From Dirbach to Bourscheid Castle

Circular route in the Our Nature Park, taking part of the Escapardenne Lee Trail. Route can be done in all seasons.

Details

970443
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.00 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 529 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 532 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 504 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 243 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Two parking spaces in a recess along the road shortly before the Dirbach campsite and Rue des Champs. Otherwise, park along the houses, as the car park is for the hotel.

(S/E) Walk up the street with the Sûre on your left. Pass the hotel car park.

Markings: White Wave on Blue Rectangle

At the crossroads, turn left. In the bend, take the path on the left near the garage. Go down to the Sûre and then back up the path. Ford the stream. Go up.

(1) Ignore the path on your right, which will be the return route. Continue straight ahead.

(2) Rocks with a view of Dirbach, continue along the path to the road. Markings end.

No markings

Go down to the left onto the road, not behind the safety rail, unfortunately, as it quickly becomes impassable. When the safety rail on your left ends, cross over.

Follow the forest path opposite for 1 km, climbing for a little over 850 m, ignoring the paths and tracks on either side until you reach a fork.

(3) Turn right. A path comes back on your right, continue left.

(4) At the crossroads, continue left for 1.2 km towards the north-east.

Vague markings: white on blue rectangle

(5) At the road, continue straight ahead through a gap in the fence. Walk along the meadow surrounding the farm; the path turns sharply and enters the forest. Leave the forest, stay on the main path and walk along a meadow fence. View of Bourscheid-Moulin and then Bourscheid Castle.

(6) Leave the path descending to the left and continue straight ahead to the castle (Escapardenne Lee Trail secondary road).

No markings

(7) Turn right onto the road and take the second path on your right. Go uphill, past the campsite, until you reach the road. Cross over and continue straight ahead on Op der Schleed. Ignore the dead-end roads on your left until you reach the junction with Burewee. Turn left into Burewee and walk past a wash house.

(8) At the chapel, turn right and go uphill. Take the stairs to the left of the cross to reach the main road. Cross and go up the road on the right until you reach the antenna and the silo.

Markings: White Wave on Blue Rectangle

(9) Turn left. Pass the orientation table and Napoleon's tree. Continue along the path until you reach the road, which you follow to the left for a few steps. Immediately take the path on the left.

(10) At the crossroads, go straight ahead and immediately take the path on the right. The path turns sharply to the right. Further on, keep to the right and continue downhill.

(11) At the crossroads, take a sharp left turn. The trail markings end here.

No markings

(12) After passing a hut but before reaching the bend, look for the tree with an orange cross on it on your right, which marks the start of the path you need to take. Go down it, turn right and continue downhill.

(1) At the intersection, turn left. Return to the car park via the same route as on the way there (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 250 m - Start of Rue des Champs - Sûre ou Sauer (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.59 - alt. 287 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 0.82 - alt. 294 m - Bench
  4. 3 : km 2.54 - alt. 342 m - Fork
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 402 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 4.24 - alt. 345 m - Passage through fence
  7. 6 : km 5.61 - alt. 331 m - Downhill path
  8. 7 : km 6.44 - alt. 357 m - Castle
  9. 8 : km 7.7 - alt. 462 m - Chapel
  10. 9 : km 8.21 - alt. 498 m - Antenna
  11. 10 : km 9.96 - alt. 438 m - Crossroads
  12. 11 : km 10.86 - alt. 360 m - On the left
  13. 12 : km 11.11 - alt. 349 m - Path on the right
  14. S/E : km 12 - alt. 250 m - Start of Rue des Champs

Notes

Bench at (2) and (6)

Good footwear essential
No drinking water on the course

Worth a visit

Our Nature Park: characterised by a vast high plateau with narrow valleys carved into the rock by the Our and Clerve rivers and their tributaries.

