Pays Secret Rail bike – A family activity!

My summary

Video summary

Cycling on an old railroad line

Do you know the velorail? The idea is to ride along an old railroad line on large carts equipped with wheels and pedals: you can pedal along disused railroad lines. It’s a good way to make the most of existing infrastructure, which has been decommissioned by SNCF, so that it doesn’t fall into disrepair! I’d already had the chance to try out the concept at Vélorail Sud Alsace and Vélorail de la Vallée du Spin, in neighboring Moselle.

Vélorail du Pays Secret is located in Drulingen in Alsace Bossue. It’s located on a railroad line that has seen very little use: it hasn’t carried passengers since 1945, and freight since 2014. The route for cyclodraisiennes is 13.4km (round trip) and runs from Durlingen to Schallbach. It takes about 1h45.

On the track, there’s no crossing: so the velorails depart at precise times, so that everyone leaves one behind the other. At the end, everyone has to turn around (you’ll be shown how to do this beforehand, so it’s not rocket science) and head back the other way. the last become first, and here we go again!

A family activity

The velorail is really a fun activity to do with the whole family, since everyone can participate, even the kids! Pedaling a velorail isn’t hard, especially as you can opt for an electric-assist velorail. A velorail can accommodate 4 adults or 3 adults and 2 children. Two people can pedal at the same time, while the others can sit back and relax in the back seat.

In any case, it’s fun and you get to enjoy the Alsace Bossue countryside along the way! The only problem with the velorails, in my opinion, is their noise: it’s hard to talk because the wheels are so loud against the rails! Let’s just say it’s part of the atmosphere 😛

Things to do nearby

You can easily combine your boat trip with other activities in Alsace Bossue: a boat trip on the Saar, a bike tour, or a visit to the Villa.