| G3VGR | Hiking the Rheinsteig |
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| My work involves frequent stays in Holland, near s'Hertogenbosch, occasionally including a weekend away from home. For me, the Gelderland area has little to offer for hiking, being more suited to cycling, so I've spent a few weekends in the Eifel region of Germany, which is fine hiking country. I am particularly fond of the Ahr Valley around Altenahr and have walked the Rotweinwanderweg (Red Wine Trail) twice. In 2008, I thought it was time to venture elsewhere, so examined some possibilities. I have a great fondness for Germany, developed from when I lived there in the early Seventies. My familiarity with the country makes it seem natural to hike there, despite the fine opportunities available in areas such as the Ardennes. |
Opened in September 2005, the Rheinsteig is a 320Km hiking trail along the right bank of the Rhein from Bonn to Wiesbaden
and is well planned to allow it to be walked in sections, most of which start and end near public transport terminii.
As well as busses and trains, it is also possible to travel in style between stages by using the passenger boats that travel along the Rhein.
The trail is quite well signposted with distinctive blue and white signs as shown in the top corner of this page.
Access routes to the trail are signposted with yellow and white Rheinsteig signs.
Bonn is only around 150 miles from den Bosch, so this seemed the ideal trail to hike.
Of course, venturing further along the trail meant the weekend drives would get progressively longer.
There is a phenomenal wealth of information available for this trail. The Rheinsteig website contains very detailed information, maps, profiles and GPS tracks for the complete route, broken into 23 stages. After spending much time reading information on the website, I decided this would be a worthwhile project and also allow me to enjoy the Rhenish food and wines along the route.
The website's online shop sells various guides and maps. I was able to browse all the available literature at Globetrotter, an outstanding outdoors shop in Kõln. After comparing the extensive range of products on offer, I purchased the "Hikeline" Wanderführer and the two Publicpress 1:25000 maps, all of which can be ordered from the website's online shop. The 3 publications are laminated, so ideal for carrying in a rucksack.
The logistical exercise in planning the weekend activities involves deciding where best to stay, then consulting train and bus timetables (which are readily downloadable from the Internet), to get to the start or end of each stage.
I started out on the trail from the Rathaus in Bonn on 17th May 2008 and have now reached Lorch, completing 243 Km of the trail. In October 2009, I made plans and some flight and hotel reservations to complete the Rheinsteig over the 2010 Mayday holiday weekend.
