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Parking available near the church, Rue du Mont Sainte-Odile in Grendelbruch.
(S/E) Opposite the war memorial, to the right of the church, turn right towards the "Coin de l'Église" and take the narrow lane that descends eastwards and joins a street, then quickly turn right onto a downhill path (just before the house at No. 13 on this lane). It leads to the small Rue Gothey.
(1) Leave the return path on your right and follow the street to the left, cross the bridge over the Magel and continue to the junction with the D266.
(2) Walk a few metres to the right and cross carefully to take the path marked with a Green Ring and Yellow Disc, which veers right towards the Purpurkopf. Ignore a path coming from the left and continue straight on for about a hundred metres until you reach the crossroads.
(3) Turn left and follow the Yellow Disc and Green Ring markings. Ignore the side paths, pass through the Petit and Grand Ruchthal valleys and arrive at a multi-way junction on a forest road.
(4) There are two options:
1) To avoid taking the same path down as you did on the way up, take the path on the left and come back down via the one on the right (or vice versa).
2) Option shown on the map: climb towards the summit of the Purpurkopf; a sign indicates a 5-minute detour to reach it, then retrace your steps back to the forest road.
(4) In this area by the roadside there is a table and two benches, and 30 metres away, another table—this one covered—and two benches.
Continue southwards along the forest road. Ignore the path on the left leading to the springs and, after a left-hand bend, join a forest track. Continue straight on to Hoderbusch.
(5) Bench and table for a break with a view of the Heidenkopf. Head downhill due south, following the Yellow Disc markings towards the Lauterbach valley. After a left-hand bend, the path turns east and reaches a junction.
(6) Turn sharply right onto a path. Further down, cross the Winterhalde Forest Road and take the path downhill to the left (signposted Heidenkopf). Further on, cross the Lauterbach stream via a log footbridge and continue south, keeping to the right. The path joins the forest road and leads to the Verlorene Eck mountain hut.
(7) Continue south on the GR®531. After a left-hand bend, veer right, then turn right again for a few dozen metres until you reach the junction with the Route Forestière du Ochsenlaeger.
(8) At a memorial stone, a bench and a large fir tree, take the path on the right marked with a Blue Saltire to the Col du Jaegertaennel, at a junction with a table and benches.
(9) Continue along the path marked ‘Blue Saltire’, heading downhill to the right. It crosses the Route Forestière du Magelrain, then turns north and rejoins the junction you passed on the way there.
(3) Turn left and you’ll reach the D66. Follow it carefully, keeping to the left for about a hundred metres, then turn right to reach the Magel bridge.
(10) Cross the bridge, then, before the right-hand bend, take the first street on the right, Rue Gothey, and return to the junction of the circular route.
(1) Head left up the path taken on the way out and reach the church and the car park (S/E).
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