Hikes and walks

A trip on the Rhine

November 30, 2007 By Graham 3 Comments

This is the final part of the series about my weekend walking between Rüdesheim and Oberwesel. Part five can be found here.

The final part of our journey was to take place on the aptly named boat “Jeverland”, run by the Köln-Düsseldorfer line. We boarded in Oberwesel and sat back to enjoy the journey to Rüdesheim.

The “Jeverland” at the berth in Oberwesel

The slow pace allowed us to look at the paths and places that we had been to the previous day, as well as seeing part of the Rhine that we had missed by sitting in the train. One example of this was Burg Pfalzgrafenstein. Built in the first half of the 14th Century and positioned in the middle of the river, this was once a customs house and has the unique form of a ship.

Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, standing in the middle of the Rhine

Next we came to Lorch, where we had stopped to eat the day before.

Lorch, seen from the river

After Lorch came the vineyards – here we could see the route that we had taken.

The vineyards on the slopes south of Lorch

After that – the part of the path that went through the woods. In the photo you can see how the vineyards suddenly stop and the slopes are covered with trees.

The woods and vineyards between Assmannshausen and Lorch

After the next vineyards we passed Assmannshausen. In the background are the school that we walked by, the start of the steps that we used to go down to the town and the chair lift.

Assmannshausen, seen from the river

Once again we passed the Mäuseturm, standing in the middle of the river.

The Mäuseturm

Then came the Niederwalddenkmal, standing high above the vineyards of Rüdesheim

The Niederwalddenkmal, seen from the river

Until we rounded the final corner and Rüdesheim came into view.

Rüdesheim waterfront

Here we left the river behind us and stopped in the town for lunch.

Rüdesheim

The final part of the walk took us back through the streets of Rüdesheim…

One of the “trains” that takes visitors on rides through the vineyards of Rüdesheim

… and up the hill at the back of the town, back through the vineyards to the youth hostel where the cars were waiting for us.

A last look back towards Rüdesheim and the Rhine

Filed Under: Hikes and walks, Towns

Oberwesel

November 23, 2007 By Graham 3 Comments

This is the fifth part of the series about my weekend walking between Rüdesheim and Oberwesel. Part four can be found here.

The next day started with breakfast at the youth hostel (Jugendherberge). The youth hostel in Oberwesel is very modern, with en suite rooms and even a swimming pool and bistro in the basement.

The youth hostel in Oberwesel

Leaving the youth hostel, we crossed the wooden bridge to the castle that overlooks Oberwesel. From here, there was a magnificent view down towards the river. In daylight you can clearly see which parts of the castle have been modernised.

Schloss Schönburg

Rather than zig-zagging downwards through the woods on the path that we had taken the night before, we decided to use the Elfenley – a footpath that passes behind the castle and then carries on down behind the roofs of the houses towards the town centre.

The start of the Elfenley (Fußweg zur Stadt)

The path is narrow and in places there are handrails on the side to hold on to. At one point there was no handrail and it became very narrow, uneven and steep – you need a good head for heights for the first part after leaving the castle grounds!

Part of the Elfenley behind the castle, leading downwards to the town centre

As we descended, the town and the river came ever closer. It was a strange feeling to be standing on the same level as the church tower! The path continued to wind it’s way around the face of the hill, until, at an electricity sub-station, it ended and we found ourselves on one of the streets in Oberwesel.

The view of the church and the Rhine from the Elfenley

From here, we headed towards the river and crossed the main road by footbridge. At the river, we found the landing stage for the Köln-Düsseldorfer boats and bought tickets for the return journey to Rüdesheim.

The boat approaches the landing stages in Oberwesel

Soon the boat came into view and we went on board and found a table. Now we could sit back and enjoy the journey…

Filed Under: Hikes and walks, Towns

Crossing the Rhine

November 16, 2007 By Graham 2 Comments

This is the fourth part of the series about my weekend walking between Rüdesheim and Oberwesel. Part three can be found here.

Having stopped to eat in Lorch, it was now time to cross the Rhine and make our way to Oberwesel.

On this stretch of the Rhine there are no bridges, but small, flat, ferries that take cars and foot passengers back and forth across the river during daylight hours. Heading out of Lorch towards the river and the station, it was only a short walk to the ferry berth.

Looking from the ferry back up the ramp and the berth in Lorch

The ferries consist of a flat metal baseplate for the cars with ramps at each end. The bridge is a small cabin located on one side. Foot passengers pay as they board, the car drivers pay during the crossing.

Two rows of cars on the ferry, crossing the Rhine

In a matter of minutes, the ferry reached the other bank of the river at Niederheimbach and we disembarked.

The ferry in the berth at Niederheimbach

From the ferry berth we made our way to the railway station, only to see a train to Oberwesel leave before we could buy our tickets. As the next train was not for another hour, we had plenty of time to work out the ticket prices and I was pleasantly surprised to be able to get a discount with my Bahn Card on such a short trip within a Verkehrsverbund.

The ferry returning to Lorch

We made out way to the right platform and sat down to wait for the train to Oberwesel.

The view from the platform in Niederheimbach back across the river to Lorch

A number of trains ran through the station while we waited, but none in our direction stopped, until our train arrived. Only a few stops later it was time to get out again and we found ourselves in Oberwesel.

Our final destination of the day was the Jugendherberge (youth hostel), located on the hill near Schloss Schönburg. A sign outside the station showed us which way to go, and we proceeded to walk along a road up a steep hill. Half-way up the hill, we left the road and continued up a footpath that led in a zig-zag form upwards through the woods on the side of the hill. The two street lamps located on the path were not alight, and it got darker and darker as we climbed ever higher. Finally we turned a corner at the top and saw the castle floodlit ahead of us. From here, it was only a few metres to the Jugendherberge and a bed for the night.

Schloss Schönburg at dusk