Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm walks

The Devil's Gorge was formed towards the end of the last ice age, around 10,000 years ago, following one or more rock collapses. Gorges, faults and crevasses make up the rock formations of the Ferschweiler plateau.

No work of the devil, but a fascinating creation of nature can be found in the Teufelsschlucht in the Südeifel Nature Park, not far from the border with Luxembourg. The steeply rising rock faces are up to 30 metres high, and some of them seem to glow green. The rocky landscape in and around the Teufelsschlucht is certainly mystical, with narrow, stony paths leading to the Irreler suspension bridge and the waterfalls.

Bleialf is a small town in the Schneifel, a stone’s throw from the Belgian border.This walk begins on a nature trail that follows the Alfbach before heading towards the Birkenhof viewpoint.The region is gently undulating and mainly devoted to cereal farming.In season, you’ll therefore be walking through fields of wheat, barley, oats and so on, where the golden fields are broken up only by a few lush green copses.In the second part, the route becomes a little more wooded and crosses the Eschvenn wetland before climbing up to the Eifelblick viewpoint and its orientation table, which offers sweeping views of the northern horizon, including the Hautes-Fagnes in Belgium to the south and the Our Valley in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.You may also be lucky enough to spot the odd black stork landing or taking flight majestically as you approach. Common buzzards, black kites and kestrels are unlikely to be quite so rare.

This walk not only offers views of magnificent rock formations in its southern section but also some regional gems, such as the ruins of the medieval Prümerburg Castle, the Westwall Museum site, the river rapids and the splendid suspension bridge spanning them, as well as the Roman villa at Holsthum.All in all, including the last two points mentioned, the walk is a good kilometre longer than the standard signposted ‘Felsenweg 5’ route.It is worth noting that the walk is mainly through woodland but, at its northern end, offers magnificent views of the rolling countryside around Holsthum. You can see quite a few orchards (apples, pears, cherries) as well as hop fields.