There are a few hills on this ride. But hills are good for you; character builders, my father used to say. There is a fair amount of gravel path too – especially at the beginning. Nevertheless, the path is in excellent condition and should be good in any weather condition.

Signage: The signage changes a few times but it is clear most of the way. I don’t remember being lost even once on this trip.

Accommodations: Even though much of the ride was in the former East Germany, we had no trouble finding good accommodations. As a choice, we like Zimmer (advertised as Zimmer Frei) but there are also Gasthäuser (Guest Houses), Pensionen (pensions or bed and breakfasts), Jugendherbergen (Youth Hostels), and hotels. For a complete discussion of the different types of accommodations and tips on reservations, see my Overnight Accommodations page.

Stops: One must stop in Eisenach to see the Wartburg but there are many wonderful “Fachwerkhäuser” and other half-timbered buildings in the many villages along the way.

Guidebook

Signage at start

Other Route Signage

One of the Springs

Quality Bike Path

Break Time

A roadside table

Wehr River

Wehrkirche Einhausen

Meiningen

Town Hall

Schloss Landesburg

Herrenbreitungen

Wooden Path

Hann. Münden

Maps and Guidebooks: On this trip we used Bikeline’s Werratal-Radweg, von den Quellen nach Hann. Münden, 1:50,000.

Day 1: Eisfeld to the springs and back to Eisfeld

Day Overview: I want to start by climbing up to the two springs, the sources of the Werra, that are in the hills north of Eisfeld. The ride up is a gradual climb – just over 1,000 feet (330 meters) of elevation gain and the round trip the distance is about 35 km (22 miles). Maxa and Guntram (Maxa’s brother) decide that climbing hills is an example of having lost one’s good sense so they stay in Eisfeld while I bike up the mountain. I have an adventure. At the top of the mountain, there are trails going every which way and I end up on the wrong one, not once but several times. Fortunately, all trails lead to one of the little villages so I am reoriented once I find that village.

I have to admit that the climb is well worth the effort. It is gorgeous here in the mountains. The trail is interesting, occasionally a little challenging (but if I were on the right trail, it would probably be easier). Riding through little clearings and I see a deer. The birds are vocal and except for the occasional hiker or biker, it is quiet and peaceful here. I just wish I knew exactly where I was.

With all my wanderings and meanderings while I am lost, I burn up time. I had told Maxa and Guntram to expect me back in Eisfeld in three hours. So, when I get to Siegmundsburg, I opt to take the road down the mountain and forgo the gravel bike path for the rest of the way. I am running late and I don’t want my fellow travelers to send out the police to find me. The road has several switchbacks as it drops into Saargrund. Another biker is ahead of me and I judge him to be a local citizen because he has no panniers. He is riding carefully and slowly down the hill so I pace myself behind him. Good thing too. The switchbacks are 180° turns that one needs to be riding slow in order to stay on the road. After a couple miles, he takes off and so do I. He is faster and soon disappears but I am hitting speeds around 50 mph. Tears are streaming from my eyes but I love a good drop. As I blow into Saargrund I notice a 30 km/hr speed limit sign. Brakes! I don’t want to get a speeding ticket. They do ticket bicycles just as they do cars. That drop was fun while it lasted.

Mile 0 (0 km): I start the odometer at the Eisfeld Bahnhof.

Mile 14.6 (23.5 km): After being lost but trying to correct for all the mistaken turns, I reach Friedrichshöhe. From here I ride to Siegmundsburg, check out the second spring and hop on the highway for a quick drop back to our hotel.

Mile 22.0 (35.4 km): Great drop! I am back in Eisfeld. I find Maxa and Guntram drinking beer. But who, I ask you, is the most righteous and pious of the three of us? Beer drinkers or hill climbers?

I notice signs along the way marking the Rennsteig. This is another famous biking and hiking path. The Rennsteig is perhaps the longest and perhaps the oldest mountain bike trail in Germany. It is almost 200 km long, well maintained, and it connects Hörschel (near Eisenach) on the Werra through the Thüringer Wald to Blankenstein on the Saale River. Elevation gain is from 200 m in Hörschel to 911 m near Eisfeld, then back to about 350 m at the end in Blankenstein on the Saale. It is useable all year but in the winter, it is frequently snowy. You can compare the Rennsteig to a chunk of America’s Appalachian Trail.

