It was a lovely stay at Bacharach. The Rhein Hotel is centuries old. My room was tiny, but with cable TV, and a view across the railway to the great Rhine river. It was a terrible sleep though, it felt like I was wide awake all night, which is no way to prepare for another full day on the bike. The day eventually dawned. The breakfast room took me back two centuries in time. It was beautifully decorated and very charming. The breakfast was ‘to die for’. I’m loving these German breakfasts. I was the only guest with a spread provided as if it was feeding an army. The girl on duty took great care of me, cooking my eggs to perfection. She spoke good English and very talkative. The time came to go.
The weather was cool, the morning seemed gloomy but it would be a clear day without sunlight until later in the day. I headed back over the cobbled village centre with all its history, through a cobbled tunnel under the railway and found myself at the edge of the Rhine. I instinctively turned left, in the direction of London. The legs were in good condition. The bike rolled despite its 45kg in weight. I could hear the flag fluttering.
All day it was like riding through a live museum. In fact, this section of the Rhine has been beautifully restored and listed by UNESCO as a living treasure of European history. I was keen to put some miles in early because it was a solid day ahead, my estimate being 85k. my target was Koblenz by lunchtime, with then another 35k up the Mosel River. I rolled away from Bacharach about 9:30am. Conditions were perfect.
Both sides of the Rhine are steep. The many beautiful villages both sides are therefore narrow and long, perhaps only a few streets at most before the sides of the high hills rise above them, the sides are almost continually under vineyards. In summer the scenery would be spectacular. Even now in near winter it was still beautiful although lacking the lovely colours of summer. Both sides of the river are dotted with historic villages, the architecture simply a canvas of historical beauty.
I was cycling on the left side, the western side of the Rhine. Sadly, alongside the bikeway, the closest to the river, was the road and also the railway, the latter with wires and poles which affected taking photos of castles on my side of the river. The wires always blighted the photos. It was better taking photos across the river because the wires were not apparent at that distance.
I wanted to make good time, given the longer day, but it was all too inviting to keep stopping for more photos. I don’t like missing photo opportunities. Despite this, my average speed was up around 20kph at first, but grew to almost 22kph before tailing off later in the day.
Castles were frequent today, perched on top of the high mountains on both sides. They are spectacular and in most cases beautifully restored. I don’t think I saw any that did not appear functional. There was still enough of autumn left for the sides of the river to be beautiful with the colours of fallen autumn leaves.
I passed through Oberwesel and St Goar with their ancient beauty, then pressed on through numerous tiny places before resting a little along the picturesque shores of Boppard, while the time being enchanted by the beauty of just as many villages just across the river, the spires of their churches standing out like ancient sentinels. The river bends and weaves, and most of the time the bike path was decent bitumen, but which occasionally broke into cobbled brick surface. Through villages, sometimes the path got tricky, switching to narrow streets that kept me concentrating on the small arrows that mark the path. If day dreaming, which occasionally happened, it was obvious that I had lost the path, at one point I had to carry the bike down a steep set of stairs to get to the bikeway below.
The village of Spay was just beautiful, but it was here that the path turned down a country lane, passing a lovely old dairy. The path was wet with winter dew of the morning, and covered by cow manure. I stopped in manure at the side of the milking bales, where a cow stood beside its newly born calf, so new that I could see the cow was still eating the fresh ‘afterbirth’ while the tiny calf stood feebly on its shaking legs, its first attempts to find the strength to stand on its own. It was an incredible picture to take.
The river then runs by several more ancient communities before eventually the city of Koblenz came into view, the large industrial works on both sides a contrast to the ancient beauty that still lined both sides of the river. It was tricky staying on the path as the coast became dotted with inlets, the road having to switch and turn to cross the many inlets where boats were moored.
Eventually though I came to the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine rivers at the city of Boppard. It was just after midday, and the GPS said I had covered some 52k during the morning. I turned up the Mosel, overwhelmed though by the now large and often historic buildings that marked this end, the original and historic end of Boppard, a beautiful palace standing majestically on the opposite shore with views all the way up the Mosel.
I wheeled into the cobbled old town for lunch, but not wanting to waste time either. I bought two small baguette rolls with ham (and gerkin) and coffee for a total of 3Euro before heading back to the river. I was now without a map, but hoping that the Mosel was lined by bikeways on both sides like most rivers in Germany. I crossed to the far side, the right side immediately, but was nervous for about 30 minutes because the path was barely a path, and which weaved and turned in and around the many industrial complexes close to the river. However, it soon passed. I was back in vineyard country again, and the path became more clear and now hugged the river.
It was beautiful. I daresay the Mosel is more beautiful than the Rhine, which is why I wanted to sample it. If I kept going I could ride all the way into France, but saving that for another day. Not having a map, I wasn’t sure how far I had to go, but anticipated about 35k which turned out to be accurate. It was so beautiful, I couldn’t resist frequent photos trying to take advantage of the beauty.
I was passed suddenly by a young guy on a road bike. He flew by, catching me by surprise and then sailed away. I kept him in sight though, and eventually realized that he wasn’t making any more distance on me, now that I had settled on a steady 26kph. I was very keen to get to Moselkern by 3pm so I could get to see the great Burg Eltz, which is a long walk up into the mountains. So I turned up the speed to see if I could catch the young guy on his road bike.
It was a merry chase. I had the bike cruising at 30-33kph which is amazing considering its weight and bulk, and gradually I pulled up behind the young guy and sat in his draught. I paid the price though, and hoped it wouldn’t pay on me in subsequent days. He got quite a shock to see me sitting on his wheel. Eventually though he took me under his wing, giving me instructions on local use of the road we were on, which kept switching from one side of the vehicle road to the other. He was a Uni student who rode 45k each way each day. Some 10k before Moselkern I bid him farewell, because I wanted to enjoy the final sights of the ride and capture the photos.
I rolled into Moselkern at 2:45pm, and easily found the street and then the Burg Hotel which is run by a Mum and her daughter. I was keen to see the Castle, but when told it was 5k each way, and a solid hour each way, I was suddenly having second thoughts. It would be dark by 5pm. However, I decided to set out and see how I went. So still in my bike gear including cycling shoes, I walked the 2.5k to the beginning of the beautiful forest trail that climbed gradually up through some of the most beautiful forest I had seen in Europe. I was now on a mission and decided to do the whole thing, and was more than rewarded when I finally came to the Burg, deep in the forest but high in the hills behind Moselkern. It was stunningly enchanting.
I took many photos, and then headed back. I managed 40 minutes each way, and was back at the Hotel before dark, but extremely weary after the exertion of the whole day. I showered, the daughter cooked goulash and mushroom soup just for me for dinner, and I was tucked in bed asleep by 7pm. I was keen for sleep, and happy to be awake by midnight as long as I could get some decent sleep. I went ‘out like a light’, but having spent an amazing day on the Rhine and Mosel.
Tomorrow I return back down the Mosel to the Rhine at Boppard, and turn left for Holland, heading for the village of Linz am Rhein. I will take the left bank, and put my faith in the ferry that will enable me to cross at Remagen, with Linz on the opposite shore.
Until then, I send my love from beautiful Moselkern on the Mosel river!
Again, apologies – I can’t post photos without much drama, so I have resorted for now for a separate photo page, and will sort it later.
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