Tag Archives: hiking

Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Wii Wegli: Trail in a Nutshell I

 

Trail Name:  Wii Wegli

Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; very well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard-pack, marking on the trail is consistent, and pretty good throughout (although maps are necessary).

Length: 81.6 kilometers/50.5 miles (See comment below)

Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany, Basel, Switzerland

Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on a white background (Note: many times, the red has faded to white. Another note: In the final segment, the trail often follows the Jacobusweg: yellow cockleshell on blue background)

Wii Wegli Trail Marking
Wii Wegli Trail Marking

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Germany, Hiking

Durbacher Weinpanorama Trail

 

Durbach is the name of a quiet village set among the hills of the Ortenau wine district in Germany.

This village, on the edge of the famous Black Forest, attracts active vacationers who enjoy being outdoors. Dark green woods, bright green vineyards, and tufts of wildflowers set against contrasting shades of green, or bright blue sky, form a large part of this summertime color palette. Snaking through it, in shades of red or white, are thin paths leading upward. They combine, in a variety of ways, to form sections of the numerous hiking trails crisscrossing this hilly landscape. Hikers wishing to take advantage of them will need to stay for several days to explore them all!

From Above Durbach
From Above Durbach

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Weinpanorama Weg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Durbacher Weinpanorama Weg

Trail Type: Medium distance circuit; tarmac or hard-packed (albeit some loose gravel here and there), well maintained, fairly well-marked, albeit not always easy to see. (Also see comments below.)

Length: total: 16 kilometers / 10 miles

Convenient to: Offenburg, Germany; Strasbourg, France

Marking: Signs with white letters spelling “Durbacher Weinpanorama”

Durbacher Weinpanorama Signs
Durbacher Weinpanorama Signs

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France, Hiking

3 Grands Crus, 3 Villages, 1 Hike

 

Some places seem designed for vineyards, and this was one of them. Outside Guebwiller, the slopes of the foothills of the Vosges run into a small mount. Like its opposing counterpart, the Bollenberg mount itself is cloaked in vines. While the Bollenberg vineyards are well-known, more importantly, the Bollenberg itself functions as a shield for the vines on the opposite slope. Protected from eastern winds, and fully exposed to the sun, this long, albeit non-contiguous stretch of slope, has on it not one, not two, but three Grands Crus.

From Vines to Pines
From Vines to Pines

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Vignoble de Bergholtz: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Vignoble de Bergholtz

Trail Type: Medium distance circuit; trail surface mostly paved, with some hard-packed earthen sections, sometimes covered by loose gravel; well maintained, but the trail itself has no designated marking.

Length: 10 kilometers/ 6 miles (2.5 hours)

Convenient to: Colmar, or Guebwiller, France

Marking: None specific to the trail

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Hiking, Switzerland

Hiking Aargau Vineyards

 

Almost equidistant between Basel and Zurich, the little town of Klingnau came to my attention as the end point of a wine trail in the Aargau region. As a region, this small canton offers wine enthusiasts a surprising diversity. In addition to some good, and even some unique wines, wine culture is celebrated through festivals and learning opportunities such as wine education trails and museums.

Klingnau falls within the Upper Aargau sub-region of the Aargau wine region. Like much of the rest of the Aargau, this region lies along the Aare River. However, the hiking route began in the rolling hills to the east of the river. Because of the hilly terrain and the ample, green leaf cover this time of year, the river remained hidden from view for most of the hike. Consequently, to reach the river-side village of Klingnau, and the end of the hike, the trail covered a variety of landscapes, and several gentle ascents and descents along the way.

Aargau Scenery

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Hiking, Nutshell, Switzerland

Wein Wanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Wein Wanderweg

Trail Type: Mid-distance; almost exclusively paved or hard-packed surface, well maintained, well-marked route.

Length: total – 11 kilometers/ 6.8 miles

Convenient to: Waldshut, Germany

Marking: White rectangle with red letters: “Wein Wanderweg”

IMGP2383 - Copy

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Hiking, Luxembourg

Luxembourg’s Moselle Vineyards

 

Luxembourg is a small country. But good things often come in small packages, as the expression goes. This is true not only of the Duchy, but also of the wines, and of the wine trail I completed.

Luxembourg’s wines, especially its sparkling wines, are appreciating in quality year over year. One of the oldest caves for the Domaines Vinsmoselle, is in Wellenstein in the Canton of Remich. In this southern-most section of Luxembourg’s appellation, wine is big business. Accordingly, three small communities closest to this cave have collaborated to create an educational wine trail. While not in the largest appellation along the Moselle, nor perhaps the most celebrated, this trail deserves pride of place among many of the hiking trails, large or small, found up and down the Moselle for a number of reasons.

Looking Downriver
Looking Downriver

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Hiking, Luxembourg, Nutshell

Circuit Viticulturel: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Circuit Viticulturel or Wain a Kulturpad

Trail Type: A short distance; almost exclusively paved, (except about a kilometer, if using a grassy shoulder along a road), well maintained, but not a lot of trail signage.

Length: Total: 10 kilometers/ 6 miles

Convenient to: Remich or Schengen, Luxembourg

Trail Marking: See photo below

Circuit Viticulturel Signage
Circuit Viticulturel Signage

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