G3VGR SAAR-HUNSRÜCK-STEIG     Bergen - Stausee Losheim      

After a hearty breakfast buffet at the Girtenmühle, I was ready to tackle the day's short walk to Losheim. I originally intended to walk to Scheiden, but had been unable to source any suitable accommodation there. The transport links are also poor, so I settled on the shorter walk to Losheim. Leaving the hotel, I soon rejoined the trail through the forest, following the Pansbach upstream until reaching a pond at Bergen. From the pond, the trail continued along a narrow path through the Rothenbachtal. This was pure bliss; the pine needles formed a soft carpet under my feet and my progress was accompanied by the sounds of running water and birdsong. Some occasional breaks in the clouds let shafts of sunlight through the trees. Eventually, the trail wound its way up through the trees until I reached a ridge at the edge of the forest, where there was a panoramic view across a large part of Saarland. The trail then followed along the edges of fern meadows, their hedges bright with white tree blossom and yellow gorse bushes, past forest ponds, an abandoned quarry, and through beech woods into the Metzerbachtal. This was another beautiful valley and the trail wound its way through the trees mostly along the brook until I came to a clearing with the first view of the artificial lake at Losheim.

From the western side of the Stausee, the trail followed the northern bank of the lake for a few hundred metres before entering the Park of the Four Seasons with its many specimen trees. After a (too) short walk through the park, the trail departed into an extremely convoluted path through the woods, seemingly to avoid any mundane pedestrian paths, until reaching the eastern side of the lake and ending at the tourist information office by the lake. There is a brewery pub conveniently located next door to the tourist office, so I decided it was the perfect venue for lunch. The Hochwälder Brauhaus serves a very nice Flammküche as well as excellent beer. There are no bus stops in the vicinity, so I headed towards town on foot after lunch. It was about 2Km to the centre and bus station.

From Losheim Bahnhof, I caught the R1 bus to Merzig, where I checked in at the Gästehaus Blasius, located centrally in the Altstadt. It started raining as I explored the town, followed later by a large thunder storm. After the storm, I spent the evening in another brewery pub, the Merziger Brauhaus, near the River Saar. Although today's stage was quite short, this was more than compensated by the superb scenery (and two breweries!). The Saar-Hunsruck-Steig was certainly living up to its reputation.

Bridge over the Pansbach

Along the Pansbachtal

Along the Pansbachtal

Along the Pansbachtal

Pond at Bergen

Along the Rothenbachtal

New spring growth in the Rothenbachtal

Along the Rothenbachtal

Restplace with panorama over Saarland

Heading towards the Metzerbachtal

Following the Metzerbach downstream

Along the Metzerbachtal

Bridge over the Metzerbach

First glimpse of Stausee Losheim

View across Stausee Losheim

The Hochwälder Brauhaus


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