River Rhine Track

Both of us, sweet bumble bee and big bad wolf, have we planned to hike the entire Rhine track stage by stage. As there are 23 of them in a row we will not succeed in a day. But remember - Rome was not hiked in a day neither. We do not intend to make one section per weekend. It will thus take a long period of time (years?) until we reach our goal. So what?
We intend to report on each stage and - if possible - offer tips and suggestions about the trail. A noble goal. Let's see how it goes ...

SECTION 04: BAD HONNEF - UNKEL (Whitsunday 2011)

Whitsunday 2011 we mastered our second section of the Rine track. Our remarks to this leg are as follows:   Section Bad Honnef - Unkel is one of the shortest legs of the Rhine track. It is less than or about 10 km and the default time for hiking is 2 ¾ hours. This time default is realistic as we have done this passage in around 2 ½ hours (incl. some small rest). In general, the Rhine track is famous for its great views on the river and small market towns. Indication error on this section - not a single distance view within this section. But it does not mean that this leg is not woth hiking. Anybody who likes the forest (like we do) will feel comfortable and get his money's worth. We had two ascents on the way. The first one (shortly behind Bad Honnef) is app. 1 ½ km long but not very steep. A second (shorter) step-up is in the last third of this hike, not really noteworthy. Moreover remarkable is the descent shortly behind God's eye. Anyone who makes this hike the other way round will experience a steep ascent here which will suck your energy dry. Altogether we had 3 hours of sportive activity (incl. the walk through the nice village of Unkel). We completed the today's tour by boat to our initial point. Thus we could enjoy some nice views on the landscape, the near-by Dragon's Rock and some castles around. Lovely! Cheers!				Light and shadow on the Rhine track: more wood-land passages than in section 05 can be found along this leg
					Thousands of scarab beetles along the way
		Centre of a historical tradition: the Eye of God is a distinctive place along the section
		Sometimes light, sometimes bright: a lot of woodland around the section
			Woodland strawberries grow in early summer along the way: a highlight while hiking. We snapped at the chance. Delicious!
			Rest at the memorial for the fallen soldier: one of the few sunny places along the hike
		Many coloured meadows may be adored during early summer
					Near the end of this hike, near Unkel: paragliders are lifted into the sky
					The Dragon's rock is not far (but actually will be reached from sectione 03)
				The end of the section: Dragon's rock - view from Unkel
				Return with the boat: the promenade of Unkel
			Castle or residential house? You never know in this region...

SECTION 05: UNKEL - LEUBSDORF (Easter 2011)

Access to the Rhine track above Unkel: straight and level avenue as 'appetizer'.					Easter 2011 we commenced with the first stage of the 320 km long Rhine track. In May 2009 we already did some miles on the original route of this popular hiking trail - but rather by accident. Now we plan to do the whole track - by hook or by crook. Here is the first report.   Our first leg of this steep track is stage no. 05 in the official counting of the Rhine track. We walk from Unkel via Linz to Leubsdorf. This section is about 14 km long and we have to master more than 520 meters difference in altitude. First of all: the official time default for this stage according to the Rhine track homepage is 4:15 hours. This time frame is too tight. We cannot imagine that this time includes any time for breaks. Despite being fleet of foot it took us (incl. a lunch break) about 5 hours to complete this course. After about 20 minutes on a yellow marked feeder path we reach the Rhine track above Unkel. The walk proceeds flat, even drops off for some 10 minutes before it goes uphill again and we reach the first lookout point on the Stux half an hour later. The Stux is a rock mass with an approximate height of 140 m above sea level. It is in large parts covered with a thin layer of soil. Thus mainly low plants with little water demand grow here. An exception is the broadcasting transmission tower located on the height of the Stux. Almost exactly one hour later we reach the Erpeler Ley. It is a height of almost 200 m above sea level from which you may look down perpendicular to the river bed of the Rhine. This is an ideal place for a rest, thus it is pretty crowded around lunch time. But the outlook on the silver belt of the river is spectacular. The Rhine track performs a complete circle on the plateau of the Ley. We have to walk back on the same route for about 500 m and almost lose the way despite of many signs. So you should be careful here. A further note: the entire Ley is under protection. Not all hikers, however, behave accordingly. On we go. For half an hour we walk rather close to the drip line of the Rhine rift before we reach the foothills of Linz. This section is apparently popular for mountain bikers. You can only leap aside when you hear the cyclists approaching. Some of these "athletes" race at breakneck speed. The Rhine trail leads directly through Linz. We move through public places and walk along streets. Fortunately the blue guideposts can be seen at every street crossing (most of them are attached to the poles of street signs), so there is little risk of getting lost. The mere route through Linz likely takes less than 20 minutes. Nevertheless you should budget more time because there are many distractions in form of quaint shops, cozy restaurants and inviting ice cream parlors. We abort section 05 and spend the afternoon rather in Linz. We postpone the rest of the stage (from Linz to Leubsdorf) to the next day. Finally we have checked in for a night in a very commendable four-star hotel named "Rheinhotel Schulz". The actual hiking time from Unkel to Linz – excluding breaks - up to this point was 3 ¾ hours. For the rest of this section on the next day one additional hour comes on top. That makes a total of 4 ¾ hours. But keep in mind: this counting excludes breaks and the feelgood factor. One may make this section in the default time, but only by running off higgledy-piggledy and by avoiding any rest break which make each hike worth-while…
	The first outlook on Unkel half an hour after the start.
	On the other side of the Rhine: Castle Marienfels, in private property.
The "Levadas" of the Rhine - The Rhine track is accompanied by small streams from time to time.
View from the solid rock mass "Stux" on Unkel.
Radio tower on top of the Stux.
	"Caught with the zoom": the Apollinaris Church on the other side of the Rhine.
	Another face of the Rhine track: Crossing a paddock which is official part of the route(!)
	View from the height Erpeler Ley. Yet to see (on the left): the place Ockenfels. Linz vanishes in the haze.
	Rest on the Erpeler Ley. Around lunch time it is rather crowded, you will hardly find a free bench.
	Another half hour's walk to Linz: these nice girls enjoy the view upstream.
View downstream shortly before Linz. In the background: pillars of the famous Remagen Bridge.
Clattering boy in Linz. He waits for the Holy Week. Then he moves with many other clattering through the streets. Why? During Easter all church bells are in Rome.
			Half-timbered houses in the old town of Linz, some dating from the 17th century, The old town is official part of the Rhine track.
			Above Linz: beautiful view towards Remagen (= upstream) on flowering rapeseed fields and the remains of the Remagen Bridge.
			Another face of the Rhine track: through light forest along dry creek beds. Surely water-bearing during the snow melt.
Flowering meadows along the hiking trail. This trail is certainly not suitable if you suffer from hay fever.
			Part of the Rhine track between Leubsdorf and Bad Honningen: almost alpine conditions require a certain height vertigo resistance.
			At the end of the trail: luscious gratification.
			Upon completion of the walk: return with ultra-modern means of transport of DB (National railway company).

This page was last updated on: 19.06.2011