Trail Name: Hiwweltour Bismarckturm
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; trail surface variable – from earthen to paved, includes stairs, well maintained overall; the route itself is fairly well-marked.
Length: 10.3 kilometers/6.4 miles
Convenient to: Mainz, Germany
Marking: A cursive lower-case “h” on a half-blue/half-green rectangular-shaped background
Continue reading Hiwweltour Bismarckturm: Trail in a Nutshell
The Rhineland Palatinate’s Suedliche Weinstrasse wine district has long had a multi-faceted approach to its wine-making and wine tourism. From cooperatives to independent wine makers, from car routes to hiking and biking trails through the vineyards and towns where the production of wine takes place. These are not one-off trails. Rather they have been well-thought out, and are mutually supportive. One bicycle circuit I recently completed demonstrates these characteristics.
What I Learned
Red sandstone is one of the most striking features of the Suedliche Weinstrasse wine district. It shows up in the scenic rock formations, in the stonework of the local castles (of which there are many), and in the vineyards. This sedimentary rock gains its color from the iron oxide present in the original deposits. As a soil base for vines, it is rather good at retaining the sun’s heat. On the debit side, it is rather poor in nutrients.
Trail Name: Fassboden 6
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; almost exclusively paved, the remainder hard-packed earth; well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length: total: 18 kilometers/ @ 12 miles (1.5 hours)
Convenient to: Landau, Germany
Marking: Green and white square sign, with white bicycle, wine barrel and number “6” in white.