Day 2: Eisfeld to Walldorf

Day Overview: Lots of gravel path today and a few hills too. The hills are not so bad, actually most of them are down hill (as opposed to up hill). The gravel isn’t bad either; because it is firm and I think it would be OK even in the rain. I have sore knees today so we make it a short day, stopping in Walldorf after only 37.3 miles. The country side is pretty and we learn some history along the way.

Mile 0 (0 km): Again, I start the mileage at the Eisfeld Bahnhof.

Mile 3.2 (5. 2 km): On the left after Harras, we notice an old fence that marked the beginning of the “no-mans-land” on the East side of the border between East and West Germany. It looks much older than 40 years. In the few years since the Germany unification in 1989, the old social institutions, physical markers, and politics have evaporated. In one home, they have a map of the local area on the map. It shows the border but the map is blank on the west side of the border – as if the world ends at the fence. This family keeps it as a reminder of how things were.

Mile 8.3 (13.3 km): Birkenfeld/Hildburghausen. Here lived the daughter of the French Queen Marie Antoinette, wife of infamous Louie XVI (you know, the Marie Antoinette who lost her head after saying the peasants should eat cake if they don’t have bread). She was a Gräfin (a kind of a countess – the wife of the Graf). That she was the daughter of Marie Antoinette was kept a secret until after her death. I guess her parents would not have been too popular here either.

Also in Hildburghausen we stop for our morning break and learn that one of the leading citizens was Charlotte, born in Mecklenburg but lived here in the castle. One of her daughters, Therese, who sang in the church choir here, went on to become the queen of Bavaria (her husband was Ludwig I). It is for this Therese that the King held a birthday celebration on the Theresienwiese (a field named after her) in Munich. Today we call that celebration Oktoberfest and it is world famous.

Mile 12.4 (19.9 km): Ebenhards. We are on a gravel path and the drop coming into this small village is quite steep. It would be more fun if I didn’t have to pay so much attention to staying upright.

Mile 16.8 (27.0 km): We stop for lunch in Grimmelshausen, which according to the sign was founded in 1177. By comparison Eisfeld was founded in the Ninth Century.

Mile 17.8 (28.7 km): Just before Kloster Bessra we opt to take the alternate route shown on the map that avoids the hills and the village of Lenffeld. The only downside is we are riding on a busy roadway. Maxa got to cast the deciding ballot, “No more hills,” she said.

Mile 26.3 (42.3 km): Enter Belrieth; first mentioned in history in 840 CE and the bridge here is from 1578. Just east of Belrieth we passed some burial mounds from Celtic times (300 CE and before).

Mile 28.1 (45.3 km): We are in the middle of Einhausen and stop to check out the Wehrkirche. Churches of this type were built during the Middle Ages as a place of refuge for the townsfolk. The wall around this church was built in 1583 but the church itself was built upon the foundation of a smaller building about 1786. Actually the oldest church of this type in Thüringen is in Leutersdorf about 10 km back.

Mile 32.4 (52.2 km): Meiningen.

Mile 37.3 (60.0 km): We stop for the evening just outside of Walldorf at the Sandsteinhöhle, Marienstr. 8, Phone 03693-89910. The cost is €48 double and €26 single. There is another Wehrkirche here.

Day 3: Walldorf to Vacha

Day Overview: Good quality trail but it starts out gravelly and hilly with a steep pitch at mile 8.3 (13.3 km) and again just inside Wernshausen. The steepest hill is just past Tiefenort but below, I suggest a couple ways around that hill if you want to wimp out.

Mile 0 (0 km): Starting from Walldorf after a nice evening in the Hotel Sandsteinhöhle, we rejoin the path.

Mile 3.9 (6.2 km): Wasungen. This is a beautiful village and one of the oldest settlements on the Werra. We check out an archeological dig right in the center of the city.

Mile 11.9 (19.2 km): Breitungen. We look for a place to stop for coffee here. Riding along the path, we ask a local if he knows of a café or a Konditorei near by. He said the house right next door serves coffee and cake so he walks next door and asks if they are open. Well, no. But, give the lady of the house a minute and she will open for us. She serves us coffee and cookies (homemade of course) and we enjoy sitting in her gazebo and staring at the church shown here. What a nice experience.