Bourscheid Castle: Not only is it the largest castle in the country, but also one of the most important between the Rhine and the Meuse. It was enlarged in four stages, the last of which was completed in 1430 with the construction of the large enclosure and its numerous turrets. Abandoned in the 19th century, the imposing castle eventually fell into ruin. Victor Hugo, the famous French Romantic writer, devoted two texts to it in his "Carnets". He also captured its main features in several drawings.
In 1972, the Luxembourg government purchased the castle and carried out extensive restoration work.
Visit to Bourscheid Castle

Napoleon's tree; planted in honour of Emperor Napoleon I on the birth of his son. Cut down in 1940 by the Nazi occupiers, it was secretly replanted by the local population in November 1941.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
isabelleseny
isabelleseny

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk starting from the hotel in Dirbach, enjoyed in fine weather. (It’s probably more challenging in wet weather)
The stretch between Bouscheid and the Napoleon Tree is very paved, but it’s probably unavoidable… and after that, the descent to Dirbach is very pleasant.
The instructions are clear, but having the app on your smartphone gives you peace of mind 😉

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Sev1978,

I think that starting from Bourscheid and passing through the village right at the beginning, along with the sunshine, is why you didn't find it gloomy.
The section between (3) and (4) has been changed.

Best regards

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Sev1978
Sev1978
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We enjoyed a lovely walk from Bourscheid Castle (easy parking).
Crossing Bourscheid didn't seem so grim to us (perhaps it's nicer in the summer sunshine) and don't hesitate to climb up to the church.
The descent to Dirbach is very pleasant. You can cool your feet in the river at Dirbach.
From Dirbach to the road (km 1.16), it's really beautiful.
However, I don't see the point of the route between points 3 and 4, apart from adding 30 metres of elevation and 150 metres of distance. The path is not maintained, so you have to make your way through brambles, bushes and fallen branches. If I were to do it again, I would take the second path on the right (which is slightly diagonal and leads to point 4). The rest of the route is very pretty.

Travel time: 3 hours 23 minutes - total time 4 hours 30 minutes.

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mickhiero
mickhiero

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with numerous viewpoints but also some challenging climbs . The two negative points are a rather stressful section along the roadside and a not particularly exciting crossing of Bourscheid, but otherwise it's worth doing again! The riverside terrace of the hotel in Dirbach is pleasant and picturesque.

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Claudio Di Vito
Claudio Di Vito

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk!
The walk through Bourscheid is a bit gloomy, but the Napoleon tree and the panoramic view at this spot are well worth the detour!
Thank you for this beautiful route.

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BENMILOU
BENMILOU

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The last section is recommended in dry weather as it is very steep.

Please do not throw your papers or empty cigarette packets on the paths. Dispose of them in the car park at the château, where there is a bin available.

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TRGE
TRGE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At (3) it is advisable to take the forest path opposite. The path on the right is blocked by fallen trees. We managed to get through, but with great difficulty.

At (13), we saw neither a hut nor a tree with a cross, but continued downhill, crossed a forest path and a small bridge over a stream, continuing downhill to pass a few chalets and return to the village at the point where the path passes near the garage at the start. Other routes to the village are possible.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello schwimdenhammer,
thank you for your comments.

1/ No path along the stream: I'll make a note of that and correct the description, as we did it in February and the stream was substantial, but if it's no longer visible at the end of April... I'll specify that.

2/ Markings before point 6: yes, indeed, but if I note this from point 5, there may be confusion because at this intersection, there are markings in two directions, so I noted it before point 6 in the guidebook to avoid any confusion at point 5.

3/ Fork: I don't understand, because I only use it twice... and what else could I put when it has this shape? A Y or a V... everyone has their own habits in their descriptions.
Personally, I don't like to mention cardinal directions in my guides or refer to angles... it's a matter of choice. If there are any, it's sometimes a correction made by a moderator when selecting the hike.

In any case, I hope you continue to enjoy the beautiful hikes found on Visorando.
Best regards
Carla

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schwindenhammer
schwindenhammer

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

In three steps along a path running alongside a stream, the signposting comes before number 6. Otherwise it was fine, but the word 'fork' is used too often in the descriptions.

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