Nat’Our Route 1 – Dreiländereck

13.3km – Easy / moderate – Family-friendly (but not pushchair-friendly)

Way up in the wild north-east corner of Luxembourg, this delightful and varied trail hugs both sides of the sparkling Our. The Luxembourg side is arguably prettier as it weaves and bobs alongside the river, but the German side is more peaceful and boasts a magnificent viewpoint. And it even (very briefly!) enters Belgium too!

We began near the excellent Camping Tintesmühle – just cross the bridge into Germany and you’ll find parking spaces and information boards on your right.
Alternative start available in Belgium at Parkplatz Europadenkmal, Dreiländereck, B-4790 Ouren (CR388)

Three countries, one river… but this is very much a trail of two halves. The Luxembourg side of the trail is wilder and prettier as it hugs the River Our…

… whereas the German side is a simpler, soul-soothing hike through peaceful woods.

If I’m feeling particularly cruel, I could say that for most of its 7.6km, there isn’t actually much to see on the German side of the trail, except for the silvery meanders of the Our down below and the swaying tops of the trees up high. But it does boast something rather extraordinary: how about THIS for a viewpoint?

This is the Königslei, a wooden cabin lookout which hosted one of my favourite hiking coffee stops of recent months. I could have sat there for hours admiring the view, but we pressed on anyway towards the bridge over the Our – the literal turning point of the hike. From here, the trail one-eighties itself southwards once again.

TIP: From the bridge, it is only a short hop across the road to the “Europa Denkmal”, a monument to the three countries.

Everything in the foreground of this (terrible…) photograph is Luxembourg, everything in the background is Germany and the tiny portion in the centre-left is, technically, Belgium. Which actually is a rather fitting description of the trail itself: although the German side has a certain serene beauty and takes up the larger part of the route, it is the shorter Luxembourg side (5.6km) that will be in the forefront of your memory for a long time afterwards.

This section of the trail really does have it all – varied scenery, natural paths, plenty of information boards and, above all else, the constant companionship of the glittering river.

As we were approaching the end of the hike, my youngest (8) asked me: “Daddy, when can we do the Nat’Our Route 2?”. Which just about sums up how enjoyable this journey along the Our really is.

Official website: Nat’Our Route 1 – Dreiländereck | Wanderwege NaturWanderPark delux

p.s. weather conditions up here in April can be… interesting. Come prepared! :o)