Buchsbaum Hiking Trail & Eltz Castle

September 2012

Route: Treis-Karden (River Mosel, Alt. 85m) - Muedener Berg (285m) - Eltz Castle (130m) - Mueden (150m) - Above Karden (250m) - Treis-Karden

Location (Karden): 50 Degrees North, 7 Degrees East

Distance: Ca. 16km

Time required: 7-8 hrs (includes ca. 2 hrs spent at Eltz Castle)

This trail is about 16km long and can be done within approximately five to six hours, but since we are missing a turn, we end up walking more like 18 to 19km. Major resting points are Eltz Castle - where we'll have lunch (and yes, a beer!), and another restaurant next to the river running through Eltz Valley about an hour away from the castle. The reasons we decided on this hiking trail were its length, since we were looking for a comfortable day hike, and the fact that the trail would take us past "Burg Eltz", a beautiful medieval castle which I always wanted to see, but never quite managed to pay a visit to before.

It is a hot late-summer day in September, and our starting point is a small parking lot in the equally small village of Treis-Karden, right on the riverbank of the Mosel. We pass through the village square and past several wine restaurants, before the trail takes us away from paved roads and up a steep climb along the shoulder of a hill. Soon we reach the first view point, and we are rewarded with a breathtaking view over Karden, the nearby bridge crossing the river Mosel, the "Pommerer Werth" island beyond, and the surrounding hills covered in lush greenery, interspersed with vineyards.

Above Karden

The climb takes us to the plateau that overlooks the steep Mosel valley. Passing through fields and arable land, we reach a small chapel and make an east turn towards where Eltz Castle is supposedly hiding in a valley. After our view was earlier constricted by the steep slopes that enclose the Mosel, we are now presented with a wide panorama of the hilly plateau that stretches north of the river.

Once we re-enter the forest, the trail is winding its way slowly down, taking a turn here and there - but the castle remains hidden behind the trees. Finally we catch a first glimpse of the castle - perched high on a rock in the midst of the Eltz Valley - between the forest leaves. We are presented with magnificent views of the castle while approaching first from above, then descending into the valley and following a trail that takes us around to the front of the castle. Finally a bridge leads us - and large groups of other tourists - straight to the castle entrance. The majority of visitors obviously comes from a nearby parking lot, which offers the more "convenient", but certainly also the less scenic approach.

Eltz Castle

We explore the castle premises and decide to join a guided tour - strongly recommended! The tour takes us through many rooms of the castle that are otherwise inaccessible (no photos allowed), and among other interesting historic facts we also learn that Eltz Castle was one of the most modern castles of its time (it was built in the early 12th century). This is showcased by the large number of rooms boasting a fireplace, or the many window seats that allowed the inhabitants to savour the day's last rays of sunlight. The castle's treasury showcases multiple precious artifacts. Interestingly, Eltz Castle was from the outset designed as a castle made for living, not for defense. History would show that this was a safe bet, since due to its highly unusual location - perched on a mountain top in midst of a valley, therefore below the surrounding plateau and embedded in thick woods - any hostile army that ever might have caused danger simply passed the castle without even taking notice of its existence.

Eltz Castle, courtyard

Leaving the castle behind us, we continue our walk along the river valley towards its confluence with the Mosel. After a while, the walking path leads us to a paved road, and we pass some houses next to the river. Our map tells us that we should be walking parallel to the slopes, on an elevated path - and soon we realize that we missed a turn, which is in fact very hard to distinguish, even with a proper trail description. We decide to backtrack and manage to get onto the proper path. The curving valley fools us into believing multiple times that we are about to reach the Mosel - only to realize that there is yet another turn ahead. It is already late afternoon, and we step out into the hot afternoon sun as soon as we turn right into the Mosel Valley.

Vineyards and the river Mosel

The last part of our walk mostly takes us through several vineyards. This part is the actual path that gives the entire hiking trail its name: "Buchsbaum-Wanderweg". The "Buchsbaum" - or box tree - is mostly native to Southern Europe, and this is its northernmost range, due to the Mosel valley's favourable climatic conditions.

We look at the descriptions of various red and white grape varieties. By now we have run out of water, but there are no signs of a shop or some other place that might sell us refreshments. To further deepen our misery, we are being passed by a horsewagon that chauffeurs a group of tourists on their winery tour - with everyone carrying a glass. It is obviously prohibited to pluck grapes from the branches, so "obviously" we do not quench part of our thirst by plucking a handful... ;)

Our map shows yet another ascend that lies ahead of us, and therefore between us and the village of Karden, where we could finally purchase some beverages. We are looking for an alternative path that might take us down to the river Mosel - but no such path presents itself, and we are looking down some very steep, inaccessible cliffs instead. So up we go, thoroughly exhausted, to skim the edge of the plateau again that we have already walked earlier today. It's a steep ascend, including steel chains along the cliff walls to assist the climb. A while later - it seems like hours to us - the path once again descends, and we look down upon Karden and the surrounding valley, shined upon by the last rays of the evening sun.

Karden at dusk

We welcome the end of the descent and drag ourselves to a restaurant overlooking the village's central square, where we order some water and juice. Ah, the taste! It's been a long walk, but having experienced some beautiful scenery in combination with a magnificent castle, my wife and I feel thoroughly satisfied with the day's outcome.