If you like hiking trails with a bit of variety, then this one is for you: the relaxed first half of the hike through the peaceful streets of Berdorf can seem like a completely different planet to the rocky wonderland of the second half…
Park and start near 4, Beim Maartbesch L-6552 Berdorf – Suitable for sporty kids, but unsuitable for pushchairs – Bring a headtorch if you wish to explore the “Hölle” cave along the way.
I once heard someone describe the first 2.5km of the Berdorf B5 trail as “smooth“.
Smooth. I like that. It sums up the start of this hike – through the uneventful-but-pretty streets of Berdorf village – rather perfectly. It’s all very nice, very smooth, but there is no sign of drama here, no sign of ruggedness, no sign of anything to quicken the pulse. The most interesting sight – by quite some distance – is the 55-metre high water tower on the edge of the village, a landmark for miles and miles around.
(OK, ok… on the particular evening I hiked the B5, the turbulent sky stole the drama crown quite convincingly…)
After the relative excitement of the water tower, the trail goes all smooth again across a pocket of forest and agri-desert fields. But then it enters the “Schnellert” forest and joins up with the Mullerthal Trail 2… and it’s like a doorway into a different world.
For the next 3.5km, smooth goes out the window completely. Instead, the hiker is bombarded with some of the most spectacular scenery the Mullerthal can throw at him (and, frankly, the Mullerthal is rather good at scenery bombardment). Canyon after canyon, towering cliffs, wooden bridges, mysterious staircases, spooky caves, battlefields of boulders – it’s difficult to know where to look sometimes.
Oddly, the B5 does NOT go to two incredible viewpoints, despite the fact that they are almost directly on the route. The more famous of the two is the Priedegtstull (pictured below) which totters precariously over the Berdorf-Vogelsmillen road; but there’s also an unnamed, higher viewpoint looming over the Priedegtstull itself (from where the photo was taken).
TIP: take a map and some time to explore these viewpoints and surrounding areas during the hike.
After wandering through this extra-terrestrially beautiful landscape for a few kilometres, you’ll find yourself back at the bottom of the Roitzbach plateau, where you’ll meet up with the B5’s sister trail – the Berdorf B2. From there, it’s one last canyon (the one with the splendid suspended bridges!) back to the starting point.
Smooth has been long-forgotten… A glorious short hiking trip – recommended!
TIP: If you have a headtorch and are feeling brave, check out the “Hölle” cave (signposted, just a few metres off the trail). It’s 55 metres deep and some clambering is necessary to reach its pitch-black end. It’ll be the highlight of the hike for adventurous (slightly older) children!
(c) 2021 Jonathan Orr
Luxembourg Outdoors 