Hauingen Soormattbach Rechberg

Car park at the rear of the Hauingen village hall (municipality of Lörrach), Brückenstrasse 3, between the village hall and the football pitch. Drive to the end of the lane.

(S/E) Opposite the village hall, head left, then turn right onto Brückenstrasse twice. Cross Unterdorfstrasse with care, walk past St Nicholas’s Church (see the‘Places to see’ sectionbelow) and take the path that runs alongside the Soormattbach stream. First crossing of the stream before the cemetery: first turn right then left, pass between the cemetery and the residential areas, then continue along the stream, following the Soormattbach retention basin. You’ll reach Soormattweg.

(1) Take the path marked with a Yellow Diamond on the left, towards the Schützenhaus. Cross the stream for the second time. Keep to the right on this marked path. At the ‘Jungholtzweg’ signpost, at the junction with a tree and a bench, head towards the Schützenhaus on the right. Please note: there is a restaurant (Schützenhaus, open from 4 pm) and the shooting club’s premises at the end of the street, so there may be some traffic. Cross the Soormattbach stream again and follow the path marked with a Yellow Diamond. Just before the Schützenhaus, cross the stream once more.

(2) Walk past the restaurant and ignore the two paths on the left. The tarmac road ends here. At the ponds, continue along the marked path to the right. Cross the stream. Ignore the two paths on the right. Cross the stream and continue straight on. You’ll reach the ‘Roteiche’ picnic and barbecue area. Stay on the marked path to the right, pass under the power lines, and arrive at the ‘Obere Soormatt’ junction.

(3) Head towards Weiermatthütte, to the right. Stay on the signposted path. Ignore the two paths on the right. Pass by the Weiermatthütte shelter, followed by the “Weiermatthütte” signpost. Here, you leave the course of the Soormattbach stream, which has its source 1.5 km further north.

(4) Turn sharply right; walk round the back of the shelter. Stay on this wide, signposted path, ignoring all the paths on either side, until you reach the Rechberg.

(5) In the centre of the hamlet, take the path on the left, which is still marked with a Yellow Diamond. Continue to the left, skirting the edge of the forest.

(6) Turn right, towards Hauingen Dornhalde. Follow this marked path until you reach the edge of the forest.

(7) Stay on the signposted path towards Hauingen, going straight on. Ignore all the paths on either side. At the fork before the high-voltage power lines, take the left-hand branch – which is signposted – and head straight down towards the village.

(8) Turn left and continue to the end of Rechbergerstrasse. At the fountain, turn right onto Steinenstrasse, then left onto Ziegelgässle. At the end of the street, take the path on the right to reach the car park (S/E).

In most German villages, the speed limit is 30 km/h (signposted) and there are speed cameras everywhere.

St Nicholas’ Church: the bell tower was built in 1469. It is open and can be visited every day from 8 am to 8 pm.

The 5 km-longSoormattbach stream, which we will have crossed nine times during this walk, rises in the Röttler Wald and flows into the Wiese south of Hauingen. Since the construction of the flood retention basin in 2021–22, flooding has been contained; however, the nearby footpaths and cycle paths may still be flooded. Image of the 2014 flood: https://www.badische-zeitung.de/hauingen-wartet-auf-den-hochwasserschutz

In Rechberg ( municipality of Lörrach), visit the charming Café Hygge (open Wed–Sat, 10am–5pm and every other Sunday) https://www.cafehygge.de/