Out and about in wine country

As well as excellent wines, Germany's 13 wine-making regions also provide numerous opportunities to keep fit whilst getting know the areas and their people.

Discover the charming countryside where Germany's wine is produced - steep slopes, gently rolling hills, picturesque river scenery, sleepy wine-growing villages. If you opt to stay at the vineyards themselves - many producers offer attractive accommodation - you're guaranteed to have a varied and enjoyable holiday.

You can enjoy a walking tour anywhere where there are vines growing. The Rheinsteig trail takes in the Rheingau and Middle Rhine regions. Opened in 2005, this marked trail is 320 kilometres long and follows the eastern bank of the Rhine between Wiesbaden and Bonn. Nordic walkers have also discovered the Rheinsteig trail; and guided tours are provided for them. In Saxony's wine-growing region, a wine trail runs from Pirna to Seusslitz through the magnificent Elbe Valley. In Baden's sunny south, the "Wiiwegli" takes you on a tour through the vineyards of the Markgräflerland region close to the Swiss border. The Ahr's Red Wine Trail is a classic wine walking trail.

Riverside areas have the advantage of being flat, so they are ideal for cycling tours. Suggested routes are available for cycling tours along the Moselle - luggage transfers included. The network of cycle trails totals a staggering 1,000 kilometres. Car-free fun days are held in the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer wine region three times a year, as well as in other areas such as the Palatinate and the Middle Rhine. Wine routes through the idyllic valleys of the Tauber, Jagst, Kocher and Rems in the Württemberg wine region or the Franconian Wine Route in Franconia, offer plenty to see and do throughout the year.

If you fancy swapping your bike for a kayak, you'll find a number of boat hire centres and more than 60 landing stages along the 217km Moselle River Route. You can even go water-skiing on the Moselle near Bullay (wetsuit included). There are also some enchanting riverbank walks along the Saale, Unstrut, White Elster and Ilm rivers.  The Glan, a tributary of the Nahe, and the Lahn are ideal for canoe and kayak enthusiasts, while the River Main in the Franconia wine region is great for boat tours.

The hillsides are ideal for avid climbers. Since 2001, it has even been possible to tackle the steepest vineyard in Europe, the 378-metre high Bremmer Calmont on the Moselle, on a circular trail - with the help of climbing aids. A climbing trail in the famous "Erdener Treppchen" and "Erdener Prälat" vineyards was opened last May. Climbers need to be sure-footed on these steep Moselle hillsides! For an even greater challenge, there's the Rotenfels in the Nahe wine-growing region, the highest sheer rock face north of the Alps, at the foot of which is a vineyard. Here there are steep inclines with names such as the "Saarbrücken Fireplace" or "Madonna South Face", which only experienced climbers can conquer.

Those looking for a gentler form of exercise can hire a railbike and explore the wine regions along train tracks: a delightful experience that is available in the Nahe and Palatinate wine regions. Inline skaters will be in their element with the "Rhine-on-skates" event in the Rheingau and Middle Rhine Valley regions in August when a 135km stretch of the main road between Rüdesheim and Koblenz is closed to traffic for a day.

If you'd rather take to the skies, the Middle Rhine region is the ideal place for you: Enjoy spectacular views of the countryside around Bad Ems on the Lahn on a paragliding practice flight (tandem flights available). In fine weather, hot-air balloons sweep over the gently rolling vine-clad hills of Rheinhessen - an action sport that is also offered in the area between the southern Palatinate and Baden and in the Hessian Bergstrasse region.

If you prefer to be nearer the ground, horse riding may be for you. Riding tours through vines and woodland are available in he Southern Palatinate - or you could hire a motor scooter and explore the vineyards! Guided motor-bike tours are available along the Moselle, and the Baden wine region has some wonderful routes with great restaurants along the way.