Venningen vineyard circular route

First of all, a note for attention:

This circular route leads for the vast majority over unmarked field and farm roads, so it is not continuously marked; therefore, either a large-format printout of this Outdooractive map and attention to my detailed route description, or navigation, e.g., with the Outdooractive app, is essential for those unfamiliar with the area.

From the parking lot at the sports field in Venningen, you ride directly onto the cycle path along the L542 heading south to the entrance of Großfischlingen. After about 50 m in the village—at house no. 9—turn right into the "Pfaffengässl," ride through it to the end, then turn left. After a few meters, you reach Oberstraße; follow it right around the corner, which then leads us on a slightly ascending route past the cemetery out of the village. Afterwards, you reach the country road (L507); cross it straight ahead and follow the paved farm road. After a right/left combination, you reach a winery cottage at a junction; here turn right at the junction and follow the small road until you see a gravel path on the left at a T-junction; do not take this, but continue along the paved small road to the right. After about 200 m turn left and after another approx. 250 m again left. In the further course, cross the first intersection and only at the second junction turn right. Now continue straight westwards always looking towards the Haardt ridge, then first cross the A65 (via a bridge), then the railway line, continue straight to the next turn (a T-junction), here briefly turn left and immediately right again, then continue until the L516 is reached. Follow this shortly to the right until after about 300 m a paved farm road comes into view on the left (local sign: Vine Grafting Oberhofer). Ride this road for just under 1 km until a crossroads — here turn left and follow this road into the village of Roschbach until reaching the street "am Rosenkränzel." Follow it to the right, past the residence of the Palatinate Wine Princess, always straight ahead onto the road (K56) towards Hainfeld. Follow this for a short stretch out of Roschbach until a right curve, here leave the road to the left onto a farm road that after about 600 m reaches the L512, on which you continue left into the next village "Flemlingen." Here stay on the road, pass through the village southwards, and turn left at the village exit. If you have no provisions, a stop at the Marienhof winery with its snack room is recommended—for this, follow the main street to the right in the village center and turn left at the next street (Bachstraße), pass through it to the crossroads, turn right here and continue to the winery. Then return the same way to the village center, turn right and continue along this road to the village exit — here turn left onto a small road that leads us straight into the village "Böchingen." Be careful here — first follow the road through the village towards Landau and later the signs towards "Godramstein" (Godramsteiner Straße). This ascends out of the village and crosses the K10 on a crest along the way. Then continue downhill towards Godramstein and after about 500 m follow the concreted farm road to the left. Follow this road straight to Nußdorf. The road meets straight on the L512 on which we continue straight and after about 400 m turn slightly left onto the road towards Walsheim. In the direction of travel, there is first a left, then a right curve. Immediately afterwards go straight across a junction, then onto the initially paved small road turning left (sign 10t.). This leads us in a gentle right curve, slightly ascending out of the village. At the first large junction (about 200 m from the village end), turn right (east), after a short downhill cobblestone stretch follow the street a few meters to the right and then immediately cross it, continuing down the farm road to the left in an easterly direction. After about 700 m the road takes a left curve, shortly afterwards a right, and the L513 is reached. Cross it and continue to the first turning option, turn left there, at the next junction turn right — after another 400 m turn left again and the next possibility turn right again. Shortly afterward the A65 is crossed over a bridge; immediately after turn right and shortly after left again. Continue always straight eastwards until at the end of this farm road a sports field is reached on the right. Here we follow the street left into the village "Essingen"; if needed, here in the village at Raiffeisenstraße 1 at Bäckerei Scheurich get provisions—follow the L513 for this. Then back again to the gymnasium and here turn left into the street "am Turnplatz," always going straight north until a left curve — here leave the street to the right or continue straight ahead. Following this farm road we turn left at the end and at the next junction turn right. Following this road we circle a hill in a semicircle and then continue eastwards. After about 1 km the L542 is reached—cross it carefully and continue straight until a large sandstone erratic (Essinger Hinkelstein) with a seating area is reached. This offers a wonderful opportunity for a picnic break with splendid panoramic views over the Haardt ridge.

Then leave this beautiful spot on the small road heading south, first downhill through the little valley and immediately uphill again to the large crossroads (T-junction). From here continue steadily eastwards straight until after about 1.5 km you reach another highlight, the "Houschder Winzerturm." Be sure to climb this tower to enjoy the panoramic view over the sea of vines and the Haardt from there as well. Continue straight eastwards with the cooling towers of the Philippsburg power plant visible in the distance — soon after, cross another country road, the L540, and continue eastwards straight to the connecting road between Freimersheim and Zeiskam (K1). Shortly after, turn left and immediately right again, continue eastwards to the next T-junction, turn left here and after about 200 m turn right again. Meanwhile, the landscape has changed from viticulture to vegetable farming — continuing eastwards we reach Weingarten at the L507, cross it carefully, and follow the parallel cycle path to the left, which shortly before Freisbach bends right and leads straight into the village. Riding straight we reach at the end of Jahnstraße the "Kraut u. Rübenradweg," whose signposting we follow from here. After a short left/right combination, this leads out of the village into a little forest. The Kraut u. Rübenweg logo now makes it easy to follow the well-marked cycle path, which then passes the outskirts of Gommersheim, now heading westwards to Böbingen. Pass through the village and continue straight on the road towards Altdorf. About 200 m after leaving Böbingen, we also leave the Kraut u. Rübenweg and follow the cycle path signs turning left towards Herxheim, Freimersheim. It goes straight southwards into the village Freimersheim. Here, in a right/left combination, follow the cycle path signs towards Neustadt, Venningen going westward out of the village and straight onto a farm road. Follow this to the next cycle path marking towards Neustadt, Venningen — about 300 m, turn right here until the road curves left and then continues straight to Großfischlingen. Here, in the village at the roundabout, turn right onto our starting route, which now takes us back to the parking lot at the sports field in Venningen via the same route along the cycle path by the L542 as at the beginning of the route.