A Walk or Bike Ride in the Eifel!

READY FOR A WALK OR CYCLE IN THE EIFEL?  A very good place to start is Nettersheim. (see www.nettersheim.de)

{mosimage}You can even leave the car behind and get there by train, from Bonn, changing in  Euskirchen. From the station or car park follow signs to
Naturschutzzentrum, a field-study-centre which offers an interesting programme for children and adults, of natural history activities and suggestions and maps for walks in the area. You can also hire bikes there.

One of the simplest walks to find goes alongside the river Urft going up-river towards Blankenheim, passing a reconstructed lime-kiln, a picnic place/playground, a Roman pond, quarry, temple and  milestone,
and in summer lots of wild-flowers. In the other direction, going downstream you can walk all the way to Cologne along the Römerkanalwanderweg. This is a 100 km-long footpath, marked by a black-and-white tunnel symbol, which follows the Roman water-pipe
bringing sweet fresh drinking water from the Eifel to Cologne. In places the tunnel is visible and there are explanatory signs telling you what you are looking at.

But if you just want a good walk, the first 42 km of the path, between Nettersheim and Euskirchen-Stotzheim, offers a variety of scenery;
river, hills , woods, villages, farmland etc. And you are never very far  from “civilisation” offering food, drink, overnight accommodation, or even a station from where you can catch a train home!

See the “Wanderkarte 1:25000- Nettersheim-Kall”. Or ask at the Naturschutzzentrum for suggested walks. Or consult the Nettersheim web-site.

Further details and maps of the Roman water supply system (an amazing feat of civil engineering), and the footpath,  are in “Der Roemerkanal-Wanderweg” by Klaus Grewe.1988…….ISBN3-92 1805-16-3.

(JK)

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