The Sandhaas walk between Haguenau and Schweighouse-sur-Moder

Access to the car park: from the Route de Strasbourg (D263) in Haguenau, follow signs for Schweighouse-sur-Moder and the Parc des Sports. Follow Rue du Moulin Neuf to reach the car park.

Yellow rectangle and Sandhaas signage

(S/E) To the north-west of the car park, take the cycle path between the sports facilities (on the left) and the Moder canal (on the right). Continue straight ahead, following the canal.

(1) After 900 metres, cross the road carefully and continue along the Moder. Keep straight ahead.

(2) Go under the D1063 departmental road through the tunnel. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on the left, until you reach Schweighouse.

(3) After 1 km, the route veers slightly to the left before joining the D85 departmental road in Schweighouse-sur-Moder. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross the road, taking care. Turn left and then immediately right to follow Rue du Temple. At the end of the street, turn left into Rue du Général de Gaulle. At the Protestant church, cross the road to reach the municipal library park, La Villa, opposite. Cross the park heading south.

(4) When you reach La Villa, turn left to leave the park and turn right onto Rue du Faubourg (D919). Continue straight ahead to the roundabout, staying on the right-hand side of the street. Go around the roundabout on the right before crossing at the pedestrian crossing, then continue to the left to stay on Rue du Faubourg. After about 150 m, turn right into the retirement home car park and take the path to the south-east, to the right of the building site, which leads to the forest.

(5) Before entering the forest, turn left to go behind the cemetery and follow the path. At the fork, keep right and continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on the right and left, passing under the power lines.

(6) At the end of the path, take the wildlife bridge opposite, which crosses over the D1063 departmental road. After the bridge, turn left and then immediately right to enter the deciduous forest. Continue straight ahead on the path, ignoring the paths on the left and right, until you reach the edge of the forest.

(7) At the exit, turn left to enter the Bellevue district of Haguenau via Chemin des Friches. After 200 metres, turn right onto Chemin du Plateau.

(8) At the first intersection, turn left onto Rue Saint-Florent. Follow this winding street until you reach Rue Saint-Dominique. At the intersection with Rue Saint-Vincent, turn left. At the end of the street, keep right, then cross Route de Schweighouse (D919) to walk on the left-hand side, heading east. After 30 metres, turn left onto the small footpath and cycle path that runs between the houses. Continue straight ahead at the intersection with Rue de Huttendorf until you reach the Moder.

(9) At the Moder, turn right to follow it. Finally, turn left into Rue du Moulin Neuf and walk up it for a few metres to return to the car park (S/E).

Don't forget to pick up a tourist map of the Haguenau Forest of Exceptional Beauty®, available at the Haguenau Tourist Office, which shows the plot numbers marked on the trees at intersections. This makes it very easy to find your way around the undivided forest!

The Sandhaas Walk, Tourist Office information sheet.

Contact

Pays de Haguenau Tourist Office
03 88 06 59 99
tourisme@agglo-haguenau.fr
More information at visithaguenau.alsace

As you leave Haguenau behind, you will see how the Moder gradually opens up its gravel bed, leaving behind the artificial character it has in the town. After flowing for 85 km, the Moder joins the Rhine, of which it is the longest tributary in the Vosges. Numerous bridges invite you to stop and admire the view. On the other side, the landscape becomes increasingly rural, giving way to large fields that form open agricultural areas between the town and the forest, the edge of which you can see in the distance.

As you approach Schweighouse-sur-Moder (2), you will see the town's two bell towers. The bell tower of the Protestant church (on the left) was completely destroyed during Storm Lothar in December 1999.

The park of the municipal library of Schweighouse, La Villa, located halfway along the route just before the stage (4), is an ideal place to stop. You can enjoy the coolness of the Jaegerbaechel stream that flows through it, or, for the younger ones, the playground.

Once in the forest, from the stage (5), the visible sand dunes and pine trees with their fresh, resinous and woody scent are reminiscent of the Landes region. Around you, you will also see heather, a plant characteristic of pine forests.

After reaching Rue du Moulin Neuf at the end of the walk, below the old factories located at number 11, you will see the arches where the Moder river goes underground. This is where a water mill was first used to grind flour and hemp, then as a sawmill and tanning mill. It was destroyed by fire in 1928.