Camping Vosges Mountain Battlegrounds

[hooge1]

Hi Forum members,

I'm planning a family summer camping trip for a fortnight down to the the Vosges mountain area, wondered if anyone could give advice on places to camp near the battleground areas.

Thanks in advance

Nick

[Dragon]

Hello

I have been visiting the Vosges at least a couple of times a year for many years and if you don't already know the area, I can tell you that you're in for a treat.

I have never camped, so these comments aren't based on personal experience of camping. If you want to visit battlefield areas, I would suggest basing yourselves in the Vallée de Munster. This gives easy and quick access to the battlefield area of le Linge, Barrenkopf and Schratzmännele, including the cemeteries at Wettstein (French) and Hohrod (German). It's very close to the Reichackerkopf battlefield (access from Munster) and a relatively short drive to la Tête des Faux (near Bonhomme). Additionally there are all the villages which were ruined and fought over (Metzeral, Breitenbach, Mulhbach, Stosswihr, Soultzeren...) and cemeteries such as Sondernach. You can go up to Kahlen Wasen and walk Hilsenfirst. It's about 45 minutes to Hartmannswillerkopf, depending on the route you choose.

Munster is a pleasant town with adequate shops for most needs, not as pretty as the Alsace wine villages are, but with a top-class patisserie (Gilg), several boulangeries (Lehmann is good), butcher's shop, bookshop, cafés, a reasonably sized supermarket Super-U and in the surrounding hills are lots of farms selling local produce. It has a reasonable market. There are many fermes auberges offering meals and products such as cheese, ham, honey, etc. The Maison du Fromage on the edge of Munster is interesting, has a good café, real cows and is good rainy day entertainment.

The Munster valley is also very interesting from an industrial archaeology point of view, if that's of interest (it is to me). There are little books in the Parcours de Patrimoine series which describe the history and suggest walks. One is about the marcaires (broadly, mountain farming). They're available from the Maison du Parc in Munster, which also has lots of discovery walk booklets. http://www.parc-ballons-vosges.fr/

Have a look here: Campings The one I've driven past loads of times and thought looked pleasant is Les amis de nature at Luttenbach près Munster, which has a pretty setting by the river and is five minutes from Munster. The train stops at Luttenbach and takes you up or down the valley and there is a good flat cycle track right along the valley bottom. It's actually situated on the site of the holiday château of Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics.

Also see http://www.tourisme-...om/fr/campings/ In the side menu, tick Montagne des Vosges and Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges. From these listed, try Fréland, Orbey, Munster and Gunsbach (for your requirement of battlefield access).

Hope this helps a bit! Enjoy your stay. (I'm returning to the Vosges in the summer, but not in a tent.)

Gwyn

[hooge1]

Hi Gwyn,

Thanks for taking the time to provide all this information. I had a look at Les amis de nature that's Ideal. It's not always easy fitting a family holiday around a battlefield tour but Vosges fits the package something for everyone. Seeing photos of what's still to be seen around there is quite amazing cant wait.

Thanks again

Nick

[Dragon]

I hope it works out. Having looked at the superb images on your website, I'm sure you'll find the Vosges a photographer's dream. I don't 'record' the vestiges as such, though I did use that sort of picture in my Reichackerkopf thread, but I find there's an elusive quality which engages me almost spiritually rather than prompts me to create simple reportage. I don't really know how to explain it. I have thousands of photos and there are a handful on my darqroom gallery - click on la Tête des Faux or Reichackerkopf - but I need to put more on.

Let me know if you need any help.

Gwyn

darqroom went bankrupt. See my new gallery http://mightygwyn.zenfolio.com - work in progress.

[hooge1]

Hi Gwyn,

Yes I'm looking forward to taking the camera to Vosges, I just think the Great War battlefields are fantastic inspiration for photography. Checked your gallery out, I can see your passionate about what you do, your images are very powerful I look forward to seeing more.

Thanks

Nick

[CROONAERT]

One problem with the Vosges for camping that I've found over the past few years (I've always had an aversion to solid walls when travelling the Western Front!) is that, in summer, it is very much like camping in the Ardennes forest. In other words, some sites can get very over-populated to such a point that they can feel very cramped and uncomfortable ( the '5 star' camp site near the HWK ('Les Sources' at Wattwiller is simply awful in summer, for example). Just last year it was planned to camp at the site next to the river at St.Marie aux Mines ('les Reflets'?) but saw the same problem... there was room to stay (allegedly), but it was simply too full for our liking. 4 hours of trawling other sites within a 20 mile radius later, we decided to give it up and go to the one we usually stay at.... Camping 'les Acacias' (now called 'les Cignones'.... for very obvious reasons!) at Cernay.

Comfortable, convenient, flat, well maintained, clean, well organised, reasonably priced, spacious and quiet (apart from when the storks are being fed!)... easy walking distance to the railway station, town centre, bars ,supermarket and (most importantly for my early morning dog-walks!), the German military cemetery (plus some great views of the HWK).... its almost my perfect camp-site. We decided that it would be there that we will stay in every future visit to the area from now on as, to be honest, some of the others just seem unbearable.

