Trail Name: Grafschafter Weindoerferweg
Trail Type: Mid-distance hiking circuit; grassy pathway, steps, hard-packed gravel or paved in built up areas, well maintained and superbly marked.
Length: total: 18.5 kilometers/11.5 miles
Convenient to: Bernkastel-Kues, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Of the many fabulous local wine events in Europe, especially in Alsace and southern Germany, the rambles through vineyards where vintners set up stations with food and wine are among the most popular. The routes, usually around 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) long, are marked out along existing hiking trails, access roads for agricultural vehicles, and streets through towns and villages. Whole families are out there, and with the great air of festivity, and plenty of stops to relax and replenish fluids, the route is easily done by all.
I recently had the good fortune to participate in an event which circled the town of Beilstein, in the Wuerttembergisch Unterland wine growing region, north of Stuttgart, Germany. The timing for this event was convenient, and the weather in central Germany was perfect that day: sunny and seventy.
“A sea of vineyards – above the Loire River, under rain-laden clouds”
This is how I will always visualize this hike.
Maybe because we were in “la Douce France” (gentle, soft, sweet France), the rain fell only softly, and then not for long, to the chagrin of the vintners, but to our delight because sections of the trail would have turned muddy with heavier rains, or a higher river. As it was, the cloud cover served nicely to protect us from what otherwise would have been a hot day in the sun.
In Stuttgart and seeking to escape city life for a few hours? Looking for somewhere close by, convenient to reach, yet with a real feel of countryside? The Stuttgart Wine Trail (Stuttgarter Weinwanderweg, in German) provides a convenient countryside escape, with wine and food stops, along an easy trail for young and old, residents and visitors alike. Best of all, it is easily accessible via the Stuttgart metro system, being only a few stops from the city’s center!
Trail Name: Stuttgarter Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: mid-distance hiking circuit, completely paved, well maintained and very well marked.
Length: total: 11.5 km/7.15 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
