Moselsteig Side Trail: Leiermannspfad

The weather had everything to offer today: rain 💦, storm 💨 and sun ☀️. Up to Starkenburg it was a dream tour on the Moselsteig, but back from Starkenburg to Enkirch was more of an ordeal - only wide forest paths, no places to sit. Our tip for the Leiermannpfad: turn around halfway and walk back 😊 Here is a video of the tour: https://youtu.be/6aUwuX0uCmY

A very nice round trip from Enkirch... first downhill with great views of the Moselle. Over slate and past a stone exchange station. At the highest point we took a break and ate our cake while swinging... we really liked the town of Starkenburg. Finally down through the valley. A little rain but a lot more sunshine. Nice round trip 😊👍

A "flirt" on the Moselle .... but this time one that leaves us with mixed feelings. First of all, in the direction we chose, a steep ascent already in the village and beyond to the first premium view "Rottenblick" ... then follows on the further course of the Moselsteig on the panorama path a "firework display" of fantastic views. Whether you look back, towards Enkirch and further, over the lock, or ahead in the direction of Traben Trarbach, the ruins of Grevenburg, which beckons you ... or opposite the wooded part of the Eifel ... the views, this part is terrific. But after 5 km Starkenburg is reached, first through the green past the village (OK, this is where we got lost at first) then in the place. There is also a very nice vantage point with a swing. The further course in Starkenburg confusing and "why are we here now??" then with a (for the time being) final greeting of scrap and rubbish, the place releases us for the descent into the Ahringsbachtal. A pleasant gentle descent, also scenically appealing, to the height of the Ahringsbach. Here you follow the course of the valley, parallel to the Moselle back to Enkirch, good to walk, but otherwise nothing worth mentioning .. until then again the "legacies of civilization" gain weight and Enkirch Oberdorf is reached again ... Conclusion: After the initial fireworks, the disillusionment came, but fortunately there was a snack on the banks of the Moselle for a "wheat finish" !! 🌞🥾🌞😎😍🥾🍇🍇

That was a really beautiful tour today 😍. We hiked counterclockwise and had the challenging elevation gain right at the beginning. Since Komoot deleted the pre-saved tour halfway through, we oriented ourselves using the trail markers. This worked perfectly. In Enkirch, we had to take the last kilometer along the road because a tree had fallen on the actual hiking trail, making it difficult to cross (according to other hikers we met along the way). The weather stayed on our side ☁️.