Mile 21.1 (33.9 km): Bad Salzungen is built around a small lake that is supposed to be salty. It didn’t taste salty – perhaps it is just a touristy thing to put in the brochures.

Mile 24.2 (39.0 km): In Tiefenort, I’ll give you a couple options to climbing the steep hill into Kieselbach. If the weather is rainy or the conditions are soggy, consider an alternate by riding up a gradual hill northwest along the road from the center of town out to the main road north of Kieselbach. If, however, the path is dry, you can take a signed alternate route southwest along the river to Merkers-Kieselbach bridge. You avoid all the hills but in wet weather, this way through the fields can get muddy and sloppy.

Mile 34.6 (55.6 km): Crossing into Vacha on the “Brücke der Einheit” (Bridge of Unification), which was built in 1990 a year after reunification of the country. We also cross from Thüringen into Hessen over this bridge. This of course is also the former East/West German border and there is still a portion of the former Wall evident. Also, a little local story about a house which sat directly on the border; half in Hessen, half in Thüringen. The story has it that the owners ran a printing business during the war. As the two states started to drift apart politically, the owners moved the press from the Thüringen side of the house to Hessen side because they did not want the East German government to seize the press.

We stop here at Gäststette Oechsetal operated by the Jager Family. 036962-24421.

Day 4: Vacha to Falken

Day Overview: You are in luck for the next couple days. The bike path follows the German Half-Timbered Street or better known in the German language as the Deutsche Fachwerkstrasse. Here is a link: www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/. You can read it in English. This Fachwerkstrasse is a 2,000 km long assembly of short segments throughout Germany highlighting towns that display the best of its half-timbered buildings.

There are a few hills today but none of them are as steep as yesterday’s hills. The gravel path is in good shape and should not be a problem even in wet weather.

Mile 0 (0 km): The trail at Vacha. One of the huge hills of salt mine tailings is visible in the distance.

Mile 27.7 (44.5 km): Hörschel. If you turn east here and ride 9 km into Eisenach you can visit the Wartburg Castle. OK, it is on a hill but maybe you can leave your bike in town and take public transportation to the castle. This side trip is really worthwhile. It was in this castle that Martin Luther translated the Bible from Latin into a language that has now become High German. Luther was hiding at the Wartburg in exile from Wittenberg where he had supposedly posted his 95 theses on the door of the chapel. Here too, Martin Luther had his famous fight with the devil; the one where he threw feces at the devil. At the risk of being disrespectful, my take on the situation is that he was fatigued from the painstaking work of translating the Bible (you know, they didn’t have computers with spellcheckers back then) and I also know the historical fact that he was constipated as well as argumentative and at times mean spirited. He was known to spend hours in the toilet room hoping for a BM and working on the Bible at the same time. I think he had a breakdown and when he recovered, he was asked to explain the feces on the wall. So that was his story and he seems to have stuck to it.

The Wartburg is a classic, walled, hilltop castle. We visited it in 1989 the year the wall came down. The East Germans have kept it nicely even though they had little funds to do so. It was their labor of love. The museum there really gives one a good feel of life during the Middle Ages.

Hörschel is also one end of the Rennsteig I mentioned in the tour overview.

Mile 44.8 (72.1 km): We stop for the night at Pension Veronika in Falken. Address is Flutgraben 1, Falken, Telephone 036923-80356. At €58 double occupancy (the cost for two people to spend one night) it is a super nice place to stay. Veronika has the map on the wall that I discussed in the overview. They don’t normally serve food and there are only a couple choices in the village. What I don’t know tonight about finding a restaurant, I will learn tomorrow. Namely, there are plenty of restaurants in Treffurt, just 2.5 km down the path.

Day 5: Falken to Werleshausen

Day Overview: Path is in excellent condition but if you want to avoid one long hill (90 feet) going into Allendorf, cross the river at Kleinvach and ride on the low traffic road into Bad Sooden-Allendorf. Again, the path is in good condition and except for the aforementioned hill, there isn’t anything steep or difficult. OK, sure, a little gravel but it too is in good condition.

Mile 0 (0 km): We start at the path in Falken.

