Day # 25 Koblenz to Boppard.

           Wound our way down the very steep hill from our youth hostel Festung/fortress location at at 8.30am and into a quiet grey morning as the good folks of Koblenz enjoyed an extra hour or three Sunday morning lie in. Weather mild with light cloud cover. The walk objective today is about 21 kms south in the UNESCO recognized mid Rhine river section to a town named Boppard. 

Schloss and typical Rhine river small town.

         One would have thought this should have been relatively simple for two elderly gents equipped with the latest in navigational equipment, Google Maps and GPS ‘Map My Walk’ to have followed the second largest river in Europe and at the appropriate time to have crossed the river by ferry. Well….the Rhine has major islands in it and one can lose site of the main river frequently and easily. It was while skirting one of these major islands that we somehow got side tracked up a tributary. It was only after lengthy & frequent interrogations of the locals that we discovered that we were up a creek and had to back-track 5kms and then another 5kms to get back on the right trail on the real mighty Rhine. Minor error, but it did have the effect of making a 22 km stroll into a 33 km hike. But the day was pleasantly sunny and the hiking trails smooth and well kept and to boot, we did get to see a very scenic minor feeder river to the main waterway.

          Arrived in Boppard just about 5.00pm—8hrs of walking, and were lucky to stumble very quickly into a most comfortable hotel room one block back from the waterfront and clear of the busy mainline railway tracks that pass through the centre of all these Rhine towns. This weekend, Boppard has been celebrating its wine festival, so the streets are thronging with families and the restaurants well attended.

Festivals, beer and wine, are a feature of the Rhine-land at this time of the year and is something to be taken into consideration when planning accommodation. 

32.6 kms. walked today per Google Maps.
Cumulative kms. walked: 435 km.
Type of overnight lodging: Pension gasthaus.
Cost of lodging: 40E..