NOTE: If you intend to hike this tour as well, you should definitely import the ORIGINAL gpx data! ⚠️ https://www.wanderinstitut.de/gpx/leiermannspfad.gpx Because I got lost right at the start of the tour. Because there was no route announcement (of course, I should have just gone straight ahead), I followed the visible hiking signs (and turned right), which initially led me in the wrong direction. 🥴 So my route is not correct! 😬 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** https://www.wanderinstitut.de/premiumwege/rheinland-pfalz/leiermannspfad/ "The tour connects two typical Moselle towns with winding alleys and old half-timbered houses. In the first part, which mainly leads through forest, the route follows the largely quiet valley of the Ahringsbach to the idyllically situated Obere Starkenburger Mühle from the 18th century. The short detour there is worthwhile "The second part goes up to the plateau and on a panoramic path with wonderful views along the edge of the slope far above the Moselle. In the spirit of leisurely hiking, there are several places to stop for refreshments right along the route and geared towards hikers." https://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/wandern/moselsteig-seitensprung-leiermannspfad/12944650/ http://www.starkenburg-mosel.de/Touristik/Wanderwege/Leiermannspfad.html The romantic wine and holiday resorts of Enkirch and Starkenburg are the starting and end points of the "Leiermannspfad" infidelity. From Enkirch, the path leads along the footpath to the Catholic monastery church "Klause". It's a leisurely hike above the Ahringsbach to the Ahringsmühle. Enjoy the landscape and the floodplain around the former mill. Now the path leads deep into the Ahringsbachtal to the confluence of the 200 meters from here you reach the Obere Starkenburger Mühle from 1798. An information board and comfortable seating area invite you to rest and linger.The path then leads back to the Bachweg and from there uphill to Starkenburg It passes two old village bakehouses before you reach the viewing pavilion. Here you can take a break with a fantastic view of the Moselle valley and far into the Eifel. Continue through the village and over the Kirster height. Enjoy the constantly changing panoramas View of the Moselle valley, Mont Royal and the Enkircher Zeppwingert and Enkircher Herrenberg vineyards, as well as the Enki anchorage for wine connoisseurs rch. The Leiermannspfad leads back to the starting point in the village via narrow footpaths and romantic paths. << The hurdy-gurdy man from Ahringsbach >> Two or three hundred years ago there were no music bands in the Moselle villages to play at festivals and celebrations, for baptisms, weddings or fairs. This was once done by the lyre, a kind of violin that was made to sound with a crank handle and plucked at the sides at the same time. A hurdy-gurdy man also lived in Enkirch, who had returned home late one evening from a wedding in Starkenburg. He used the steep mountain path that is now called Leiermannspfad. Suddenly he heard a strange hum and grunt and stopped dead in his tracks. Then he saw a huge bear a short distance away. As quick as a squirrel, the hurdy-gurdy man climbed a tree, because the bear came running up with mighty leaps. With a constant growl, the mighty animal romped around the tree, nuzzled the bark and raised its paw with long, sharp claws menacingly up the trunk. But the dense branches prevented the monster from climbing the tree. For a while the hurdy-gurdy man sat stiff and stiff with fear in the branches and looked down at the humming monster. When he had finally recovered a little from his shock, he began to play the lyre. But all music was in vain; the bear didn't move from the spot, but sat on its broad rump and romped around the tree again and again, growling. So the hurdy-gurdy played all night long. On the one hand he encouraged himself in this way, on the other hand the lovely tones had a calming effect on the restless animal. Yes, Dickpelz only disappeared into the forest at dawn, because he was afraid of daylight. The hurdy-gurdy man quickly climbed down from his uncomfortable bed for the night and ran to Enkirch as fast as his legs would carry him. Source: Shortened from_ ghosts, counts and crooks "Sagas, legends, stories from the Moselland by Reinhold Wagner. Hetios Verlags- und Buchvertriebsgesellschaft, 52068 Aachen, Telephone: 0241 - 555426, ISBN: 3-925087-50-8 Directions by car: 49°58'57.0"N 7°07'42.1"E

Today I accidentally took this detour in the opposite direction to the recommended direction. In this weather I can only recommend it. The section from Enkirch up to the Enkirch hut can be very slippery in snow/frost. This detour clearly benefits from the Moselsteig in the area where it runs parallel to the Moselsteig (on the edge above the vineyards). Very good signage, great views, lots of rest areas and information boards. Starkenburg itself is a beautiful little town with great old buildings and lots of information boards, really very beautiful. The section along the Ahringsbach towards Starkenburg (if you go in the right direction) is boring. The same route profile, no rest areas and bad signage. This Moselsteig detour is not certified, which is also clearly noticeable in this section. I think certification would be difficult with this route.

On the last day of our Moselle holiday we start hiking directly at our holiday apartment around the "Moselsteig Seitensprung Leiermannspfad". To start, we took the small passenger ferry across the Moselle to the town of Enkirch. The first part of the path leads behind the mountain of the Moselle valley and runs unspectacularly up to the village of Starkenburg, which takes its name from the castle of the same name, of which unfortunately almost nothing is left. From here it was great and led us along the Moselsteig, with beautiful views of the Moselle, down to the town of Enkirch. From there, again with the ferry, back to the apartment.

Today we went to the Leiermannspfad, or Seitensprung or Moselsteig, or Camino.... you can choose 😃 We started in Enkirch. The car park is down by the Moselle. Free (for cars), next to the campers. Enkirch is a little gem on the Moselle. We walked through the town, with its beautiful historic town center, towards Starkenburg, before turning left into the forest at the town exit. From there it was about 6 km straight through the forest. A bit unspectacular, but very beautiful. Then it got a bit steeper and the path took us to the town of Starkenburg. There we had our first rest after a good 7 km. We were able to enjoy the view of the Moselle and Traben-Trarbach on a large swing. From there we head back towards Enkirch. This part of the route includes beautiful views, great paths (some rocky) and lots of sun ☀️ highly recommended 👍🏼