Mile 1.6 (2.6 km): Treffurt. Here is a picture of the town torture stock or pillory where they put you if you spoke ill of the neighbor, miss measured the goods you sold, etc. Your neighbors could throw rocks or dirt at you while your head and feet were affixed to this thing. If the crime was serious, you could be whipped as well. If you steal, you can be put to death.

And if you need cigarettes for your bicycle breaks, Dannemann cigarettes are manufactured here along the river. I understand that the Ruin Normannstein, above Treffurt is a great lookout.

Mile 5.0 (8.0 km): In the grass on the left of the path I notice a Grenzstein. Grenzsteine are stones with chiseled information. Grenzsteine such as this have been used to mark borders between government territories for many centuries. This one marks the border between Hessen and Thüringen and therefore also marked the border between East and West Germany. Look around. There is almost no vestige left of the former wall that separated families and ideologies. Weird how some things change so quickly while other things, such as the use of Grenzsteine seem never to change.

Mile 5.4 (8.7 km): This is Wanfried. The Deutsche Fachwerkstrasse veers off to the right after this town but we don’t care because Eschwege ahead is also picturesque.

Mile 39.1 (52.9 km): Because this is the last ride of the year and none of us are anxious for the adventure to end, we stop here in Werleshausen at Gasthaus/Pension Lindenhof on Bornhagenerstr. 37214 Werleshausen Telephone 05542-9371 fax 05542-937171. Tomorrow will be a short day too but we have time and we decide to enjoy the trip for an extra day. Of course, the alternative is to ride the remaining distance into Hann. Münden, catch a train, get into Kassel in the evening and ride home in the dark. Not a desirable option compared to spending another night on the trail.

They have a big dog here. In English, the sign says “Come a little bit closer, I want to get to know you better.” That of course is a quote from the witch from the fairytale Hänsel and Grethel. Had I though about it a bit longer, I would have not followed the sign’s suggestion. When I approached, the dog, who had been sleeping, awoke with a start, a snarl, a bark and almost a meal of my butt. I should have read the sign in German that said, “Eintritt Verboten!”

Day 6: Werleshausen to Hann. Münden

Day Overview: The path today is mostly paved but there is a gradual hill into Hann. Münden. The tour officially ends in Hann. Münden Bahnhof but we ride on to Kassel as that is our home base in Germany. By the way, "Hann." is an abbreviation for Hannoversch. Folks not from this town just call it Hann. Münden to distinguish it from other places named Münden but if you live here, you call it simply Münden.

Mile 2.7 (4.4 km): Once over a quaint wooden foot/bicycle bridge over the Werra, turn Left following the signs toward Wendershausen. Why, when Wendershausen is obviously the wrong direction? Good question. I figure that it is because people really want to go to Witzenhausen but the bike path sign people have a sense of humor. Anyway, trust me. In a few meters it will make sense and you will turn right into Witzenhausen.

Mile 16.8 (27.0 km): This Werra bike tour ends at the point the Werra and the Fulda merge to create the Weser River. So, mileage wise, this is the end of our trip. However, since we are quartered in Kassel, just a short ride up the Fulda from Hann. Münden, I will record that ride here as well. Perhaps it works for you if you rented bikes in Kassel or plan on leaving from Kassel to your next destination.

Encore Day 6: Hann. Münden to Kassel

Mile 0 (0 km): The bridge over the Fulda into Hann. Münden. From here we will follow R1 into Kassel, starting on the right bank and switching to the other bank in a bit.

Mile 8.9 (14.3 km): We cross the river on the third lock we come to – just after Wilhelmshausen. On the other side, on gravel we push up a steep hill. But the drop promises to be good too.

Mile 9.6 (15.5 km): After a nice drop into Spiekershausen, follow the path to the barricades, turn right through them and drop down to the river.

Mile 12.7 (20.5 km): Sandershausen. Continue to follow the blue on white bike path signs towards Kassel.

Mile 15.3 (24.6 km): After crossing back to the right bank of the Fulda at mile 15.3, we pick up the R1 path again and we are under the Fulda Brücke. This is as good as anyplace to end this encore. We have a 300 foot gain as we climb up to Guntram’s home in Brasselsberg above Kassel. But first, some liquid bread to fortify us for the climb.

Revised: June 26, 2009