Moselsteig Stage 22: Löf – Kobern-Gondorf

Where Niederbachstraße meets the Mosel bridge on the outskirts of Löf, you start this Moselsteig stage. It will take you over two bridges. From the first bridge, you have a magnificent view of Alken and the Thurant Castle perched on the hill. Behind the bridge, a footpath climbs steeply up the slope until it meets a path running parallel to the L 207. This path eventually turns back into a steep trail. After crossing the L 207, you follow the castle access road for a short stretch. On the turning vineyard path, you walk flat for a short distance, then switch again via a ramp in the vineyard wall to a steep path that quickly gains altitude with increasingly beautiful views of the castle. Once at the top, the Moselsteig crosses the access road to the castle, and you pass through a rock breakthrough. Here you meet the Traumpfad Bleidenberger Ausblicke. The narrow path continues through the forest until it ends at the access road, just a few meters from the entrance to Thurant Castle – a visit to the castle is well worth it!

The descent to Alken now follows rocky trails, passing rock ledges with excellent views of the Moselle valley and Alken. In the last meters into the town, you also pass the old St. Michael’s Church. A side path leads from Bachstraße into the town center on the Moselle bank. Then behind the town gate begins the steep ascent to Bleidenberg. And this ascent through the vineyards is really challenging! So allow yourself small rest breaks on the Stations of the Cross path and turn your gaze back to enjoy the beautiful views of Thurant Castle and Alken! At the ridge, you reach the Holy Trinity Church on the Bleidenberg. Under an old oak next to the church, you find a lovely rest spot!

The route continues along the ridge, always with magnificent views of Thurant Castle and Alken. The trail stays at one altitude for a while, and you have a choice of many rest options – from simple benches and relaxing loungers to a cozy resting place at the shelter hut. At the Homo erectus camp slightly below the path, you witness the past of this place. For example, how large was a forest elephant back then? Here you get an impression! The Moselsteig then enters the forest and soon leads steeply downhill to Oberfell – lower down also past Stations of the Cross. On the branch path, you reach the town center or the bus stop on the Moselle bank.

The Moselsteig does not stay long in the valley, as the next extremely steep ascent begins immediately. The path climbs through vineyards along the fall line of the hill to a shelter hut with views of Oberfell. Further uphill, but less steep, you then hike through low forest. At the top, the forest retreats and unveils a view into the Eifel. Along the forest edge and beside an apple orchard, you reach the hut on Schildberg. The panoramic view of the Eifel improves with every step. You have not yet reached the highest point; the path continues uphill through the forest. The Bleidenberger Ausblicke trail turns off, and for a short stretch through the beautiful deciduous forest, the Moselsteig is the only hiking trail on this route. At the forest edge, you meet the next Traumpfad, the Schwalberstieg. Over open heights, the Moselsteig now leads slightly downhill through fields. The panoramic view over the Moselle valley into the Eifel is simply breathtaking! The cultivated Maifeld landscape on the plateau on the other Moselle side is clearly visible, and in the far distance on clear days, you can see the volcanic cones of Lake Laach and even the Hohe Acht, the highest mountain in the Eifel. The field path reaches the Röder chapel. Then the path turns back toward the ridge and after a short distance reaches the Hitzlay – a viewpoint with fabulous views down onto the Moselle and the dam at Lehmen! Upstream, you can see Oberfell and Kattenes.

At first, the Moselsteig still follows the ridge, but eventually leads you increasingly steeply downhill through orchards. A hillside path that even rises slightly interrupts the descent into the valley. At several points, the view downstream of the Moselle opens up. Behind the Moselgold bridge, you can already make out the stage destination Kobern-Gondorf. The endpoint of this section is the Mönch-Felix hut – a small wooden viewing tower offering a great panorama. Especially beautiful is the view toward Kobern-Gondorf with its two castles and the Matthias chapel on the hill!

Finally, you descend steeply on a narrow serpentine path into the Aspelbachtal. Without taking the Schwalberstieg, the valley leads downstream to the edge of Niederfell and the B 49. Across the Mosel bridge, from which you can take a last look at the castles above Kobern-Gondorf, you return to the Eifel side. At the bridgehead, the side path branches off, taking you a few hundred meters to the train station. Here you have reached the stage destination.

• sturdy footwear
• weather-appropriate, functional hiking clothing
• packed lunch

Starting point: Löf via the B 416 between Treis-Karden and Koblenz

Destination: Kobern-Gondorf via the B 416 between Treis-Karden and Koblenz or A 48 AS Kobern-Gondorf and then via the L 117

Löf: parking along the B 416

Kobern-Gondorf: parking along Bahnhofstraße near the destination (train station)

You can reach the stage towns Löf (train station) and Kobern-Gondorf (train station) by train (RB 81).

There are regular connections. Please note that during the school holidays in Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland, on weekends, and holidays, the frequency may be reduced! Please check the current daily timetables on the website of the Rhein-Mosel transport association (VRM):

www.vrminfo.de

"Moselsteig" - Official Moselsteig Hiking Guide by ideemedia, €14.95;

Authors: Ulrike Poller, Wolfgang Todt, Publisher: ideemedia, 300 pages with nearly 300 pictures, elevation profiles, QR codes, and GPS tracks, format 11.5 x 23 cm, ISBN: 978-3-942779-21-0, €14.95;

"Official Moselsteig Hiking Maps" in pocket format:

The entire route is divided into 3 maps:

Leisure map Moselsteig - Map 1: Perl - Trier (Stages 1 - 4), ISBN: 978-3-89637-419-6

Leisure map Moselsteig - Map 2: Trier - Zell (Moselle) (Stages 5 -14), ISBN: 978-3-89637-420-2

Leisure map Moselsteig - Map 3: Zell (Moselle) - Koblenz (Stages 15 - 24), ISBN: 978-3-89637-421-9

Single map: €5.90;

Maps in a set of 3: €14.50 (ISBN: 978-3-89637422-6)

"Premium Set"

Premium set, comprising official hiking guide including 3-map set, publisher: ideemedia, ISBN: 978-3-942779-24-1, €26.95;

The hiking guides and maps are available in bookstores or on the website https://www.visitmosel.de/wandern/service-infos-tipps under the "Prospect Order" section. 

Leisure map Moselsteig - Map 3: Zell (Moselle) - Koblenz (Stages 15 - 24), ISBN: 978-3-89637-421-9

Mosellandtouristik GmbH

Kordelweg 1, 54470 Bernkastel-Kues; Phone: +49 (0)6531/97330

www.moselsteig.de

Tourist Information Sonnige Untermosel

Moselstraße 7, 56332 Alken; Phone: +49 (0)2605/8472736

www.sonnige-untermosel.de