Another Walk In The Ahr Valley

THE longest walk promoted by the local tourist board is 11.6 kilometres (7.2 miles), and is labelled blue MK II.

Cormorant drying its wings on a rock in the Ahr, the walk beginning by following the river from Bad Neuenahr to Ahrweiler

A station of the cross - "Jesus is condemned to death" - passed shortly before leaving Ahrweiler

Even the man-made scenery is picturesque

A reminder that the area is famous for its wines

The walking is easy underfoot

But shade was welcome on another hot day

The sheep knew where to find the darkest shade

Edited 31/5/26 to show the route I followed was blue MK II (there is also a red MK II).

Ahr Walking

BAD Neuenahr-Ahrweiler is in the Ahr Valley, which is promoted by the local tourist board as a red-wine region with extensive hiking and cycling trails.

Five walking routes start from beside the Steigenberger Hotel, which is the venue for the chess,

I chose to follow red MK I, but I was glad I also had a tourist map as the route is not well-waymarked early on

However, once out of town and into the forest, where logging is going on, waymarking improves greatly

Much of MK I is in shade or dappled sunlight, which was a relief in the current heatwave

The 6.9-kilometre (4.3-mile) route peaks on top of Neuenahrer Berg, whose natural height of 324 metres (1,063 feet) is topped by a 16-metre (52-foot) watchtower

View of Bad Neuenahr through a lookout hole

Looking in the opposite direction from the top of the tower

Carving at the top of the mountain

Another carving on the way down

Guardian of the forest?

There were a couple of tricky bits while descending, but most of the route was a gentle slope

Edited 31/5/26 to show it was the red MK I route that I followed.

Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler

THE mouthful that is Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler is explained by the merging of the previously separate towns of Ahrweiler and Bad Neuenahr in 1969.

The two towns, now officially districts of a single town, lie mainly on the left bank of the Ahr, a benign-looking river that nevertheless flash-flooded in July 2021, killing more than 130 people in the immediate area  

Stone bridges were swept away, and not all have been replaced

Bad Neuenahr is the more populous of the two districts, perhaps thanks to its status as a spa, but Ahrweiler has much more of interest to history-lovers, starting with the main gateway to the old town

The entrance is guarded by a statue of a militiaman displaying Ahrweiler's 1365 coat of arms

View of the town's medieval wall, much of which still stands

The same section of wall, but seen from inside Ahrweiler

Looking back to the gateway 

The 13th-century church of Saint Laurentius (Lawrence) is said to be the Rhineland's oldest 'hall church', ie a church with nave and aisles of roughly equal height

A type of mural known as lüftlmalerei, in this case dated 1403 and invoking Saint Sebastian as protector of the town's crossbowmen

Flood damage is still being repaired

But the main square looks good

As do most homes and businesses