Moselsteig Side Trail: Cochemer Ritterrunde

A great hiking trail with exposed passages, some steep climbs. The route is varied and offers many views of the Moselle, castle ruins and the castle in Cochem. Numerous signs tell stories and history.

I wrote a blog post about this hike: https://www.saarfuchs.com/2025/02/geocaching-wandern-an-der-mosel-cochemer-ritterrunde.html. There you'll find tips for overnight accommodation and a detailed description of our experiences.

This morning, with 8°C and fog, greetings from “Ritter Rost”. 🦹‍♀️ The climb up the stairs to Pinner Kreuz was really tough. But as soon as the fog cleared, the correct operating temperature was back. First glimpses of the Reichsburg and the Winneburg ruins were possible. 🤩 Further up to the Wackelei, again steeply down into the Endert valley, again up, down, up... This is how the wonderful hike began. 😎 I hardly had any encounters; it was only at the Reichsburg and in the streets of Cochem that the throng of people started. 🙈 Well, after all, the euro has to roll somehow. 😅

A very nice hike 🙂. However, given the temperatures—today it exceeded 30°C 🥵—it was a sweaty affair. I should have packed a second Gösser beer 😅. The website: https://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/mobile/de/tour/wanderung/moselsteig-seitensprung-cochemer-ritterrunde/12944908/

Parking in the city car park behind the train station (day ticket 3€)

Today we chose the "Cochemer Ritterrunde," an offshoot of the Moselsteig Trail. The tour starts at the chairlift in Cochem, so there's the option of skipping the first climb. A quick thought... nope! We'll go up on foot, of course. We didn't regret it either; the climb is tough, but it goes along rocky hillside paths. Great. We often had to walk under the cable car, hoping that none of the people sitting there would get sick and that we wouldn't get caught in a shower of crumbs... Up at the summit cross and at the restaurant where the cable car ends, there was, of course, a lot going on: women in high-heeled sandals scrambling around on rocks... well, if you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer. Or not climb on rocks. We were worried that the rest of the trail would be crowded, but: no. There were two or three small groups that sometimes overtook us, sometimes we overtook them, but almost always at such a distance that we couldn't see each other. So we had the path to ourselves, so to speak. It was also great, initially just rocky slope paths and trails up to Winneburg Castle. A castle ruin with a tower. Which I wanted to go to, of course: But it wasn't possible, I hadn't even found the entrance. Many questioning faces circled the tower again and again, but there was no answer. A bit of a disappointment, so no view from the tower. Still, it was nice there, and there were still views. From now on, a mix of trails and forestry paths, always through an intact, green forest, past blooming broom to the Wilhelmshöhe refuge. Short break, look back at Winneburg Castle, and on. Initially on field paths, after the great trails, almost a bit of a culture shock. Or should I say trail shock? I don't know. But beautiful views. Just thought: Hmm, I guess it's going to continue like this. But the path taught us otherwise: More dirt slope paths. View of the Reichsburg from Hubertushöhe. And the information that the castle was bought as a ruin by a Berlin merchant in 1898 or so and rebuilt as it can be seen today. So not all that old. A bit sobering. From Hubertushöhe, we then went downhill, again along dirt paths, until we reached the Reichsburg. We took a quick look, but unfortunately, it was too crowded again. The last part of the path then leads into the picturesque old town of Cochem with its countless restaurants. Cleverly done. And I can use the word "picturesque" again. So: We liked it. The path was really well done.

A great hike that requires a good level of fitness and sturdy footwear. The start and finish is the valley station of the Cochem chairlift. Additional parking is available in the parking garage a little below the lift. The trail begins with a steep climb to the Pinnerkreuz, where you have a great view of Cochem. From there, the narrow path continues to the Wackelei lookout point, with the Winneburg castle ruins always in view on the left. Before we reach this highlight, however, it goes downhill again to Enderstraße, which we have to cross to then start the "climb" to the ruins. It's a great place to linger. 😍 Sightseeing, sunbathing, and enjoying the view. The route continues towards Faid, along narrow forest paths and steep trails with further viewpoints. A final highlight is the stop at Hubertushöhe with a great view of the Reichsburg castle, before we descend back to the town. Followed by ice cream at Bortolot, of course 🍨😋 A beautiful hike.🥾

We chose to start our hike in the Endert Valley because Cochem, with its refreshment options, lies in the last third of the loop. The designated hiking parking lot on the main road is located about 200 meters into the Endert Valley, in front of the hotel. A wide hiking trail leads steadily uphill to Winneburg Castle. A little extra time for this detour is well worth it! The castle ruins are freely accessible and offer beautiful views and plenty of photo opportunities. Afterwards, the trail descends again on narrow, slippery paths. Further along the way, forest tracks and paths alternate between uphill and downhill sections, with a stretch along field paths. There are occasional beautiful views, including frequent glimpses of Winneburg Castle and later of the imposing, very touristy Reichsburg Castle in Cochem. Unfortunately, there are longer sections with road noise. The footpath around the castle in Cochem to the Moselle side is closed, so we turned directly into the town. In Cochem, we treated ourselves to a short ride on the cable car, as the days are quite short in November. At Wackeley there's another bench with a view, and then the path leads steeply and windingly back down into the valley between cork oaks. All in all, a beautiful and varied circular hike.