On the banks of the Ill, the Thur and the Vieille Thur

Eiblen Park car park, Chemin de l’Eiblen.

This route is a longer version of the ‘The banks of the Thur and the Vieille Thur in the land of potash’ walk.

(S/E) Enter the park via the small bridge, go round the stork enclosure on the right, then continue to the left past the goat enclosure. Then turn right to reach and cross a playground. Head up the wide path overlooking the vast Étang de l’Eiblen.

(1) Turn right to go round the pond, then leave the path at the^first track on the left, which leads to the western shore. Continue between the banks of the Ill and the pond, dotted with remarkable trees. Shortly after the southern end of the pond, you’ll reach a junction with a path; carry on for a few dozen metres until you reach the tennis courts.

Marked with blue diamonds.

(2) Pass the “Passerelle Himalayenne” (the return route) on your right and carry straight on along the Sentier de l’Ill, a wide cycle path. At the imposing water tower, it joins another cycle path. Turn right and cross the Ill via the metal footbridge running alongside Rue de Colmar (D2).

(3) Leave the path on your right (the return route), carry on straight ahead, go round the roundabout and continue straight on along the D2 towards Wittenheim. At the next junction, turn right onto Rue du Tir (on the left, a sign indicates ‘Compostelle 2192 km’).

Green Saltire signposting.

Walk past the stadium on your right, then go round the roundabout on the right to arrive in front of the École des Oréades.

(4) Take the path to the left of the school towards the Étang de la Gravière. Turn left onto the cycle path along the south-eastern bank of the pond. At the far end, turn right then climb the embankment on the western bank, with the forest on your left, until you reach the bank of the Thur.

(5) Turn left upstream. Enjoy the tranquillity between the river and the forest (Thurwald). Pass a ford on your right; further on, the path emerges from the forest; continue straight on for about 200 metres along a field. Turn right into the forest and head back to the riverbank. A little further upstream, a pretty footbridge spans the river. Take this footbridge, leaving the Way of St James, to reach the left bank.

Green Disc signposting.

(6) There are two options:
- Shortcut option: turn right downstream to reach the two ponds very quickly (10), preferable in wet weather.
- Option shown on the map and in the description: turn left upstream. After about 400 m, ignore a path on the right and continue to the next junction.

Marked with Yellow Rings.

(7) Leave the riverbank by turning right towards the Parc du Petit Prince. After crossing a field, enter the forest. The path soon reaches the Vieille Thur; after the bridge, turn right. The path heads north again, leaves the forest and passes a sandstone cross bearing an engraved hand and the year 1611. You will then reach a crossroads before the Feldbach stream.

(8) Carry on for a few dozen metres and, after a quick glance at the Parc du Petit Prince, return to the crossroads.

Unmarked.

Leave the Yellow Ring marked trail and take the path heading south-east, entering the Espenwald forest. Keep heading in this direction until you reach a^second junction with the Vieille Thur; a grassy path branches off to the left just after the bridge.

(9) There are two options:

- If the path is too overgrown, carry on straight ahead, leave the forest and head for the banks of the Thur. Follow it to the left (Green Disc markings), pass the footbridge, and continue to the ponds and the point (10).
- Option chosen on the map and in the description: turn left onto this little-used path (not shown on the map) on the right bank of the Vieille Thur. Ignore a turn-off to the left. Further on, the path moves away from the bank in a south-easterly direction, crosses a ditch (a former watercourse) and then turns north-east as it approaches the River Thur, whose rapids can be heard. When you reach a wide path, turn right at the junction, between two ponds.

(10) A short round trip to the right along the bank of the Thur allows you to enjoy the rapids, as well as the ponds, which are oxbow lakes of the Thur. Leave the bank, ignore the Green Disc markings on the path along the river, and return to the crossroads by passing between the ponds again. (See alternative route in Practical Information).

Green Disc signposting.

(10) At the crossroads, the sign is partially obscured by a white label. Head north-east towards Ensisheim. Keep heading in this direction. The path approaches the right bank of the Vieille-Thur and joins a wide forest track near a bridge.

Blue Triangle signposting.

(11) Leave the Green Disc signposting, cross the forest track and, still keeping to the right bank, set off along a wide path marked with a Blue Triangle. Further on, it moves away from the Vieille Thur along the edge of a field. Shortly after a ‘private forest road’ sign and an old sandstone boundary marker, the path begins to curve to the left. At this bend, a grassy path branches off to the right.

Unmarked

(12) Leave the Blue Triangle markings. Turn diagonally right into the woodland and reach the embankment bordering the left bank of the Thur. Continue straight on. At the end, let the track continue to the left. Walk down from the embankment. See Practical Information.

(13) Ignore the path veering off to the left; continue along the track towards the bridge. Go under the bridge and head uphill to the left. Turn sharply left to cross the metal footbridge running alongside the D4B.

(14) Take the path on the left along the right bank of the Thur. Pass a travellers’ camp, the fishermen’s pond and a^second pond on your right. Continue for about 400 m until you reach the confluence of the Thur and the Ill, marked by a statue (two faces carved into red sandstone).
You can get closer to the junction of the two rivers to enjoy a lovely view: return to the path, and a few metres further on, take the path on the left for a short round trip (shown on the map).

(15) Return to the path along the bank of the Ill and, just past the allotments, take the Himalayan footbridge which crosses the Ill. See Practical Information.

(2) Cross the Ill and rejoin the Sentier de l’Ill for the return journey to the Parc de l’Eiblen. Turn left, then downhill to the right towards the sports facilities. Immediately afterwards, head diagonally to the left to walk alongside the ponds, which are home to a wide variety of birds. At the end of the enclosures, turn left towards the car park (S/E).

Please note: in wet weather, the paths and trails can be very muddy. In such cases, opt for the shorter route by walking from (6) to (10) downstream along the left bank of the Thur.

(2) The 90-metre-long Himalayan footbridge opened in April 2024 for pedestrians and cyclists.

(10) Alternative route: it is possible to continue along the left bank of the Thur on the wide, Green Disc-marked path. At the crossroads, before the ford, turn left and head towards Vieille Thur at point (11).

(13) If the path leading to point (14) from the embankment is overgrown with grass, or during high water, turn left after coming down from the embankment onto the path that veers towards a wide track, then turn right to reach the D4b. Follow it to the right and cross at the next pedestrian crossing.

(11) The Vieille Thur: Near the Chalet Grien, 5.3 km before its confluence with the Ill, the Thur feeds into the Vieille Thur diversion channel (or Canal des XII Moulins), which is in fact the former bed of the Thur. This branch is used mainly for crop irrigation; it flows into the Lauch shortly before Colmar after a course of 26 km. According to SAGE 2001, p.14.

Things to see or do in Ensisheim.

(7) The Yellow Ring route circles the Le Petit Prince theme park andthe Écomusée d'Alsace.