Routes in the Black Forest and the Eifel cannot be boring. But what about a route connecting these two areas? This route runs from the northern Black Forest to the Eifel and it is certainly very worthwhile. Every street, every road offers you a fantastic driving adventure or a gigantic view. You often do not know what to expect after the beautiful bend you see in front of you. The beautiful, varied environment and the beautiful roads make that I rate this route with 4 stars.

The route starts at the Hotel Das Waldhaus, located on the outskirts of Forbach at the Holzbrücke, a bridge with a rich history. In 1777, the construction of a covered wooden bridge without a central pillar was planned according to the plans of engineer Otto Lindemann. A year later, in the fall of 1778, the bridge was completed. The Forbacher wooden bridge was built by master carpenter Johannes Daselmeier from Gernsbach for the price of 1150 guilders. 2714 linear meters thick oak planks were used, for which 150 "Methuselah oaks" were cut. The maintenance was financed by means of a toll.
Although the bridge was provided with a new roof in 1926, the bridge was nevertheless closed in 1930 for safety reasons for loaded carts. Almost 20 years later it still went wrong ...
To avoid conquest by the Allies, numerous bridges were blown up in the Murg Valley towards the end of the war. The historic old wooden bridge in Forbach was 'confiscated' as a replacement bridge. However, it was exposed to enormous charges, in April 1945 French tanks drove over it! This resulted in permanent deflection, causing the bridge to deteriorate more and more.
In 1954 the old dilapidated bridge was dismantled, in 1955 rebuilding to original design started. On May 11, 1955, the new "Old Wooden Bridge" was inaugurated: the covered wooden bridge with the special arch has been the townscape of Forbach for more than 200 years.

After you have left Forbach with its historic bridge, you wind the first 35 kilometers through the beautiful northern part of the Black Forest. After 20 kilometers you will drive over the actually only pass with a little height of today, namely 933 meters.

Slowly but surely you notice that you are leaving the Black Forest behind. To enjoy the heights that this forest offers you one more time 'at height', you can turn in Bad Wildbad towards Wildline.
This park offers you various options. You can walk between the treetops via the 'baumwipfelpad' or the treetop path at a height of 20 meters. A walk of 1250 meters with a 40 meter high tower at the end which of course gives you a great view of the area.
If you are looking for even more adventure, you can venture across the 380-meter-long Wildline suspension bridge. With a little courage and a thirst for adventure, you can cross the breathtaking construction at an altitude of about 60 meters. With a fantastic view you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the northern Black Forest.
Not only the experience of nature, but also the ingenious construction makes the suspension bridge so unique. Unlike the usual hanging rope bridges, the bridge leads you up and in the middle of the bridge you have reached the highest point. You feel like you are floating above the Black Forest. Obviously, you can take beautiful pictures from this point! For more information about Wildline and the Baumwipfelpad see the links below.

After all this high natural disaster it is time to follow some asphalt again, after all you have another 250 kilometers to go! The route meanders to the north and at Neuburgweier you cross the Rhine with a small ferry (see link below for information about departures, etc.). You have just arrived in Germany, so you can still order the coffee at the break scheduled here in German.

After the break you cross the French border after about 5 kilometers. However, you do not drive long on French territory, because about 20 kilometers later you exchange France for Germany again. You meander through a beautiful hilly area that stands out for its endless forests. You drive here in the Palatinate Forest. This nature park was founded in 1958. At the time it was one of the first nature parks in Germany and today, with an area of 179,000 hectares, it is one of the largest nature parks in Germany. A great piece of nature to drive through on a motorcycle.
It is not surprising that in the middle of this beautiful area, about 10 kilometers below Kaiserslautern, a lunch break has been inserted at restaurant Johanniskreuz.

After lunch you continue the route to the north, ignoring the aforementioned Kaiserslautern. About 20 kilometers before the end of the route you can visit the Schmidtburg. The Schmidtburg is one of the oldest and most important civil structures in this area. Its history dates back to 926, when three Frankish nobles exchanged land with the Monastery of St. Maximin in Trier to build a fortress as protection against the Hungarians who threatened the region at the time.
There are many indications that this castle refers to the Schmidtburg. It is likely that this medieval structure was designed as a retreat and had little in common with the present castle, the ruins of which we can still see today.
In the late sixties, scouting associations started with the first clean-up campaigns, after which the Ortsgemeinde Schneppenbach began to carefully secure the ruin in the years 1972 - 1975. In the 1980s, further excavations and repairs were carried out as part of employment programs, making the castle accessible again.
For example, this important monumental building is preserved as a monument to local history and possibly stimulates interest in its own history.
It is not unimportant to mention that the castle grounds are free for everyone. A visit to Schmidtburg is certainly worthwhile. For more information you can consult the link below.

After this ruin you will reach the end of this route after 20 kilometers, Landhotel Karrenberg in Kirchberg. A hotel in a great location in the middle of nature. Beautiful views from the terrace, which makes the beer taste extra good.

Have fun driving this route!