Der rote Schirm tanzt vor mir durch das Venn. Es nieselt, erst wenig, dann mehr. Wir sind auf der großen Brackvenn-route, alles Matsch oder Stege, ein Touristenmagnet. Tatsächlich, zwei Damen versperren uns den Weg, für ein Selfie, der Ghettoblaster plärrt im Rucksack, erfrischend. Sonst ist alles kalt und nass. Das Klima...

Genuss-Radeln am Main. In sechs Tagen von Bamberg bis Aschaffenburg. Sieben Corona-bedingte Methoden, ein Frühstück einzunehmen. Es dauert, bis man aus Bamberg raus und auf den Main-Fernradweg gefunden hat. Dann bleibt die Strecke etwas öde, an Bundesstraßen entlang, wenn auch auf Radwegen. Es ist wenig Höhe zu verlieren...

Ich fürchte jetzt bringe ich was durcheinander. Eigentlich wollte ich von einer MTB Tour berichten, die - jedenfalls für oder von Leuten jenseits der Rentenschwelle - durchaus als schwierig eingestuft werden könnte. Dann wollte jemand, dass ich über Käfer berichte. Und, siehe da (!), ausgerechnet an dem Tag als ich den...

Mir tun die Ohren weh, dröhnend, stechend. Der Mann am Nebentisch steigert sich in einen rasenden, gewaltigen Wortschwall: Ostwind, Frühjahrskälte, Thermik, morgens, Aufwind, warm, Höhe, Fahrt, kreisend tragend Frankreich gleitendraftdownspannendschirmsuper…er hat gar keine Zeit Luft zu holen, pausenlos, wird immer...

  We were in the Geghama mountains several years ago, trying to hike Azhdahak. We had reached our trailhead with a rented Lada Niva, and camped in preparation for the hike next day. Snow fell during the night, and the first order of the day was to bring back the Lada to any visible road and safety. This time we returned in...

More than two hundred years ago, the "Zelt" or the "Zeilt" used to be the main road between Kalterherberg and Monschau. Monschau had a flourishing cloth manufacturing business - owing to the 'soft' waters of the Rur that originated in the high mooreland (the Venn) and therefore had a very low lime content. Many impoverished...

Ein relativ kurzer Rundweg in der Nähe von Rohren in der Eifel mit ein bischen auf-und-ab. Auch gut für durchwachsenes Wetter. Die Wanderung kann beliebig ausgedehnt werden. Verlaufen kannman sich nicht. Meistens auf Forstwegen, mit kurzen Strecken ueber Stock und Stein. Start ist am grossen Parkplatz vor Rohren (auch...

We were mentally prepared for some high-summit mountain hike, but not for the bad weather that engulfed Azerbaijan in mid-April. So we were left to exploring the village of Xinaliq - which at 2200 meter elevation requires a day of acclimatization anyway - and some easy hiking to some nearby sights. Xinaliq village is said...

You would not necessarily associate Korbit Mountain with ice-crusted mountaineers dangling from taut ropes. For a starter, with about 540 meter altitude it is not of memorable height, especially as an easy 4WD road leads to the village of Shpatë at 360 meter. And then the path is wide most of the time, though you can build in as...

Etwas ist falsch gelaufen. Es müsste blutig sein, das Fleisch. 'English' bzw 'rare'; ich hatte auf das Mords-Schnitzel verzichtet, zugunsten des blutigen Steaks, natürlich vom Eifeler Weiderind. Regional. Wir haben eine mörderische Tour geplant, auf der Basis der erhältlichen Informationen. 65 Kilometer, mehr als 1500...

Mali i Veles, while not memorably high in real terms (only 1150 Meter), is an impressive but often overlooked mountain. It lies behind the town of Lezha, on its eastern side, while the gaze of most travellers goes to the west with its beaches. Once Veles has attracted interest, its west face looks almost impossible to hike,...

Papingut has a dramatic east face - which drops 2000 Meter into the Vjosa Valley, near Permët. Ascend from the east is reserved for suitably equipped climbers ready to cope with the reputedly bad rock. But the mountain can be relatively easily scaled from the valley of Zagoria on its west side. Zagoria in itself is tremendously...

Gropa e Bukura is the "beautiful hole" - a piece of grass that provides the ideal starting point for climbs of Maja e Jezerce or Maja e Popluks (see spearate trail). Gropa a Bukura is at 1700 meter altitude - 1000 Meter higher than Thethi. We took a mule to carry camping equipment from Thethi to Gropat e Bukura, especially as...

Aside from any mountain near the seashore, there is no other mountain in Albania from where so much water can be seen. The summit of Mali i Thatë (the Dry Mountain) is called Pllaja e Pusit, and both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa - the largest lakes in the Balkans - can be seen from there. The mountain range separating Prespa...

Gjallica Mountain towers above Kukes town, and it maintains a snowcap long into spring. One may try to hike Gjallica summit directly from Kukes, but it is also possible to drive up high on the side of the mountain, and hike from there to the top. The drive up is easy with a high-clearance 4WD vehicle and worth a trip in itself. We...

Valamares is among our most favorite hikes in Albania. It has all attributes that make a good hike: a hotel right at the trailhead - so you just get up in the morning and start walking. There is 1000 Meter elevation gain, but it feels like a breeze as the trail has a steady gentle slope. The first part of the trail leads through...

Many travellers make it over the Llogara Pass, and their gaze is usually drawn to the sandy beaches and blue waters of the Ionian Sea. Unless, of course, they hold tight to the steering wheel and fix their attention to the winding road. The pass climbs to an altitude of 1000 Meter, and many find the altitude dizzying. Few...

Kendërvicës is the highest point of the Mali i Gribës range, which dominates the view when driving from Fier to Tepelene. The shortest hike to the summit requires a long drive from Tepelene to Nivice. The drive leads from Tepelene onto the plateau of Lekdushk, Progonat, Gusmar and Nice, with its magnificant canyons. The road...

Gramos is the highest Mountain in southern Albania. The summit of Gramos (also called Cuka e Pecit) sits on the border of Albania with Greece, near Erseke. Here, the border forms a sharp triangle so as to share the summit with both countries. From the valley one can see the summit pyramid, but not the summit itself. The trail...

Dajti Mountain is so close to Tirana, but many visitors remain baffled on how to climb it - aside from taking the cable car and enjoying the views from the balcony and a good lunch. We have a few trails to the Dajti balcony and also to the summit on this website. This traverse from Qafe Priske to the summit of Dajti is among the...