Kelvin and Liz’s friends.

For rather more modest Mendo cuisine, try the terrific coffee, food and music at humble Headlands Coffeehouse with artisan afters at Cowlick’s Ice Cream, both in Fort Bragg.

Delicious details at wild-fish.com, cowlicksicecream.com, and headlandscoffeehouse.com.

Photo Geoffrey Davies

Play

The delightful town of Mendocino is small enough to explore on foot but big enough for several hours contented browsing, with an interesting mix of boutiques, cafes, art galleries, bookstores and marijuana clinics.

Harvest Market is a modern incarnation of the old General Store, stocking everything from spit roasted chickens, mile high sandwiches and giant pumpkins to kitchen gadgets, pet supplies and straw bales. Mendocino Country Store is the place for unusual gift items like apple jackets, stained glass hearts and chillout stones. At Corners of the Mouth Workers Collective you can enjoy the soundtrack of Hair while shopping for organic cheese, beans in bulk and natural healing treatments, while nearby Love In It Marijuana Coop grows and sells a dazzling range of quality cannabis (“sun grown, sustainably farmed and always hand trimmed”) along with cannabis T-shirts, calendars, mugs and pillows. And yes, it’s all legal.

Photo Geoffrey Davies