From Châtenois to Ribeauvillé

🥾 HexaTrek Day 12 🥾
Châtenois to Ribeauvillé

What a difference sunshine makes! After grey skies and rain, I had wall-to-wall sunshine today, and it lifted both my mood and my energy levels.

My foot was feeling much better this morning after a lot of massage, stretching and support bandaging last night. Add in a generous helping of trusty Tiger Balm before setting off, and it held up brilliantly all day, even on the inclines and uneven terrain.

Not long after leaving Châtenois, I had one of those only-on-the-trail moments. I met a lady hiking the route in the opposite direction, from Nyon to Wissembourg, who stopped me to ask for help removing a tick from her back. There we were, in the middle of the forest, removing clothes and extracting a tick.Trail life at its finest!

The walking today was mostly a long, gentle climb through beautiful forest tracks, which was very welcome in the heat. The final 2km up to the magnificent Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg was a different story though, with a much steeper ascent. Originally built in the 12th century, the castle was heavily restored in the early 1900s and is now one of Alsace's most famous landmarks. The sheer number of visitors was overwhelming after the peace and quiet of the trail, but it is the jewel in the crown of this region and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit. The castle itself was stunning, and being able to leave my pack behind for a while was a lovely bit of respite.

From there I passed through Thannenkirch, another beautiful Alsatian village, before continuing on to the ruins overlooking Ribeauvillé. First was Haut-Ribeaupierre, the highest of the three Ribeauvillé castles, perched dramatically on the ridge above the town. Then came Château Saint-Ulrich, the best preserved of the castles and once the main stronghold of the powerful Ribeaupierre family. The highlight here wasn't the history though - it was the incredibly friendly goats who happily stopped for a cuddle!

The descent into Ribeauvillé was a real knee-buster: steep, rocky and slow-going. But the reward at the bottom was worth every step. Ribeauvillé is absolutely stunning, another gorgeous town full of character that I'm looking forward to exploring properly tomorrow.

After a few difficult days, the sunshine and dry weather have completely changed how I'm feeling. I'm much more energised, much happier, and for the first time in a while I genuinely feel like I can complete this trail.