Waldläufer – Steigerwald Wine Panorama

From the book "Schweinfurter Wanderlust" we chose the "Waldlaufer" tour today. Running almost exclusively in the forest at almost 30 °C was ideal for us. The restaurants in town were either on vacation, were closed or only open at the weekend. But we have our snack with us. The hiking trail is very well signposted with the "green hiker and tree". We ran the loop counterclockwise, so the increase was almost imperceptible. At the Magdalenenkreuz you have a beautiful view if the trees and bushes weren't so high. Another small climb on a narrow path and you are at the Stone Cross. From there, a very long stretch just goes straight along the ridge of the Rennweg. The path is very pleasant to walk. The next nice point is the Murrleinsnesthütte. It is hidden on a small, wooded mountain spur. The Steigerwald Panoramaweg and sometimes the Franziskusweg also run parallel to our hike. The hiking trail continues downhill on a narrow path to the Stollburg ruins. We take our lunch break at the panoramic view. We are on the highest vineyard in Bavaria above the Stollburg ruins. The descent down the steep stairs with a railing, on which the world history of viticulture can be read, is interesting. We make a short stop at the Stollburg restaurant for a cool non-alcoholic wheat beer. The afternoon sun makes us sweat a lot now. There is no more shade through the vineyards. Nevertheless, we decide to make a detour to the Steigerwald center, which is not far from Handthal. We walked through the permanent exhibition which was very interesting. It is mainly about sustainability, the forest and nature. Finally, a view of the Stollberg from the panorama swing at the Steigerwald center and a look into the walk-in bee house. Everything is also very interesting for children, especially the large playground. You can also get coffee and cake in the Steigerwald center. For us again a very nice, varied and informative tour with many new impressions. Thanks

Rangers and wine panorama - the name says it all on this tour from Handthal. It started at the parking lot of the Steigerwald center and after a few minutes I reached the hiking trail in the center of town. I left Handthal behind and marched into the damp forest. After the unpleasant heat wave, it rained during the night and the haze still hung stubbornly over the landscape. Every light gust of wind made the leaves rain over me - a welcome change after the warm days. The path meandered upwards and soon I found myself in a low cloud that I had already noticed on the approach. I reached the Magdalenenkreuz, which stands at a beautiful vantage point. Little of that was visible because of the cloud, but at least it seemed to be coming up slowly. Shortly thereafter I came to the Stone Cross, which actually consists of two crosses: a large one and a small one next to it. I especially liked the big one 😍 because with its rounded shape it doesn't look like the usual standard cross 😉 The narrow forest path continued for some time until I turned off at a wayside shrine. I reached the ruins of the Stollburg and explored the area. A little further is a very nice vantage point with hiking sofas 😀💗 which can be reached via an inconspicuous staircase (I can't recommend the steep slope). The view over the vineyard in the distance is fantastic - not to be missed! Then I started the descent, which leads via the stairs of Terroir F Handthal. The history of wine from the oldest finds to modern times is written on the handrails of the stairs - very interesting! Or did you know that Kitzingen passed a purity law for wine in 1482? 🧐 Past the vines of the Handthaler Stollberg, the path then led back to the village. A very nice hike, which you can also combine with a visit to the Steigerwald center or the nearby treetop path. Please visit my outdoor and travel blog at https://hinter-dem-horizont.com Advertising - cooperation with the Franconian wine country

We did this hike five years ago, and it's still beautiful in the Steigerwald. There are also several places to stop for refreshments in Handthal. Since it was so hot today, this hike through mostly forest was perfect. Also worth mentioning are the often narrow and natural hiking trails. This is almost unique in our otherwise sanitized world.

Wonderful tour, start in Handthal, finish with a stop in the Brunnenhof, very tasty and great beer garden.

@ANGELIKA - thank you for the suggestion. Beautiful round, mostly in the forest. Great paths and foot-friendly underground.