Auto-Pédestre Hobscheid

9km – Easy / Medium – 2.5-3 hours
This hike is all about the atmospheric Hobscheid Railway Tunnel. Stretching arrow-straight for almost 700m, it is the longest accessible disused railway tunnel in Luxembourg.
For the rest of the trail, expect pleasant woodland and countryside.
Park at the Centre Polyvalent, 24 Grand-Rue, L-8372, Hobscheid.
By bus: Hobscheid Schoul or Laiterie
Cafés and restaurants available in Hobscheid.

I’d never been to Hobscheid before. Possibly never even heard of it, or maybe mixed it up with Hoscheid. Anyway, now that I’ve been, I won’t forget it in a hurry because of one thing, and one thing alone: the wonderfully atmospheric and genuinely impressive Hobscheid Railway Tunnel.

Of course, to find the tunnel you have to hike there first. My youngest son, ever impatient, wanted to test out his new flashlight as soon as possible, so we consulted the map and set off in a clockwise direction, first through the quiet streets of Hobscheid, then out into typical Guttland countryside of orchards, fields and tree-topped hills. Birdsong filled the air, ground ivy and purple vetch lined the path, and the hedgerows of wild plum were just beginning to burst into bloom. Spring was in the air in the west of Luxembourg.

Construction work on the tunnel began in 1875, but it was not fully inaugurated until five years later. At almost 700 metres long, it was the longest tunnel in Luxembourg at the time, and still remains the longest disused railway tunnel in the Grand-Duchy that you can walk or cycle through. Lying around 65 metres beneath the Arlon–Mersch road, the tunnel formed a key part of the Attert line on Luxembourg’s “Jangeli” railway network, until the line closed in 1953. The occasional freight train may have rumbled through it after then, but by the mid-1950s, the tunnel was effectively abandoned.

After decades of silence, the old railway line was gradually reclaimed as a walking and cycling route. As far as my research suggests, there was no grand reopening; the tunnel simply re-emerged organically over time as part of a growing network of local paths. Lighting and asphalt were added later, making it easy to walk or cycle through while preserving its cold, echoing atmosphere.

We emerged from the tunnel into a classic Guttland early spring woodland scene: still-bare beech trees rising above an ocean of wood anemones. This annual show seems to be arriving earlier each year. As I write this (6th April), the peak may already be over in some places. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Although perfectly agreeable, there is, frankly, nothing particularly special about the remainder of the Hobscheid Auto-Pédestre. Imperceptible from the ground, one small curiosity is that you cross over the tunnel three times as the trail zig-zags back towards the village. There’s a pleasant picnic area and fitness park just after the N8, but otherwise little to draw your attention.

This is a family-friendly hike with no major difficulties, but just a little sidenote that the route is almost certainly longer than the 8.7km stated in the official guide. We measured closer to 10km, even after adjusting for GPS deviation and time spent exploring the tunnel. Feel free to take a shortcut or two on the return without fear of missing much.

The final few hundred metres descend gently back into town and offer the best view of the day: Hobscheid as a picture-perfect Luxembourg village, well worth a Sunday afternoon wander.