Dave

[Dragon]

The crowds in a few areas are a problem and a reason I would avoid le Linge and HWK in summer (even in June), but I suppose if someone hasn't been before, le Linge is an informative starting point. I would absolutely definitely stay away from popular sites at weekends; you only have to see the parking spaces allocated for coaches to get the idea. I would also avoid the wine villages at weekends. The popular ones are direly crowded and you end up driving in a great line of tourist cars.

The reason I suggested the Vallée de Munster is that it's easy to get to many battlefield sites, but I have no camping experience at all! I've driven past the one at Luttenbach lots of times in summer and it hasn't seemed overflowing, but I don't know what it's like to stay there. Dave's is the voice of experience! (BTW storks are cigognes. Loads in Munster and surrounding fields.)

Having said that, I'm not sure what there is for a family to do in the HWK region that doesn't involve driving to somewhere else. I suppose it depends on the ages of the party members and their interests.

Gwyn

[CROONAERT]

...BTW storks are cigognes...

Which is, indeed, the correct spelling for the current name of the camp site in Cernay (not a slightly tongue in cheek reference to one of my posts from earlier in the week was it there, by any chance, Gwyn? )

Dave

(BTW... did you get any of those books I mentioned regarding the '44/'45 events in the area? One or two eye-openers in them I thought)

[Dragon]

(Yes, I did. bought quite a few. I thought I emailed.... will check...)

[hooge1]

Thanks for the tips on the camping Dave, I think I will head to the campsite at Les amis de nature and see what the craic is there, if its too overcrowded then I will head down to Cernay to the one you recommend.

Gwyn what map will I need to cover the Munster area?

Thanks Nick

[Dragon]

I always use the IGN maps.

For a good overall map of the area, I have IGN Régionale R05 Routière Alsace Lorraine, which is 1:250000 or 1 cm = 2.5 km. (These have a dull red coloured cover.)

For more detailed road maps, there are two which cover Alsace. These were formerly Serié verte and you would buy the southern one #122 Colmar, Mulhouse, Basel.

For more local maps, I use the Serié bleu IGN Cartes de Randonée, 1:25000, which include footpaths marked by Club Vosgien. These footpaths are invaluable, because they are marked with little symbols tacked on to trees or posts (really helpful in a forest) which correspond with symbols on the map. Unfortunately, as always, the place you want is at the edge of several maps.The essential two are first:

**Munster is at the bottom of number 3718 Colmar, Kaysersberg, le Bonhomme. This map includes le Linge, Orbey, Lacs Blanc & Noir, la Tête des Faux, the wine villages from St-Hippolyte to Eguisheim, and Colmar.

**Munster is at the top of number 3719 Grand Ballon, Guebwiller, Munster. This maps takes you south via the Grand Ballon to the north part of Hartmannswillerkopf, the Munster valley to Muhlbach, the wine villages south of Eguisheim, and Rouffach. Luttenbach is on this map.

To continue along the Vallée de Munster and carry on to Hohneck or Col de la Schlucht, you need number 3818 le Hohneck, Gérardmer, la Bresse.

Hartmannswillerkopf is on 3620 Thann, Masevaux, Ballon d'Alsace which includes Cernay.

New maps which I haven't seen yet. I've sent for both these and will evaluate them. have evaluated them.

I've just spotted a new map published in April 2013: TOP 200 #201 Routière et Touristique. Massif des Vosges - Plaine d'Alsace.

http://loisirs.ign.f....html#full_desc Edit. Lots of detail including paths and tourist information. Shows relief. Extends across Rhine to western Black Forest - helpful if planning a day to Freiburg - and north to Saarbrücken, and covers south of Basel. Would be useful.

Also new: Cartes départementales IGN Vosges, (March 2013). Edit. Very clear map covering Saverne - Mulhouse. Shows relief. Would be very useful for overall planning, especially when trying to juggle four Serié Bleu maps! (Probably a better purchase than the Serié Verte.)

The colours are intended to help you to see which series I'm referring to! You can buy IGN maps from the IGN website, or from any supermarket or hypermarché with a book department, from the tourist offices or from the Maison du Parc in Munster when it's open.

Other ideas:

We always have in the car:

• Guide des Fermes-auberges de Haute-Alsace (a tourist board publication) ISBN 978-2-915626-25-4 available from tourist boards, bookshops, the Maison du Fromage... For farms to eat at & to buy produce
  
• Le Guide du Club Vosgien Vol 3 Alsace Centrale et Hautes Vosges and Vol 4 Vosges Trouée de Belfort et Sundgau (walks, environmental info...)
  
• a little guide to gentle walks but for a title I'll have to find it in the car!
  

Gwyn

Edited 10 June , 2013 by Dragon

[hooge1]

Your a mind of information Gwyn, thanks very much, your help is invaluable.

Nick

[Dragon]

No problem. There's not much point in hoarding information to myself.

Gwyn