A good start with Hiwwelsack and children's rally
There are four of us on the road. Fabian and Ronja are equipped with Hiwwelsacks and the adventure hiking rally. The "Hiwwelsack for Hiwwelguckers" is a well-filled green gym bag that we got the day before at the Tourist Information Wörrstadter Land. It was invented and implemented by Gudrun Kayser, a nature educator in Rheinhessen. She was supported by institutions and sponsors in the region.
So now the children find in the Hiwwelsack a Hiwwelgucker diary with questions, suggestions and space for notes, a wooden pencil box with ruler, a beaker magnifier and a lunch box. We have already filled these with sandwiches that have been greased.
When we visited the tourist information office, we also immediately packed the "Kinder Erlebniswander-Rallye Hiwweltour neuborn". The rally is a kind of crossword puzzle with questions about the hike on a handy sheet of paper. It was initiated by Angelika Friedrich, a cultural educator and cultural and wine ambassador. The best prerequisite for not getting bored on the way. Ronja and Fabian are already impatient. They have already learned all eleven questions of the adventure hiking rally by heart.
On to the Burgundy Tourm
We take the first part of the route and walk to the Burgundy Tower. The path is well signposted and the children are quickly ahead in the competition: "Whoever sees the most signposts first".
While we enjoy the panoramic view of the Burgundy Tower over the vast vineyards, Ronja and Fabian walk up and down the steps of the tower and discuss the number of steps. Is the large landing in the middle counted as one step or two?
We agree that forty-two concrete steps lead up to the tower and continue our tour in the direction of the Greifenberg. The children see the path with different eyes, they discover the resting place "Zur schönen Aussicht" first and have already answered all questions, while we still admire the view of the lonely tree between the vines on the Greifenberg.
The signposted Weinberghaus Perka awakens the spirit of discovery in Fabian and Ronja. It does require a little extra loop on the tour and a steep climb, but it's worth it. With its unusual architecture and parallelogram floor plan, this vineyard house is something special.
With the beaker loupe through the Wingert
On the Greifenberg and at the Table of Wine, also called the "Table of Biodiversity", we make our next stop. The children, equipped with their beaker magnifiers, hop around among the vines and grasses, observing and catching insects to study them in detail. "How come some ladybugs only have three black spots and others have thirteen?" Even we parents are stumped by one or two finds.
Next to the only tree on this Hiwwel we enjoy the view and the peace. We strengthen ourselves with the greased bread from the Hiwwelgucker bread box.
Fabian and Ronja use the short break to record their first discoveries in their Hiwwelgucker diaries. Thanks to the crayon selection, all the bugs and butterflies can be traced in detail and color.
The path continues for a short distance along a railroad track before we turn into a dense and enchanted piece of forest. The children are engrossed in searching for insects on the ground, so that we almost miss the squirrel crawling up the tree next to us. While our eyes eagerly follow the squirrel, our ears notice the next forest dweller. A frog croaks nearby. Fabian and Ronja run a little way ahead and discover the little troublemaker sitting on a water lily in the lake previously hidden by the forest.
On a discovery tour in Rommersheim
Our animal discovery tour continues when we observe an emu family with small offspring on a fenced meadow nearby. Without realizing it, we are well past the first half of the Hiwwelt tour. Walking through the small village of Rommersheim, we all enjoy a refreshing ice cream from the TG kiosk. On a wall in the shadow of the big old memorial oak we take a little rest.
Ronja and Fabian also want to answer all the questions of the children's rally in Rommersheim. Before we continue our hike, we marvel at the thick trunk of the historic oak tree. The children can't reach around the thick trunk even together, only four of us make it.
Back to the sea of vines
After leaving Rommersheim behind us, we climb back up into the mountains. There are beautiful walnut trees along the way. This is the opportunity to show the children that walnuts still have a second, green shell on the tree. At the next resting place we make a small detour before we enjoy the view. Hidden behind other trees we find a variety of fruit trees. Together we guess the different varieties. In addition to apples and plums, we also find more unusual varieties such as mirabelles.
During the rest of the hike, the children keep looking for animals in the vineyards. In addition to numerous bees, butterflies and grasshoppers, we can discover a few unusual insects. A sign points out that there is biodiversity in the vineyards and that partridges, hares and the like are also on the move here. Unfortunately, we do not discover them. We are probably just too noisy on our way through the vines. A little further on, chestnut trees provide us with shade and the children collect their first chestnuts for this year.
It seems as if this Hiwweltour would lead through the different facets of Rheinhessen. The endless expanses of vineyards now lie before us. We can't see exactly which grape varieties are growing on the right and left. Nevertheless, we observe the different degrees of ripeness. Some grapes are already dark blue, while others seem to get color only sporadically.
Is here already the source?
As we enter the forest, we directly hear the chirping of the birds and the splashing of the water. Fabian and Ronja are very excited: "Is the spring here already?
Yes, it is! The ice-cold water of the Neuborn spring cools our warm faces. After a few tries, the children manage to scoop the water with their hands and taste it. It is refreshingly cold and tastes like the rock from which it comes.
A few steps further and we are almost at the end of our hike. Before we walk back to the parking lot, we get off the path for a short while. In a small clearing in the forest, the little stream of the spring flows into a fountain. There is enough space here for Ronja and Fabian to let off steam once again. Over a cold grape juice spritzer, we solve the crossword puzzle of the children's adventure hiking rally together. Here at the Waldgaststätte Neuborn, the children receive a small badge for the correct answer. The two stow the badge in their Hiwwelgucker lunch box, which is now well filled with snail shells, sticks and small stones, as suggested in the Hiwwelgucker diary.
If you now also want to go with the whole family on the way through the vineyards of the Hiwweltour Neuborn, you will find here all information about the hiking route. You can get the "Hiwwelsack" for 10€ at the tourist information Wörrstadt. Information about the opening hours can be found on the Website of the Wörrstädter Land.
The "Children's Adventure Hiking Rally Hiwweltour Neuborn" you can do yourself print, in which Tourist Information Wörrstadt or on the way in the Forest restaurant Neuborn take along.
