On the final three days of our ride on the Mosel River Bike Path, we rode through Zell, Beilstein and Cochem to Alken. From there we cruised on our barge down to our final destination of Koblenz.
On the previous three days of our bike and barge holiday, we had cycled from Saarburg to Bernkastel-Kues.
Day 4 – Bernkastel-Kues to Zell 47 km
The next morning, before leaving Bernkastel-Kues, we went to see the old town. Timber-framed houses dating from the seventeenth century lined the medieval market place.
The most notable of these was a very skinny wine bar dating from 1416.
High Mosel Bridge
About ten kilometres into our ride, we came across this extremely high modern bridge.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is called High Mosel Bridge. Completed in 2019, it extends for 1.7 kilometres and is 158 metres tall, towering above the local vineyards and villages.
Punderich
Towards the end of the day, at around the 39 km mark, we stopped at a brewery in the small town of Punderich.
A castle topped the hill on the other side of the river.
Later, we went for a short walk around the half-timbered houses next to the bike path.
Vertical vineyards
Here it is worth mentioning the vertical vineyards so abundant in the Mosel region.
Coming from north Adelaide in Australia, near the Barossa and Clare wine regions where water and soil conservation are paramount, we are used to seeing vine trellises following the contours of the land horizontally. So you can imagine how amazed we were to see the trellises in the Mosel region heading straight down the slopes, seemingly regardless of any soil conservation issues.
Apparently each year they have to collect the soil that has washed to the bottom of the hills and replace it on the slopes, but the concern here is more about maximising sunlight. Orienting the rows to face north and south, regardless of the slope, optimises the sun needed to produce and ripen quality fruit. As most readers will be aware, we have no shortage of sunlight in Australia.
Another thing we learned is that in the Mosel region, the vines are usually ripped out and replaced every twenty years to maximise production. This was also surprising to us as old vineyards, some of them more than 125 years old, are highly valued in the Barossa and Clare regions.
From Punderich it was only eight kilometres to our mooring for the night at Zell. On the way, I stopped to get some photographs of the wildflowers growing so abundantly all along the Mosel Bike Path at this time of year.
Map of Day 4 on the Mosel River Bike Path
Day 5 – Zell to Cochem 43 km
The highlight of today’s ride was Beilstein, one of the best-preserved historic villages along the Moselle Bike Path.
While it was very beautiful, it was extremely busy with tourists. The bicycle rack at the entrance to the village was packed with over 150 bicycles and a couple of tour buses were also there.
It’s worth climbing to the ruins of Castle Metternich above the town.
Our blue barge sailed past just as we reached the summit.
Unfortunately the cold I had started coming down with on Day 3 had taken hold. As we were climbing up to the castle, I noticed that I was running a temperature and struggling for breath.
Fortunately it was only eleven kilometres from Beilstein to our mooring for the night at Cochem.
Map of Day 5 on the Mosel River Bike Path
Day 6 – Cochem to Alken 32 km and barge to Koblenz
On our last day, we had a couple of options. One was to cycle along the Mosel Bike Path from Cochem to Alken and then relax on board the barge as it sailed to Koblenz. The other was to catch a train from Cochem to Moselkern with our bikes, ride up to Eltz Castle, and then catch a train to Koblenz.
We chose to ride to Alken, even though we had heard that this section of the bike path was mostly next to the road. I have this thing about finishing trails!
Although the cycling was not as scenic as our other days on the Mosel Bike Path, we still enjoyed our ride.
Our barge arrived at Alken at 1:30pm and once safely aboard, we fell into our beds, tired but happy. From our cabin we watched the last section of the Mosel from Alken to Koblenz float by. A couple of locks added extra interest to the journey.
I was too sick to do much exploring in Koblenz.
Map of Day 6 on the Mosel River Bike Path
Summary of our Mosel River Bike Path journey
Looking back on our wonderful week of cycling along the Mosel Bike Path, the greatest joys were not so much in the expected highlights, such as Trier or Beilstein. Instead, the true delights were in the surprises – the beauty of Saarburg, the half-timbered houses at Punderich and in other old towns, the vertical vineyards and the late summer wildflowers.
We had been very fortunate with the weather. Our days were mostly fine with rain overnight on two occasions.
Would I recommend a Bike and Barge holiday like this to others? Most definitely. When I visit my brother in Germany again, I would like to do another bike and barge trip. Next time I may try the Rhine River Bike Path or possibly something in France. If I’m lucky, Rhonda might be available for that adventure too. Or you never know, I may talk my husband Derek into trying it on an electric bike….
Where would I like to go back to? I would like to spend a few more days in the Roman town of Trier, visit Castle Eltz near Moselkern and perhaps spend a day or two in Koblenz.
Top picture: Rhonda cycles past more wildflowers on the Mosel Bike Path near Bremm
