Posts last month (here) detailed the first three stages of my hike through the southern-most portions of the Wuerttembergische Weinwanderweg (W4, for short), using only public transportation from Stuttgart. I ended the first half of my intended stages at the small town of Remshalden. This post (and the Nutshell) covers the remaining stages, passing through the wine growing area of Remstal, all the way to the historic city of Esslingen.
Trail Name: Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: Long distance; often but not always paved, fairly well maintained, but the route itself is not always marked in critical places.
Length:
(Total: 470 kilometers / 292 miles)
Segments Covered in this Post: circa 27 kilometers / 17.5 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Marking: Red grape bunch on a white background (on a sign, painted on walls or trees, on stickers adhering to posts)
Continue reading Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell
Stuttgart is a huge metropolis, connected by an extensive rail system. Using Stuttgart’s subway/urban rail system trains, the “S-Bahn” in German, I hiked along the southern end of the 470 kilometer-long (292 miles) wine hiking trail known as the Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg. The W4, I as refer to it below for expeditious reasons, wends its way through the quiet, green belt surrounding the Stuttgart region, encompassing its vineyards in the Neckar and Rems Valleys.
Stuttgart’s public transportation system is extremely efficient, and unbelievably inexpensive with a tourist pass. To prove the point, over two weekends there I decided to hike the southern-most sections of the W4, using my three-day, all-network passes. Leaving from downtown Stuttgart, I headed to the town of Marbach on the the S-4 line. Famous as the home of the great German author Schiller, Marbach is the site of the northern-most conjunction of Stuttgart’s S-Bahn system and the W4. About 30 minutes later, I was on the trail, passing through the charming old town, high above the Neckar River.
Trail Name: Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: Long distance; almost exclusively paved, fairly well maintained, but the route itself is not always marked in critical places.
Length:
(Total: 470 kilometers / 292 miles)
Segments Covered in this Post: 47 km / 29 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Marking: Red grape bunch on a white background (on a sign, painted on walls or trees, on stickers adhering to posts)
Continue reading Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell
December: Often a cold month, and the month with the shortest days of the year. But along the Moselle, temperatures can be mild in December, and the short days are celebrated, as they are throughout Germany, with Christmas Markets! Anyone who has been to Germany during December knows what fun these can be.
Traditionally, Christmas Markets open at the beginning of Advent, (usually around the last weekend of November), and run until Christmas Eve. Usually set up in the town square (or squares!), they offer hand-made crafts, Christmas items (such as tree decorations, Christmas-themed table linens, nutcrackers and smoker men), live entertainment, and food and drink. Wine plays a role here too, as Gluehwein, or warm mulled wine, is a popular drink. Red or white, the Gluehwein not only helps warm chilled hands and feet, it also helps warm the heart. At Christmas Markets, Christmas cheer is evident, even if the weather can be cold.
Trail Name: Bernkastel-Kues to Traben-Trarbach
Trail Type: Short distance trail; much of it paved, some of it grassy, the rest is dirt trail; well maintained, but the markings are not exclusive to this route, and change in places.
Length: total: 6.5 kilometers/ 4 miles
Convenient to: Koblenz or Trier, Germany
Marking: Multiple signs indicate the direction to “Traben-Trarbach” (or “Bernkastel” if going the opposite way); Gold lizards on a red heart on a red square marked this trail the first part of the way; Once atop the hill, “T-6” and “Mosel Erlebnis Route”, were also signs on this same trail all the way to Trarbach. (See the featured photograph above, and red sign in the first photo below.)
Continue reading Bernkastel to Trarbach: Trail in a Nutshell
Some places are simply charming, and Visan is one of them. The small village is a visual gem, set on a low hill. Countryside surrounds it. It has delicious Cotes du Rhone Villages wines, to include the special Cuvee du Marot, and local olives to enjoy with them. Friendly people and great opportunities for hiking round out my paeans of praise.
The circuit hike I chose is one that is advertised online as the Vignes de l’Enclave des Papes (Vines of the Enclave of the Popes), but known locally as Circuit 12, or Circuit Est (East Circuit). The very helpful woman at the Syndicat d’Initiative oriented me to the maps they provide there, and off I went.
As the name implies, it heads east, through the well-preserved village center, out the old gate known as Porte Saint Martin (next to the Place de la Coconniere), and follows the old buildings ringing the historic center to the southeastern gate, the Porte du Puy Barret. From there, it was into the vineyards surrounding the village. But it wasn’t only vineyards. One of the great features about this trail is that is also passes by olive tree groves, and through forested areas, making for a nice variety of Provencal terrain to experience.
Trail Name: Vignes de l’Enclave des Papes, (AKA: Circuit 12, Circuit Est)
Trail Type: A medium distance circuit, along almost exclusively paved or hard-packed surfaces; fairly well maintained, with generic signage.
Length: 10 kilometers/6 miles
Convenient to: Valreas, Vaucluse Department, Provence Region, France
Marking: Yellow signs on a post, and yellow rectangles (Not exclusive to this particular trail)
Continue reading Vignes de l’Enclave des Papes: Trail in a Nutshell
Vaison-la-Romaine is a small town with a big history in France’s Vaucluse district. One side, set south of the river, rises up dramatically on an isolated rock. A Celtic oppidum was here, and later, medieval era people built their homes there, seeking shelter behind its gates, relying on the rock’s impressive defensive strengths.
Trail Name: Balade Romaine dans les Vignes
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is only marked generically.
Length: 7.3 kilometers/4.5 miles
Convenient to: Orange, Vaucluse Department, Provence Region, France
Marking: Yellow signposts and yellow rectangles
Continue reading Balade Romaine dans les Vignes: Trail in a Nutshell
