A castle stands atop an unusually steep, vine-covered hill, just east of the German city of Heilbronn in wine region of Wuerttemberg. Famous for having defied the Emperor, the little town of Weinsberg has a unique story. Was it the wine that inspired them?
Trail Name: Wiesen, Wein und Treue Weiber (Fields, Wine and True Women)
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surfaces (grass, dirt, paved); mostly well-maintained, but the route itself is not specifically marked.
Length: 13.5 kilometers/8.5 miles
Convenient to: Heilbronn, Germany
Marking: None uniquely specific to the trail’s itinerary. The photo below merely indicates first marking. (See the itinerary below.)
Trail Name: Wii Wegli
Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and usually paved or hard pack, marking on the trail very good throughout.
Length: 81.6 kilometers/ 50.5 miles (See note below)
Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany; Basel, Switzerland
Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on 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)
I have hiked many wine trails, in many different wine regions. And I have tasted many wines from those regions. But rarely does a trail combine both a wonderful hiking experience and tasting experience in one. For sheer variety of landscape, and expansive vistas of much of the southern Rhine River Valley, the Wii Wegli (dialect for: little wine trail) is a fantastic long-distance hiking experience. Located in the southwestern corner of Germany, the Markgraeflerland is a wine district in Baden’s wine region – one with excellent wines. From south (by Basel, Switzerland) to north (by Freiburg) great hiking and wine experiences awaited over every hill, and in every village.
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)
