Back to the Moselsteig – Cochem to Treis-Karden

Regular readers of this blog may remember that I tore a calf muscle last year after 16 days on the Moselsteig, forcing me to abandon the trail at Cochem. Those 16 days had been an absolute delight with the discovery of an enchanting river valley, spectacular viewpoints, great wines, excellent food and very friendly people everywhere I went. On returning home, I discovered that the calf muscle wasn’t too seriously damaged and, after a few physiotherapy sessions, I was fully functioning again. On my hikes since, I’ve been drinking a lot more water, using electrolytes rehydration tablets and doing stretching exercises every evening. As a result, there have been no other problems of that order.

With a little time between jobs in October 2025, I decide to return to Cochem to hike the last six stages of the trail over five days. I’m not going to let the Moselsteig get the better of me!

And so, on October 12, after my daughter Lorna’s birthday brunch, I take a train from Paris to Cochem, a simple journey that entails a change from a high-speed train to a regional one in Sarrebrücken for a ride along the Saar and Moselle valleys, all done in around four hours.

After a night in a friendly pension, I set off at 8:30 on the Monday morning through the quaint mediaeval town. Everything in Cochem is closed this early except, fortunately, for an excellent bakery where I pick up a sandwich for my lunch.

It’s a very misty morning, so misty that it’s impossible to make out the imposing castle that looms over the town or the cross on a summit opposite at the end of the day’s first climb. A chairlift takes people up there, but it’s not running yet (I’m not even sure it’s open at this time of year) and the climb starts from the car park, with the departure marked by the following sign…

The “bad route” is in fact a steep climb with numerous uneven steps, tricky narrow sections and even handrails and fixed cables in places. A fun start to the day! Especially as the misty, damp air makes everything quite slippery.

When I reach the summit cross, the famous view of Cochem that is the reason for the chairlift is a blank wall of mist. There are only two of us up there at this early hour, myself and a friendly German lady hiker who is waiting for someone at the cross (her boyfriend, as I discover later).

The trail continues to climb from the cross, but much less steeply now before levelling out near the slides and attractions of the Klotten theme park, which is closed at this time of year. The woods remain shrouded in mist and, for now, it’s impossible to make out the river below.

During the ensuing descent to Klotten, the mist begins to lift a little and I see that the river is indeed there!

I’m walking about three weeks later than last year and the changes in the general atmosphere of the trail are impressive. Last year, the vines were heavy with grapes, the harvest was underway, the air was filled with the scent of crushed grapes and the green of summer was still prevalent. This time, all the grapes have been harvested, the trail is lined with all kinds of mushrooms, the leaves on the vines and trees are taking on their autumn hues and the air is filled with the musky aromas of autumn, along with that of the crushed grapes left in the vineyards as compost.

Just before Klotten, the hiker I saw earlier catches up with me, now with boyfriend in tow. Shortly after, I overtake them again as I descend into the village itself, passing the small hotel where I spent a painful night after tearing my muscle last year.

The trail the follows the railway tracks for a while to leave the village. Since setting off this morning, I haven’t been able to figure out if the damp in the air is just caused by the mist or if it is actually raining a little. When the trail passes beneath the railway tracks, I make the most of this dry tunnel to put on my rain jacket (the pack cover has already been on for a while). The other two hikers overtake me while I’m getting sorted, and I won’t see them for the rest of the day.

The trail follows the road for a while, then crosses back over the railway tracks to begin the second climb of the day, up the pretty Dortebach valley. It’s another steep one, from 200 metres up to 450 in over a very short distance.

At the top, the trail emerges onto agricultural land around the huge Annischerhof farmhouse. The wind is quite chilly on this high, open land, but I’m moving enough to keep warm. Even so, I take just a very short break for lunch on a bench as I don’t want to catch cold. The trail follows the edge of the fields and occasionally enters the woods as it makes its way towards the village of Kail, where I walk for a few minutes with a local out for his postprandial stroll, who asks me all kinds of questions about where I’m heading and my experiences on the trail. He even offers to show me a short cut through the village, but I politely decline.

After Kail, the trail heads back down to the river again, this time through beautiful woodland before emerging into the vineyards above Pommern. The mist has now cleared completely and the air is a lot drier so the rain jacket comes off and I walk in my T-shirt for the rest of the day.

There’s a kayaker on the river below who seems to have aroused the wrath of a very angry duck, whose furious quacking can be heard from where I am, 100 m above the river. Indeed, the sound of this irate duck accompanies me for the next half hour or so as I head down into Pommern.

The trail through the vineyards makes for nice, steady walking (to the sound of the angry duck) and I pass a few people out for an afternoon stroll, including a charming lady who looks to be in her eighties.

There’s a surprising variety of colours in the vineyards, ranging from bright green to yellow, brown, and deep crimson.

The trail descends into the pretty village just opposite a large yard where huge containers of ripe apples show that wine is not the only product of the region – they make an excellent apple juice too.

From Pommern, I have another stiff climb, from 200 metres up to 400. After the previous two climbs, this one doesn’t seem so bad, even though the day’s elevation chart on my Garmin app shows that it is just as steep. After heading up through the vineyards out of the village, it enters the woods until once again, at the top, it emerges onto agricultural land high above the river.

There’s an architectural park up here, with the remains of a Roman temple, but after three stiff climbs, I don’t really care about Romans and simply carry on my way without turning off to visit it.

I begin the final descent of the day down to Treis-Karden, well to Karden as Treis is across the river and I won’t be going there. It’s a pleasant path through the woods, with a steep zigzag section at one point. I emerge back out into the vineyards just above Karden, relieved to see the village where I will be spending the night after this first tough day. But stupidly, I take a wrong turn and don’t real realize for quite a while. I think I end up inadvertently adding a whole kilometre to the day’s total, not a great thing to do at the end of a long day.

The day’s trail ends on the main street of Karden, just 100 metres or so from my hotel. I was a little worried about finding dinner as most places are closed on a Monday, but the lovely hotel owner tells me not to worry because they do a selection of light meals at the hotel bar. And so, after a good hot shower and hanging my damp clothes up to dry, I go to the bar for a tasty Winzerplatte (literally a vintner’s plate, the equivalent of ploughman’s lunch in this part of the world) along with delicious glass of a local red wine.

After resuming the trail with this rather tough day (the three steep climbs were quite tough), I’m in bed by nine and sleep until seven of the next morning.