The best traffic-free bike rides around Kriftel

It's always nice to let your gaze wander over the vineyards.

An incredibly beautiful spot and worth every detour. A wonderful path leads directly along the water, and the water itself invites you to swim (but unfortunately it is forbidden).

Thanks to the helper from RC Hattersheim who tirelessly warned about the hairpin bend.

Rettershof is a historic estate in the Fischbach district of Kelkheim, now a popular local recreation and excursion destination offering restaurants, equestrian activities, nature, and events. Originally, the property was founded in 1146 as the Premonstratensian Retters Monastery; after its dissolution in 1559, it developed into an agricultural estate with various owners. In the 19th century, the Englishman Frederik Arnold Rodewald acquired the estate and had a grand manor house built in the English Tudor style between 1884 and 1885. This building still forms the heart of the complex and has been owned by the city of Kelkheim since the early 1980s. Today, Rettershof comprises: • the Rettershof Castle Hotel with its historic charm, • the country inn "Zum fröhlichen Landmann" (The Merry Farmer), • a modern equestrian center with an indoor riding arena and paddocks, • expansive meadows, orchards, and woodlands. Rettershof also serves as a venue for markets, festivals, concerts, and harvest and cultural events, attracting many visitors from the region. In short: Rettershof combines medieval monastery and estate history with a modern recreational and cultural landscape – ideal for walks, horseback riding, events, and excursions in the Taunus region.

Added to the collection: komoot.com/de-de/collection/3600632/-naturdenkmaeler-besondere-baeume-und-weitere-schaetze-der-natur

The sculpture "The Circle" opens to the east, towards the light. Sculptor Thomas Link defines this direction by the axis from the sound stele in the center of the circle to the pair of steles outside. These cast long shadows, with a bright line at their center. The sound stele opposite opens to the wind, transforming the moving air into sound. The panoramic trail is part of the regional park's circular route and connects the Bad Weilbach park with the wine village of Wicker over a distance of almost 1.5 kilometers. On clear days, the view extends as far as the Odenwald forest. In the Middle Ages, the "Kasteler Landwehr," the border and defensive fortification protecting the territory of the Electorate of Mainz, ran along this route. In the summer of 1998, five artists created five large stone sculptures along the panoramic trail. The regional park society invited not only Thomas Link from Issing near Munich, who created the circle of stones from basalt, to this plein air sculpture symposium. Hubert Maier, Gerard Höweler, Georg Hüter, and Ingrid Hornef also used the six-week project period to create charismatic works. The goal of the international open-air artists' workshop was not only to enhance the inspiring surroundings with monumental objects. The public also had the opportunity to engage in conversation with the artists during the creative process. This participation and understanding of the artists' thoughts during the creation of the objects ensured the project's great success. Link, for example, explains: "What the eye sees in the surroundings—the movement of grasses and leaves—is simultaneously experienced by the viewer as a sound that swells and recedes with the breath of the wind." The spheres rest around a central point. They bear semi-circular depressions, whose positions indicate directions in space. "This sphere is dedicated to the earth, to the interplay of darkness and incoming light." Each sphere is part of the whole and yet stands alone. Beyond this, the view extends into the landscape, changing from place to place in a circular pattern. “The stones rest, gathered around the center,” they point to direction and space: “Into this structure, humankind enters and finds its place.” None of the stones, not even those of the other artists, are placed by chance along the path. All reflect the landscape in which and for which they were created. It is about knowledge and feeling, about culture and nature, about noise (including aircraft noise) and silence, about the hustle and bustle of life and about finding peace. [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] None of the stones, not even those of the other artists, are placed by chance along the path. All of them reflect the landscape in which and for which they were created. It is about knowledge and feeling, about culture and nature, about noise (including aircraft noise) and silence, about hurried life and about finding peace. [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence fragment:] ...

From this position, there is an exceptionally beautiful view of the Taunus mountains, Wiesbaden, and the village of Breckenheim.

There's a bench at this spot, and you have a beautiful view of Breckenheim and the Taunus mountains. Wiesbaden is also clearly visible from here.