Mützenich to Ehrensteinsley

The easiest way to the Ehrensteinsley is from the village of Mützenich.

The Ehrensteinsley is not a summit, but a cliff above the steep slopes of the Rur valley. When coming from Mützenich, one actually descends to the Ehrensteinsley.

For those with some energy to spare, Mützenich, the Ehrensteinsley, the Rur valley and part of the Ravel trail can be combined to a pleasant loop hike. Note that the descend from the Ehrensteinsley ist rather steep.

One can start the loop from any convenient place, for example in Mützenich. We parked near the old rail viaduct, close to the monastery Reichenstein. This has the advantage that you do not have to climb back to the heights of Mützenich at the end of the hike.

From the viaduct, the trail climbs through the meadows of Mützenich, with views unfolding. It weaves through the fringes of the village, before heading south to cross the Ravel bicycle path. The Ravel used to be the 'Vennbahn' - the railway line into the Eifel and the Hohe Venn. It is a curiosity that the grounds of the old railway line - and now the bicycle trail - technically belong to Belgium.

Soon after you reach the Ehrensteinsley, with views across the valley and hills of the Monschauer Land. The descend to the west of the Ehrensteinley is steep, and aided by some stairs.

In fall, the path along the Rur had become quite muddy, and we decided, at way point 13, to climb back to the Ravel trail. This also led us to the top of the viaduct, from which a glimpse towards the monastery Reichenstein and down to Ermesbach and the old mill.

Retrace your steps for a couple of meters, to find the path leading down from the viaduct to the road and back to the car.

Overall this is an easy hike, though there can be difficult under-footing and muddy conditions along the Rur.