The Moselsteig – Day 3 – Wellen to Konz

With breakfast served at 7:30, by 8 o’clock I was on my way, barrelling up the hill out of Wellen, fueled by the previous evening’s kniddelen. The initial section of trail was along a country road up to the ridge above Nittel. It was clearly going to be a wonderful day, but the cold wind of the day before was still blowing.

The views of the river below were fantastic in the early morning light, but I was disappointed not to have a clear view of the Nittel cliffs. If I’d have left from Nittel itself, I’d have had a perfect view of them, but arriving from Wellen, I was already on top of them when I rejoined the trail.

Some sections of the trail along the clifftops were a little more technical than anything seen until that point. A couple of steep sections even had fixed chains along the side of them.

I actually saw some other people on the trail for once as I left Nittel behind – a couple of friendly trail-runners and an older man out for a jog – but still no other hikers.

After a while, the trail levelled off and entered open farmland, following either surfaced roads or farm tracks. Needless to say, after the climb up from Wellen, this was easy walking. The strong wind was still blowing and a jacket remained necessary, despite the clear blue skies and bright sunshine.

Fortunately, after a while, the trail entered some woods that provided a welcome break from the wind. And, for the rest of the day until the final approach to Konz, most of the walking would be in the woods, apart from a stretch in the vineyards near the village of Fellerich.

And these vineyards provided a wonderful surprise in the shape of Elli and Rosi’s Kleine Jause, a Jause being a snack. But this was no ordinary snack bar. Deckchairs and picnic tables had been set out on a small level area with a beautiful view of the vineyards. In a small hut, there was a fridge filled with bottles of wine and mineral water, along with packs of salami to buy. The whole place operated as an honesty bar and even had a PayPal link for those without cash. I had a couple of glasses of mineral water and bought two sausages for the way ahead (the wine would have been way too much at 11 in the morning). It was a truly magical spot and felt more like vineyard in Piedmont or Tuscany than the Moselle.

On my way downhill from this perfect rest stop, with the jacket finally off, I encountered a couple of hikers (out for the day given the size of their packs) who were on their way up the steep track from the bottom of the valley. After them, apart from a chapel janitor and a lady walking her dogs, I didn’t see anyone else for the rest of the day. This trail is definitely not crowded!

On reaching the foot of the valley, the trail entered some beautiful woods and began to climb slowly but steadily.

At one point, there was the possibility of crossing an orchid reserve, which signs on the trail recommended during the flowering period. Having no idea when orchids bloom, but presuming it would be in the spring, I carried on along the main trail, climbing up to the Löschemer Chapel that stands on a high point overlooking the Moselle and the town of Igel on the opposite bank (in Germany now and no longer in Luxembourg).

At the chapel, I gave the janitor a hand when the strong wind swept away a box full of empty plastic candleholders. He wasn’t exactly talkative, but seemed glad of my help all the same. Afterwards, I spent a while resting there in the sun, even though the wind brought the temperature down a fair bit.

From the chapel, the trail descended fairly steeply through the woods to the village of Wasserliesch on the banks of the Moselle. On reaching the bottom, the terrain was flat all the way to the end of this stage.

The last stretch to Konz was not particularly enjoyable. After crossing the train tracks, the trail at first followed a fairly busy road, then veered off onto a pathway past a quarry (clouds of dust raised by the wind), the local sewage works and the waste treatment plant. I’ve known prettier sections of trail.

Konz was a charmless place, little more than a glorified rail junction, but I managed to find a good Italian ice cream parlour while waiting for the hotel reception to open, and then a decent Asian restaurant for dinner.