The Moselle Cycle Route. Mike Wells
stretches to link these together. As a result, style and consistency of waymarking varies from country to country and stage to stage. In the introduction to each stage an indication is given of the predominant waymarks followed. The route varies from that waymarked in a few places, where alternative routes are more suitable than the waymarked route.
SUMMARY OF CYCLE ROUTES FOLLOWED
| France | Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges |
| Véloroute/Chemin de la Moselle (incomplete) | |
| Boucles de la Moselle | |
| Véloroute Charles-le-Téméraire | |
| Luxembourg | Piste cyclable (PC plus number) |
| Germany | Mosel-Radweg (MR) |
| Saar-Radweg | |
| Rhein-Radweg (RR) |
French cycle route signs for (clockwise from top-left): Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges; Véloroute de la Moselle; Chemin de la Moselle; Boucles de la Moselle; Charles-le-Téméraire
In France a number of different routes are followed. Stage 1 from Bussang to Remiremont is excellently waymarked as a voie verte. The route from Golbey, just north of Épinal (Stage 3), all the way to Apach on the Franco–German border (Stage 8) is designated as the Véloroute Charles-le-Téméraire and it is part of a much longer, nationally promoted north–south cycle route across eastern France. As this route is still under development, waymarking is inconsistent and in some parts is non-existent, although waymarks are more or less continuous north of Metz, where it is also known as the Chemin de la Moselle. The circular route from Nancy to Toul via Neuves-Maisons and back to Nancy via Frouard (see Stages 4, 4A, 5A and 5) is waymarked as Les Boucles de la Moselle.
Luxembourg cycle route sign
Luxembourg has a network of numbered cycle routes designated as Piste cyclable (‘PC’ plus a number). These are in development, but most sections of the routes described in Stages 8, 9 and 9A are complete and signposted. These follow a mixture of asphalt-surfaced farm lanes, routes following old disused railway lines, dedicated cycle tracks and cycle lanes alongside main roads. Full details of the network, with maps, can be found at www.pch.public.lu.
German Mosel-Radweg sign
In Germany, cycle routes along both sides of the Moselle are waymarked as Mosel-Radweg; those along the Saar and Rhine are waymarked as Saar-Radweg and Rhein-Radweg respectively.
Maps
There is no specific series of maps that provides comprehensive coverage of the whole route. For France, sheet 516 of the Michelin map Alsace, Lorraine (at a scale of 1:200,000) or sheets 314 and 307 (at a scale of 1:150,000) give an overview of the route across Lorraine without specifically showing cycle routes. As the route is under development, things change frequently and the best way to ascertain the up-to-date position is via the Lorraine tourist office, which publishes a map showing sections open, those under construction and those planned (http://lorraine.voie.verte.free.fr).
For the latter stages between Metz and Koblenz, Esterbauer Bikeline publish a cycling guide (see below), which includes strip maps of the route along both sides of the river at 1:75,000. The stretch from Schengen, on the Franco–Luxembourg–German border, to Koblenz, is also covered by a laminated folding strip map of the Mosel-Radweg (sheet 198), published by Publicpress publications (www.publicpress.de). They publish a similar map for the Saar-Radweg (sheet 617). Although these are at 1:50,000, they contain less detail and are less accurate than Bikeline guides.
Various online maps are available to download, at a scale of your choice. Particularly useful is Open Street Map (www.openstreetmap.org), which has a cycle route option showing the route in its entirety, including the planned but not yet constructed stages. This can be a little misleading, as when a track is built it does not always take the exact route originally proposed, and moreover it leaves you to make your own choice of alternative road routes to bypass missing sections.
Guidebooks
Bikeline (www.esterbauer.com) publish a Radtourenbuch und Karte (cycle tour guidebook with maps) in both English and German, covering the route from Metz to Koblenz.
Although neither a map nor guidebook, a topographic strip map of the Saar and Mosel from Merzig (Saar) to Koblenz, produced by Rahmelverlag (www.rahmel-verlag.de), gives a good overall impression of the route and makes an attractive souvenir. It is published in a number of languages, including English, and is sold in gift shops along the route.
In the UK, most of these maps and guidebooks are available from leading bookshops including Stanford’s, London and The Map Shop, Upton upon Severn. Relevant maps are widely available en route.
Accommodation
Hotels, inns, guesthouses, and bed & breakfast
For most of the route there is a wide variety of accommodation. The stage descriptions identify places known to have accommodation, but the list is by no means exhaustive. Hotels vary from expensive five-star properties to modest local establishments. Hotels and inns usually offer a full meal service, guesthouses do sometimes. B&Bs, which in Germany can be recognised by a sign zimmer frei (‘room available’), generally offer only breakfast. Tourist information offices will often telephone for you and make local reservations. After hours, some tourist offices display a sign outside showing local establishments with vacancies. Booking ahead is seldom necessary, except on popular stages in high season, although it is advisable to start looking for accommodation after 1600. Most properties are cycle-friendly and will find a secure overnight place for your pride and joy.
Prices for accommodation in both France and Germany are similar to, or slightly cheaper than, prices in the UK.
Bett+Bike
Bett+Bike (www.bettundbike.de) is a German scheme run by ADFC (German cycling club), which has over 5000 registered establishments providing cycle-friendly accommodation. It includes a wide variety of properties, from major hotels to local B&Bs, listed by state in an annually updated guidebook. Participating establishments display a Bett+Bike sign.
Bett+Bike sign
Youth hostels
There are 13 official youth hostels, many in historic buildings, on or near the route (three French, eight German and two in Luxembourg). These are listed in Appendix E. To use a youth hostel you need to be a member of an association affiliated to Hostelling International. If you are not a member you will be required to join the local association. Rules vary from country to country but generally all hostels accept guests of any age, although visitors over