After the 28 km that I hiked yesterday, this second day will be a lot easier with just half that distance to cover. There will be climbs, of course. After all, they are constant feature of the Moselle trail as it alternates between the valley villages and the higher ground. Today, there will just be 500 metres of climbing to do after yesterday’s 900.
After a decent breakfast, I set off through the quiet streets of Karden at 8:45. There’s no one about and I won’t see many other hikers until I approach the major tourist attraction of Burg Eltz, possibly Germany’s most beautiful and spectacular castle.
The trail climbs steeply from the village and a Moselsteig warning sign alerts hikers that good balance and surefootedness are required for the first 3 kilometres. And the trail is indeed far from easy to walk on: narrow, with a steep drop to one side, numerous uneven steps and plenty of sections with fixed cables.
This section also crosses what a sign tells me was once Germany’s largest forest of box trees. Unfortunately, like our box bushes in the garden at home, the trees have been devoured by box tree moths and caterpillars. The scent of box always carries me back to my uncle’s farm that I used to visit as a child. The garden was ringed with fragrant box bushes but, on a return visit last June, I was sad to discover that those bushes too had fallen victim to the moths and had been removed. The forest that I’m passing through is a sorry sight indeed with all its trees stripped bare. An information sign says that there may be hope of the trees recovering, but the outlook is pretty bleak for now.
Just before the end of this tricky section, there’s a fine view of Karden reflected in the river, an image shattered a few seconds later by a passing barge.
The day is now bright and sunny as I head through the vineyards above the village of Müden. There’s an interesting project going on here with slates and white marker pens provided so that passing hikers can leave messages to be placed among the rocks lining the trail.
I write something pretty banal on a slate that I prop on a stone on the wall and, just as I’m turning away, I spot one in French that sums up the grouchiness that the French can sometimes display abroad in just a few words. It translates as “The Germans are as unpleasant as the caterpillars”. Personally, I have always found the Germans to be very pleasant, especially fellow hikers, and I can only presume that this person had perhaps had a bad experience and a painful encounter with the processionary caterpillars that can be found on the trail at certain times of year (I have seen numerous warning signs about them all the way along).
After resting for a while in the sun and a long chat with an old friend who just happens to call this morning to catch up, I embark upon the day’s second climb, a 250-metre ascent to the small village of Müdenberg in the agricultural land high above the river.
There’s a detour across the fields from the village chapel with a sign saying that the standard route cannot be used due to construction work. I don’t see any construction work, but I follow the detour all the same.
At the end of it, I have finished heading uphill and the rest of the day will consist of a long descent through beautiful woodland to the river at Moselkern, via Burg Eltz.
A word about Burg Eltz. This mediaeval castle is still owned by a branch of the Eltz family who have lived there since the 12th century and is one of the few castles in the region that has have never suffered any destruction. It stands on a 70-metre-high spur of rock, bounded on three sides by the Elzbach, river, which flows into the Moselle at Moselkern. It’s a pretty impregnable position and that explains why the castle is so well preserved.
My first glimpse of it is from the woods to the west of the castle and it’s a spectacular sight, a huge edifice straight out of a fairy tale, lost in the heart of a magnificent forest.
Unfortunately, the charm wears off as I get closer. After crossing the river and heading up to a spot with a fine view of the castle, I find myself surrounded by crowds of people. I know Burg Eltz is a major tourist attraction in the area, but I was not expecting this many people midweek. From where I am, I can already spot a long line waiting to enter the castle.
The trail takes me up to a bridge leading to the castle itself. I actually go as far as the ticket office before giving up on the idea of visiting the place today after counting about 40 people who have already bought tickets waiting at the main entrance to get in.
So I decide to keep walking and to leave the castle to the crowds. A flight of steps leads down from the bridge to the Elzbach, which I will now be following all the way to Moselkern.
The walk through the woods along the Elzbach is an absolute delight. The air is filled with birdsong, the babbling river below accompanies me as I go and I pass countless friendly hikers on their way up to the castle. It’s a wonderful couple of kilometres to the welcoming Ringelsteiner Mühle where I stop for a tasty dish of pasta that sets me up for the rest of the day.
From the restaurant, it’s just a couple of kilometres to Moselkern where I’ll be spending the night. The trail continues through the woods at first, still following the Elzbach, then emerges onto a residential street that it follows to the heart of the village.
Moselkern is a bit of a dead zone, with lots of restaurants that seem to have shut down for good. The Asian lady running my hotel tells me that their restaurant is closed for the day but that she can whip me up some noodles for dinner if I want. After my hearty lunch of pasta, that would be too many carbs for one day, so I politely decline. The only alternative is a small cafe at the far end of the village that can do light meals, but I’ll need to go early as they close at 6 PM. However, when I go along at 5:30, all they can offer me is a slice of (very good) cake. So I settle for that with cup of tea before going back to the hotel for an evening of blogging and reading before a tougher day tomorrow.
Footsteps 