The Treidlerweg is one of the premium hiking trails in Germany (German Hiking Institute):
Discover the “Palatinate jungle”, one of the few wetland landscapes that have international protected status and are still ecologically unspoilt. The circular route takes you along the Michelsbach brook, past fields yellow with irises and green with grass and reeds. Filled with fish and covered in water lilies, the natural ponds are a sight to behold.
After this, you can follow in ancient footsteps along the Rhine, a waterway and trade route that has been of significance since Roman times. Since the 8th century, before the invention of the steamship, haulers or draught animals towed ships from the banks of the river on a long rope attached to a mast on the foredeck.
Moving a ship’s load of 200 tonnes required 8 horses or oxen or 28 haulers. Back then, the route from Leopoldshafen to Strasbourg took 8 days with a good wind and up to 14 days with unfavourable wind conditions. These days, it is a treat to observe the river with its ships gliding effortlessly by.
A particular feature of the Rheinaue wetlands is the wild grapevines – one of the rarest types of plant in the region and among the most culturally and historically significant. When hiking in the riparian forest among willows, poplars, ash and elm, you may well encounter pheasants and wagtails in the clearings by the Gimpelrhein.
If you catch the scent of garlic in the springtime, you are probably in the middle of one of the huge fields of wild garlic that are characteristic of the Hördt wetlands.
Leave the rigours of everyday life behind and lose yourself in a world of quarry ponds, cornfields and orchards, all the way to the end of the route back at the clubhouse. Luxuriant vegetation, whispering reeds, croaking frogs and trilling birds all combine to give the wetlands a singular charm that sets them apart from all other forests and makes them a true gem in nature’s crown.
Best time: The Treidlerweg route can be enjoyed all year round – except when it is flooded, in which case the route along the Rhine is blocked off.
After heavy rainfall, some parts of the walk may be muddy and more difficult to walk through.
On hot, humid summer days, we recommend that you take insect repellent with you.
Source:
Premiumwanderweg - Südpfalz Tourismus Rülzheim (suedpfalztourismus-ruelzheim.de
The trail is easy to run as basically flat.
It can be run as a one or multiple loop route.
The direction does not matter. The markings provide for both directions. The route is well marked.
