The hike starts at the signposted parking lot of the Hotel-Restaurant 'Ferme Libert' just outside Beverce. The trail is best known for the wild valley of the Tros Marets - undoubtedly a most photogenic scenery. Here, the path is secured for a few meters with a steel rope giving the uninitiated a slightly alpine feel. This...

The creation of the Eifel National Park, together with the Fuhrtsbach Nature Reserve has created some confusion and limitations to the trail network. Here, we wanted to explore more of the interior of the Wahlerscheid area, in particular the Wermessief, a tributary of the Fuhrtsbach. (Sief is vernacular and describes the beginning...

The Tiefenbachtal (literally: deep stream valley) starts near Simmerath and connects to the Rur valley, just ahead of the Rur dam. Our trail starts at the nice hamlet of Huppenbroich with its many stylish modern village buildings. Any budding home owner can get inspiration here. We parked at the cemetery, and quickly descended...

This is a trip for those vacationing in Kalterherberg, provided they managed to secure one of the local holiday homes. The tour is a short ramble through and around Kalterherberg, which even includes a real bushwhack. Definitely a good introduction for those who want to experience this part of the Eifel. Having explored some...

The trail leads through the wild and beautiful valley of the Ruisseau de Bayehon. One of the highlights is the Cascade de Bayehon, probably the most picturesque fall in Eastern Belgium. The spectacle is particularly impressive during fall, when the rains have fed the streams and the foliage is colourful. The trail is well...

This trail figures high in the hikers blogosphere. It is also known as Nat'Our #5, it is part of the DeLux Tour Network, it is touted as the best trail in the Vianden area if not west of the river Rhine, hikers rave about the 'Felsenweg' (rocktrail) and others exult about the alpine feelings - and some worry about weather...

This is Kalterherberg at its best. For those staying over in a holiday home and wanting to barbecue in the afternoon, day visitors with a long way home, or anyone with an hour or so to spare wanting to take a trip on the wild side - this is your trail. The hike starts near the Eifeldom. Paying attention to the GPS, take a turn...

The Ehrensteinsley is not a summit, but a cliff above the steep slopes of the Rur valley. When coming from Mützenich, one actually descends to the Ehrensteinsley. For those with some energy to spare, Mützenich, the Ehrensteinsley, the Rur valley and part of the Ravel trail can be combined to a pleasant loop hike. The descend...

There was a time when anthills could be seen at every intersection in the forest. These days they are a rather rare occurrence. On this hike, we counted 14 anthills, right next to the trail. Take it as a sort of geocaching exercise. The hike starts and ends at Schönberg, a very pretty (non-touristic) village in Belgium near...

Erkensruhr, the hidden village in the Erkensruhr valley, doesn't seem to have made up its mind wether it wants to blossom or disappear from the map. The nearby Rur dam and the village of Einruhr forever seem to steal the show. This might be exactly what makes Erkensruhr the hiker's secret tip: A beautiful hidden valley, with easy...

East Belgium has a knack for creating the right mix of wilderness and accessibility, busy tourist hotspots and places that make you feel adventurous. Of course the High Venn of the Ardennes is an outstandingly beautiful eco-system that attracts hikers with its muddy trails, board walks, great vistas, and rapidly changing weather...

“Caspar David Friedrich (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies, morning...

The Kermeter range is home to one of the largest deciduous forest areas west of the Rhine. It is also one of the key areas of the Eifel nature park. On three sides, it is encircled by the reservoirs of the Rur and Urft. We selected this hike as a training hike, with the aim of more than 700 meters elevation gain. For this, we...

Einruhr is one of the most popular tourist destinations of the Eifel Nature Park. It is in a great location, at one of the salients of the Rur dam, connected to the village of Rurberg and Urft dam via a cruise on the regular steamer (in fact, a battery-powered ship). It is also in hiking distance to Vogelsang, the center of the...

The Buhlert is part of the larger Hürtgenwald Forest, between the villages of Vossenack and Schmidt, or the Kall stream and the Rur dam. It is just outside the Eifel National Park, which also means that it is less frequently visited. Different starting points are possible, for example in Kommerscheidt or Simonskall. We chose...

The Rur valley near Nideggen offers a spectacular array of sandstone cliffs that make for interesting hikes, a lot of up and down, and fantastic views. The sandstone formations have been the training ground of rockclimbers for more than 100 years. More recently, however, climbing activity is regulated to 4 areas, still offering...

As soon as someone in a group of hikers mentions Echternach or Luxembourg's Little Switzerland, another one will mumble Müllerthal. We wanted to find out - and discovered that Müllerthal describes an area, or feeling, rather than just a simple trail. Having said this, there is a signposted Müllerthal trail, which consists of...

While there are many shorter and longer trails around Bollendorf, our short trail aims straight for the Mandrock passage. It is difficult to say whether this is truly the narrowest passage in the Müllerthal area, unless you have been everywhere. But the passage is certainly not for the claustrophobic, nor for those that enjoy...

The trail visits some of the prime hiking areas in Eastern Belgium. Unless you enjoy the crowds, try not to go on a weekend in summer. Having said this, we were entirely alone on the first (along the Ghaster stream) and the last (from Reinhardstein to Ovivat on forest trails) part of the hike. Ovivat is a small village, with...

The Weser dam is, quite rightfully, a major tourist destination of the Eupen area. Access is well signposted, and the huge parking area is testimony to the popularity of the area. We were there in the middle of the week in late August, and avoided the weekend run. As soon as you leave the vicinity of the dam, traffic reduces and...