An Adventure

Set off from Bad Bertrich at about 14:15, determining to follow the first waymarked trail I came to

I hoped it would not be too long and not get very high as, although the sun was shining, it had rained earlier, more was forecast and there was a threat of thunderstorms around 17:00

There followed a long, but steady, uphill stretch, which eventually became quite steep, and I remember thinking I did not want to come back that way as it could be slippery going downhill 

Chapel dedicated in 1949 to Judas Thaddäus, known in English as Jude the Apostle

I had early problems spotting waymarks, which caused a bit of toing and froing, but otherwise the walk was pleasant, and seemed to follow a river, albeit at times from a distance

But after more than hour it dawned on me that the route might not be a round-walk - I seemed to be leaving Bad Bertrich behind in more-or-less a straight line - so I began to look for a place to have lunch and start walking back

However that was easier said than done as everywhere was wet, so I was relieved after 90 minutes to come to a bridge, at which point the route started following the river on the other bank and in the opposite direction

Scenery became more dramatic

Soon I came to a clearing where some logged trees had dried in the sun (although when I took my shorts off later I found the logs had not been as dry as I thought)

I ate lunch (studentenfutter with sparkling water) quite quickly as the sky looked threatening

I came to the village of Niederscheidweiler, which had a picturesque rock commemorating the settlement's 1100-year history, but, more usefully from my view, also had a map

The map suggested I was not getting closer to Bad Bertrich, but I consoled myself with the thought there is always someone worse off

Colourful display of fungi

A signpost gave hope as it suggested I was only 1.5km from a town, or at least a village, with a hotel, food and buses

The stretch to Hasborn was all uphill, and steep with it, and when I got there the last bus of the day had long gone (I arrived at about 17:15), and anyway did not seem to go near Bad Bertrich.

The hotel and eating establishment turned out to be a combined enterprise, closed for refurbishment, and there were no shops.

I asked a couple for directions, but they could not understand my pronunciation of Bad Bertrich, and when they eventually cottoned on, all they could do was point in the direction I had come.

The lady added: "It is a long way," and I was too polite to point out I already knew that.

There was nothing for it but to retrace my steps, but soon I felt a spot of water on my hand, and looked up to see a rainbow - pretty, but of course where there's a rainbow, there's rain

I was a bit worried as the sky soon clouded over completely, and I knew the sun sets earlier in mountains, and all-in-all it was rather gloomy when back among the trees.

I had a pocket torch on me, and luckily I had fitted a new battery as the old one proved completely flat when I checked it on the first day at my hotel (I suspect I accidentally turned it on when I fell while running up a down-escalator at Gatwick - don't ask, it seemed the right thing to do at the time).

Walking uphill in the forest was fine, even if I did not have all my earlier energy, but I had to be careful going downhill in the gloom as there were quite a few exposed and slippery rocks, and some mud.

I cheered up considerably on passing this sign

I even allowed myself time to pause and photograph this colourful leaf

I made such good time I was sat outside Bad Bertrich's Mexican bar, enjoying an alkoholfrei weizenbier, shortly after 19:15

When I got back to my room I discovered the waymarks I had followed were posted by the Eifel Association as part of a trail called Mosel-Our-Weg.

I inadvertently walked half of the trail's second stage, which covers 22.3 kilometres, with ascent of 786 metres and descent of 592 metres.

Google Maps confirms that by reaching Hasborn I covered almost exactly half of the total stage, ie 11.2 kilometres, which it reckons should have taken 2hrs 56mins.

That is almost spot on, although my journey out included stopping for lunch and numerous photo-ops - two reasons why coming back I covered the same distance in little over two hours.

For those who struggle metrically (myself included), 22.4 kilometres is 13.9 miles, so it was just as well the rain never became heavy enough to warrant using an umbrella, and thunderstorms never materialised (I feared I heard a rumble at one point, but it may well have been an airplane).