Upper Ahr valley From its head, the Ahr valley runs through a rolling uplands with pastures, woods and occasional
hamlets or
farmsteads. It is followed by the
B 258 federal highway. The first noteworthy villages are
Ahrhütte and
Ahrdorf, in the municipality of Blankenheim. The Ahr valley then becomes gradually narrower and reaches its southernmost point where it leaves the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The first village in Rhineland-Palatinate that it encounters is
Dorsel, on the heights above the valley. In
Müsch the B 258 leaves the Ahr valley, and the L 73 then accompanies the river, which is still small at this stage. From here the valley runs through
Antweiler to
Fuchshofen, almost northwards, before swinging almost due east from
Schuld, passing
Insul and reaching
Dümpelfeld where it is joined by the
B 257. Here, at its confluence with the Adenauer Bach, coming from the south, the Ahr heads northeast, leaves the collective municipality (VG) of Adenau and reaches the collective municipality village of Altenahr south of Liers, which belongs to Hönningen gehörenden. This is now the middle course of the Ahr, the
Mittelahr.
Middle Ahr valley The valley runs initially northeastwards from
Hönningen via
Ahrbrück, Pützfeld,
Kreuzberg and Altenburg to
Altenahr. From Ahrbrück the B 257 is joined by the
Ahr Valley Railway which follows the valley to the Rhine. At Altenahr the valley bends east and initially has an extremely meandering course. Here, the river is accompanied by the
B 267, although it does not follow every bend. In Altenahr is the start of the great
Ahr loop (
Ahrschleife) which is protected due to its flora and fauna. From here the valley is ravine-like, its rugged rock faces cutting into the Ahr Hills. From Reimerzhoven there are extensive vineyards especially on the northern side of the river (i.e. on the south-facing slopes). Near Laach the Ahr runs round another loop in the valley and then passes the wine villages of
Mayschoß,
Rech,
Dernau and
Marienthal before finally reaching the territory of the town of
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. The last narrow portion of the Ahr valley lies below the
Bunte Kuh ("Coloured Cow"), a rock formation that reaches almost to the river and leaves hardly any room for road and railway. In
Walporzheim the valley bottom broadens suddenly into the Lower Ahr Valley (
untere Ahrtal).
Lower Ahr valley The lower Ahr valley is also dominated by vineyards. The Ahr flows through the settlements of
Ahrweiler,
Bad Neuenahr,
Heppingen and
Heimersheim, where the vineyards end. The valley floor between
Bad Bodendorf on the northern edge and
Sinzig on a terrace to the south, is characterised by arable farming, fruit and vegetable growing. The confluence of the Ahr with the
Golden Mile of the Rhine near
Kripp has an almost natural character and is a nature reserve. == Economy ==