Castle Route

40.8 KM   I   ALTITUDE 640 METRES  I   DURATION 3.30 HOURS   I  LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY  MEDIUM 

SHORT DESCRIPTION :

This cycle route along the Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route) takes you past stunning wine-producing locations and stately castles, including Reichsburg Trifels (Trifels Castle), located not too far away near Annweiler, and Reichsfeste Falkenburg (Falkenburg Castle). When you reach Hauenstein, we highly recommend that you pay a visit to the Deutsches Schuhmuseum (German Shoe Museum) and the “Gläserne Schuhfabrik” attraction, which will give you a fascinating insight into how shoes are made.

STARTING POINT AND HOW TO GET THERE

  • Starting/finishing point: Schuhmacherdenkmal (Shoemaker Memorial) in Hauenstein
  • Getting there: A62/A63 and B10 to the Hauenstein junction/to Wilgartswiesen. Alternative route: A61 and A65 to the Landau-Nord exit and B10 to the Hauenstein junction. Public transport: You can get to Hauenstein on DB trains on the Landau–Pirmasens main line. The train station is about 2 km from the town centre
  • Parking: In Hauenstein

THINGS TO SEE

  • Deutsches Schuhmuseum (German Shoe Museum) (tel.: +49 (0)6392 91 51 65), Gläserne Schuhfabrik attraction (tel.: +49 (0)6392 92 21 371), shoe shopping experience (selection of 500,000 pairs of shoes)
  • Ruine Madenburg (Ruins of Madenburg Castle) overlooking Eschbach
  • Slevogthof Manor House overlooking Leinsweiler (currently not open)
  • Kaiserpfalz Trifels (Trifels Castle) overlooking Annweiler
  • Burgruine Wiligartaburg und Falkenburg (Ruins of Wiligartaburg and Falkenburg Castles)
  • Ev. Kirche (Protestant Church) in Wilgartswiesen

 

 

 

PLACES TO STOP :

  • Hauenstein: Zwickerstube restaurant and Paddelweiher-Hütte, stop with accommodation available, Landgasthaus Zum Ochsen guest house, Dorfstübel Brunnenhof hotel and restaurant in Wilgartswiesen
  • Leinsweiler: Café-Maria wine bar
  • Eschbach: Zum Zehnthaus restaurant

 

PEAT BOGS:

We start off at the Schuhmacherdenkmal (Shoemaker Memorial) in Hauenstein, the largest shoemaking village in Germany. This route sees us cycle uphill along Weißenburger Straße with our sights set firmly on a selection of castles. After around 800 m, we bear left and head towards Lug. We bear left, riding on a saddle past fields, meadows and orchards, taking in the spectacular view of the Rauhberg Mountain and the forests, until we reach Lug, a peaceful little village steeped in tradition. Passing underneath the L495, the lack of cycle path means we have to cycle on the road briefly. We then travel on the Völkersweiler Saddle, before cruising through Völkersweiler later on. The leg of the journey down to the B48 is delightful, leading past a good place to stop for a rest by a spring. We then take the cycle path along the B48 in the direction of Waldrohrbach and Waldhambach. The cycle path then veers away from the road, taking us into a valley on the right so that we end up at Kaiserbachermühle on the Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route). We bear left briefly, use the underpass and then carry on along the Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route), turning left onto the cycle path until we enter Eschbach. Anyone keen to ride through rows of vines instead should carry straight on and venture a little way further from the road. The route then runs in parallel to the Wine Route all the way to Eschbach. Eschbach is a charming little wine town in the shadow of Madenburg Castle. The route leads us on to the right and into the vineyards. At one point, we branch off to one vineyard on the left and follow the saddle to the left with our sights set on Leinsweiler. We cross the road and head right down to Leinsweiler via a track. Passing through the town, we head out again on the Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route). Here, our route branches off to the left again and we find ourselves embarking up more tracks. Turning left, we make our way to the edge of the forest and Slevogthof Manor House. There is an opportunity to visit the Ruine Neukastell (Ruins of Neukastell Castle) here. A moderate uphill climb awaits us now up to the signpost and Forläcker Saddle. It’s all downhill from this point, as we pass through the forest and make our way towards Annweiler. When we reach the Kurpark (Spa Garden), there is a chance to climb up to visit Trifels Castle. We then carry on to Annweiler and the Queichtalradweg (Queich Valley Cycleway) (option to head back to Hauenstein every hour). We arrive at Rinnthal and then Wilgartswiesen, where we are treated to a glorious view of the Burgruine Falkenburg (Ruins of Falkenburg Castle). As we leave the town, there is the option of bearing right to climb up to visit the castle. Not long after we have left Wilgartswiesen, we bear left on the Queichtalradweg (Queich Valley Cycleway)/Castle Route and head back to Hauenstein along the Queich River.

 

CONTACT

SÜDLICHE WEINSTRASSE E.V.
An der Kreuzmühle 2, 76829 Landau
Telefon +49 (0)6341 940-407
info (at) suedlicheweinstrasse.de
www.suedlicheweinstrasse.de

Copyright photo on this page: © Kurt Groß, Südliche Weinstraße e.V.

Copyright map: map.solutions GmbH