Tour Details for The Rhine Heights Way 2010 | |
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Our standard package is a seven night holiday involving
six days of walking (three days on each bank of the river) through the heart of the
UNESCO Heritage Area of the Rhine Valley. The route lies along the top of the valley,
not beside the river, and well away from the coach parties that also enjoy
visiting this beautiful area. Along the way you will see many of the classic sights of the Rhine, such as the Loreley, the Pfalz in the Rhine, and many castles, both ruined and restored, including Rheinfels, the Cat & Mouse, Castle Liebeneck and the Marksburg, as well as the world famous wine-growing towns of Boppard, Oberwesel and Bacharach. As well as a full week holiday we also offer a four night short break, walking along just one side of the valley; you can choose either the west bank, with the famous wine villages, or the east bank, which is quieter and with more demanding walking. The route described below is our standard offer - occasionally it may be neccesary to start and end in the north, at Lahnstein, instead of in Bacharach. |
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Day 1. Arrive in Bacharach (west bank). Day 2. Walk downstream past the Pfalz in the Rhine and cross by ferry to the east bank. Climb to Gutenfels castle and then walk through vineyards to Dörscheid. From here a choice of routes takes you to the top of the world famous Loreley. After enjoying the view, continue via Katz (Cat) Castle to St. Goarshausen (about 15 miles). |
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Day 3. Walk up to the ridge above the Rhine and follow this to
Maus (Mouse) Castle. The walk goes via Prath and Lykershausen to
Liebenstein Castle, which you can visit. After your visit you soon
reach Sterrenberg Castle, from where you walk down to the river again
at Kamp-Bornhofen (about 13 miles). Day 4. Walk above vineyards, then through forest to Liebeneck Castle. From here you continue above the vineyards St. Martin's Chapel. From here you walk up to Marksburg Castle - this has been fully restored to give the visitor an impression of life in the Rhine Castles during their heyday. The day's walk ends in Lahnstein (about 12 miles). |
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Day 5. Today you cross the Rhine to the west bank. Start by climbing to a
Roman Temple dedicated to Mercury. Then you walk through fine mixed woodland to
a (probably) stone age barrow. The rest of the walk is dominated by superb views
of the river; first the "four lakes view", where the Rhine appears as four separate
bodies of water, then the dramtic view over a 180° bend. Finally you can either
walk down, or take the cable car to the pretty small town of Boppard (about 14 miles). Day 6. Dtart the day with a short steep climb, then continue steadily up through the forest to open country dotted with orchards. Soon you come to a forestry house from where there are fine views over the river, Sterrenberg and Liebenstein castles and as far as the Taunus hills to the north of Frankfurt. You then continue to the village of Fleckertshöhe, from where there are magnificant views to the north; on a clear day you can see Ehrenbreitstein fortress opposite Koblenz, the Westerwald hills north of Koblenz and even the Siebengebirge across the river from Bonn. After a classic German forest walk you descend a wooded valley to St. Goar and the dramatic castle of Rheinfels (about 15 miles). |
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Day 7. Walk up to Rheinfels Castle and then to Spitzestein, from where the route.
enters the forest the forest above town, over the Spitzenstein. Descend to a vineyard,
then walk down to the river at Oberwesel. Oberwesel is one of the most attractive of the small towns on this bank of the Rhine, noted for the large number of towers throughout the village. If you find yourself seduced by Oberwesel, you can spend the rest of the day here, then continue to Bacharach by ship or train. Assuming that you do continue to walk, the path leads first up to Schönburg Castle. Then follow a stream to the village of Perscheid, before entering the valley that leads you past Stahleck Castle down to Bacharach (about 13 miles). This valley was used in 1814 by Marshal Blücher's army's march against Napoleon. |
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