The “Sommer” in Sommerhausen means summer in German, but there were no signs of it the day I was there. Dark, windy and spitting rain, as is normal in the winter here, it was a good day to follow the Weinsbergweg, the town’s trail devoted to its wines, along the slopes lining the Main River, about 8 miles south of Wuerzburg.
Trail Name: Weinsbergweg (incorporating the shorter educational Wein-Kulturweg) Sommerhausen
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, (or with very hard-packed earthen surfaces), and with excellent marking throughout the trail.
Length: Total – 6 kilometers/ 3.75 miles
Convenient to: Wuerzburg
Marking: Snail, and White grapes on a green background, or on tarmac (see trail photo below)
Just before winter solstice, I found myself in Alsace, not far from Strasbourg, wondering why I would hike on such a gray day. The short answer is that Strasbourg has one of the most impressive Christmas Markets in France, and Molsheim, near some of Alsace’s grand cru vineyards, is not far from it. So after an evening visiting the market, I headed for the hills to the west the next morning.
Trail Name: Circuit de Trotele (One of the “Circuits de Bacchus” local circuit trails)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surfaces, from paved to meadow grasses, well maintained, with the route itself specifically marked in most, but not all, places.
Length: Total: 13.8 kilometers/ 8.4 miles
Convenient to: Strasbourg, France
Marking: Hollow blue circle, in places; yellow lines elsewhere
“Der alde Gott lebt noch” (The old God still lives), at least in the area of Sasbachwalden. A sea of vines, set in as bucolic a landscape as one could wish for, hold the secret to a long and happy life here, centered around wine and hiking.
As the story goes, a young man, on meeting the beautiful young woman who would become his wife, cried out: The old god still lives! They married, settled in the area, and enjoyed a happy life together. On seeing this wonderful trail, in such an idyllic setting, one could cry out the same.
Trail Name: Alde Gott Panoramaweg
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit on tarmac, grass or hardpacked surfaces; well maintained, and very well marked.
Length: 9.8 kilometers/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Karlsruhe or Baden-Baden, Germany
Marking: Red background, white lettering of the trail name, often on a white metal arrow.
The Danube is one of the world’s most inspirational rivers- It has inspired music, Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz; and movies, to include a different color – The Red Danube; and many books, poems, and odes. It has also inspired a trail that covers two wine regions of Austria – The World Heritage Trail Wachau (Welterbesteig Wachau).
The beauty of this region inspired me to try the trail. To hike the entire 180 kilometers/110 miles, unfortunately required more time than I had, so I settled for covering the trail’s passage through the Kremstal wine region, in and around the town of Krems. This region is one of Austria’s smaller wine regions. It centers narrowly around the town of Krems on the Danube, and the small Krems river valley extending off the Danube. By hiking the first six kilometers of this trail, I would cover part of the Kremstal wine district.
Trail Name: Welterbesteig (Section Krems to Stein am Donau/Foerthof)
Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; varied surfaces (tarmac to grass), mostly maintained, and fairly well-marked.
Length:
Total: (Krems to Melk) 180 km
First Stage (Krems -Duernstein): 12.5 km
My Stage: (Krems to Stein/ Foerthof (Pfaffenbergweg) – circa 6 km
Marking: White circle with a “W” and a stylized river, or yellow rectangle with “Welterbesteig” in black letters
Although side-by-side, Vacqueyras and Gigondas have more dissimilarities than just their wines. Gigondas is nestled within the lower folds of the Dentelles de Montmirail crests. Small, hidden, in a complex landscape, it exudes a sense of remoteness and secrecy. Vacqueyras lies on flatter land, in the shadow of the Dentelles, and is bigger. There is a sense of town, vice village, and although still partly behind old walls, has an open, friendly atmosphere.
The trail here was also a bit more friendly, user-friendly that is. So, I took my best friend along, one who hasn’t hiked in a while, but this trail is suitable for all fitness levels. We had a memorable morning hiking along a signposted trail, followed by some wine tasting, and then lunch. What could be better than that?
Trail Name: Parcours du Vignoble de Vacqueyras
Trail Type: Short distance; surface is mostly paved, with some grassy stretches; fairly well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length: 8 kilometers/5 miles
Convenient to: Orange or Carpentras, Vaucluse, France
Marking: Grape leaf cut-out on a square rust-brown sign; 17 panels
Continue reading Trail in a Nutshell: Vignoble de Vacqueyras
