I’m Snoopying around Charlie Brown country
For fans of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the rest of Peanuts, Sonoma County is like bumping into a first love you’ve never quite got over.
Nowhere is the spirit of Peanuts more alive than in this part of northern California, where Charles Schulz created the comic strip from his studio in Santa Rosa.
His legacy is scattered everywhere, from the local airport to the enthralling Schulz Museum, which opened in 2002, two years after he died. Local artists have even decorated 70 or so large fibreglass figures of Peanuts characters and they are dotted about in parks, malls and hotel receptions.
The Schulz Museum celebrates the artist’s life, and knowing the story of the man enhances understanding of his much-loved characters. A highlight is the stunning mural of more than 3,500 Peanuts cartoons that occupies an entire wall.
Once you’ve sated your appetite for Peanuts, there is plenty to explore in Sonoma County.
We hired a car and headed for the sea, hugging the stunning Highway 1 coast road from Bodega Bay to Timber Cove, north of Jenner. The drive is spectacular.
Perched on a wild clifftop overlooking the craggy Pacific coastline, Timber Cove is a magical 46-room luxury lodge resort that feels as if it is in the middle of nowhere. After sunset, we warmed ourselves around an outdoor fire pit and later tucked into devilled eggs and seared scallops in the cosy Coast Kitchen restaurant.
Sonoma County is also the heart of California’s wine country, so don’t miss out on trying the local specialties. We followed the recommendations of Timber Cove staff to sample the $30 wine-tasting of delicious chardonnay and pinot noir at the Lynmar Estate vineyard near Sebastopol. ÷Aer Lingus flies to Oakland from €805 return. Rooms at Timber Cove (timbercoveresort.com) cost from €260 a night. For further info, see sonomacounty.com