From the Rhine to the Rhine? I know an exciting "shortcut"! Instead of taking the popular long-distance cycle route along the big river, I want to cycle across all the hills between Nierstein and Bingen on my Rheinhessen crossing. I won't be conquering any mountain passes like on the Transalp, but this little adventure promises wind, climbing and enjoyment just the same.
I am on the road for two days with luggage and overnight stay and want to give you a detailed report, so there is part 1 and part 2 of my tour report. You can find the tour links and the description of the other stage at the end of the article.
Bikepacking to Rheinhessen?!
Nothing fills me with more anticipation than strapping the bikepacking bags to my bike. I've had a long week at work, so I'm all the more looking forward to my time out in the countryside. What awaits me over the next few days? 90 kilometers, four hikes and plenty of eye-catching views.
Bikepacking means riding longer bike tours with light luggage that is attached directly to the bike - instead of bulky panniers. This makes gravel sections less jarring and you feel at least twice as fast. 😉 Even if everyone defines the experience (and the route length) differently: The focus is on discovery, feeling nature and freedom. I realize that you don't need to travel far afield to do this, at the latest when I'm jetting across the Flonheim plateau with a tailwind late in the afternoon. Clouds, a red kite, rolling cornfields - exactly the vastness I've been longing for.
Of vines, ruins and cycling intoxication
But right from the start: On the lively banks of the Rhine in Nierstein After a delicious piece of cake (energy boost!), I get back on the saddle. After a detour to the picturesque market square with the Palaeontological Museum, the first few kilometers on the cycle path heading west literally fly by, as if I'm being pulled along by the "Valentinche". This was the name of the sugar beet railroad, the route of which now connects the Rhine and Selz valleys as a cycle path.
Passing Dexheim, Dalheim and Friesenheim, a stately Hiwwel comes into view on the horizon. The Petersberga magnificent example of the hilly landscape of Rheinhessen! I leave the Selz valley and head skywards - the steep climb through the vineyards quickly adds up to a few meters in altitude. The panorama, which today stretches from the Donnersberg in the Palatinate to the Großer Feldberg in Hesse, seems all the more endless. The Petersberg itself is a spot steeped in history: On its summit at 246m, you can still discover the remains of a basilica from the 10th century, as the informative information board explains.
Up the Petersberg: a climbing and discovery tour with a panoramic view
Now it's high time for some refreshment. The route descends rapidly to the ice cream parlor in Gau-Odernheim, where an iced coffee quickly replenishes your energy stores. On towards the southwest I follow the Selz valley to Alzey. Along the way, the one or other wine tavern tempts you with delicacies, but a Hiwwel is still on the program today.
Through the primeval sea
It's quite a climb from Heimersheim to the Flonheim plateau. And yet, as the view opens up and reveals the golden yellow cornfields and rolling hills as far as the horizon, I am gripped by euphoria, the pure joy of cycling and traveling. The hustle and bustle of everyday life is miles away, only the eager twittering of birds can be heard from the fields. And the best is yet to come: the sweeping descent to Flonheim, past the popular Naturfreundehaus and the Show quarrywhich I leave to the left because of the flow. The red sandstone that was quarried here and fossil finds bear witness to a distant past when this area was still covered by a primeval tropical sea.
After almost five kilometers downhill, a white spot between the vines arouses my curiosity. Somewhat hidden on the slope of the Geistermühle, I find one of the Flonheim trulli. Built in the 18th century by Apulian migrant workers to provide shade while working in the vineyards, this and other white towers have since become a Rhine-Hessian trademark.
Vineyards with distant views and the ruins of the Beller church
A bed in the vineyard
The last few kilometers to Siefersheim roll past the mysterious Beller church ruins (read more in this blog article), relaxed on the finest asphalt. In Siefersheim, my host Alex Seyberth is already waiting with a very special Accommodation at the Seyberth Winery. A night in the great outdoors is an essential part of bikepacking. But who said it had to be in a tent? The Swiss stone pine chalet actually welcomes me with a forest-like scent - and that in the sparsely wooded Rheinhessen region! I would gladly swap my tent and sleeping mat for this heavenly mattress and bright white linen with a view of the vineyards any time. The time and love with which the Seyberth family has transformed their historic farm into an oasis of comfort is evident in every detail. Next time, I would also like to take part in the wine tasting from organic-biodynamic cultivation.
In the evening, I take a short detour to the rustic Junkermühle mill, where traditional, hearty fare awaits me. After all, I still have a few more hikes and kilometers to the Rhine tomorrow. Read on to find out what surprises await me in Rhine-Hessian Switzerland: The great Hiwwel crossing (part 2) - From the Stein to the Rhine, bikepacking in Rheinhessen.
You can find the tour itinerary on Outdooractive and Komoot.
Warm welcome at reception
Rheinhessen charm in the courtyard
Rustic and stylish
