Guttland Trail Fuussepad

11.2km – Easy / moderate

It was all foggy and mysterious up on the “Guttland Trail Fuussepad” this morning. This all-new hiking trail packs a lot into its 11.2km, from impressive Roman remains to the wide-open meadows of the Steinsel plateau. Most of the trail, however, meanders gently on natural paths through expansive beech forest… leading you tenderly to one of the most romantic “pavilion” viewpoints in Luxembourg.

Unlike its sister Guttland Trail – the “Siwe Brécke Wee” near Reimberg – this isn’t a direct replacement / upgrade of the local “Auto-Pédestre”. However, it does follow the Steinsel “AP” for long sections with one big difference – it’s bi-directional. So you’ve got a choice to make at the starting point. Since the two main sights on the trail are the pavilion and the Roman ruins, we turned right (in the hope that the fog would have lifted by the time we got to them) and were treated to hiking tranquility on paths like these:

The trail is remarkably well-signposted throughout. If anything it’s almost too well-signposted, leading to mild panic and fog-inflicted disorientation if that green circular squiggle hasn’t been spotted for more than a few minutes.

Although it’s mostly a pleasant forest stroll, there are enough points of interest to keep that kilometre count ticking along nicely. Like the “Huel Kimmerchen” for example, a cosy little cave standing sentinel over the valley, and a mini-Mullerthal section skirting some typical sandstone rocks. There are also plenty of benches and picnic tables along the way for those well-earned breaks.

But the trail’s most obviously “Instagrammable” highlight is, of course, the delicious little “pavilion” overlooking the Alzette valley. Although our plan to wait until the fog lifted was a good one in theory, in practice the stale January pea-souper had probably gotten even thicker by the time we reached it. No view for us today then, just an atmospheric murkiness with its own unique beauty. Just a little further on comes the trail’s cultural highlight – a surprisingly substantial Roman site which once consisted of a temple – dedicated to the mysterious local deity “Cerunicus” – and several outlying buildings. Exploring these ruins in the dead calm of a Luxembourg winter’s day was a soul-soothing, spirit-awakening experience: just what was needed after a tough week in the classroom.

From the Cerunicus Temple, it’s only a short march back to the starting point (where, by the way, there is an excellent adventure playground for the kids). The combination of the numerous attractions and the easy-walking natural paths meant that this 11.2km in the fog simply flew past. The third “Guttland Trail” will be officially opened in Mersch / Mamerlayen in the near future… and we’ll surely be there when it does.

Parking / start at the Waldspielplatz, L-7320 Steinsel.

Official website here.