The Doller along the Lauw

The hike starts in Sentheim, at the intersection of Rue du Chêne and Rue de Mortzwiller. There is a car park at the cemetery where you can leave your vehicle.

(S/E) Facing the cemetery, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue du Four à Chaux. Just after passing the cemetery, turn left onto a small path running alongside a playground. At the end of this path, turn right onto Rue du Chemin de Fer. At the "Give Way" sign, turn right and then immediately left onto Voie Verte No. 23 towards Guewenheim and Burnhaupt-le-Haut. You will come to a crossroads with a "Give Way" sign.

(1) Turn left towards Sentheim-Centre and cross the railway line. Just after the café-bar "La Cigogne", turn left onto Rue de la Poste, still heading towards the centre. Now follow the red rectangle with a white stripe (a variant of^{the GR®5}). Ignore Rue des Vergers on your right and continue to a T-junction. Turn right onto Rue de Soppe-le-Haut. Cross carefully at the pedestrian crossing, then turn left onto Rue Saint-Georges. After about 150 metres, turn right onto Rue du Chanoine Cetty towards Schirm. Continue to the church and its car park.

(2) Just after the church, cross the main road carefully using the pedestrian crossing between the Maison de la Géologie and Sentheim Town Hall, then continue straight on along Rue de l'Église towards the Geological Trail and Notre-Dame du Rollenberg, ignoring Rue du Vieux Chemin on your right. At the bridge over a small stream, Rue de l'Église continues as Rue du Kattenbach. Continue to the end of this street, at a stop sign, and turn right onto Rue du Tissage. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead towards the forest. A little further on, continue straight ahead again and cross the bridge over the Doller. After the bridge, ignore the yellow ring signpost on the right and continue straight ahead for a few dozen metres.

(3) At the three-way junction with a bench and signs for the Geological Trail, leave the red rectangle with white stripes trail and follow the blue triangle trail, turning left towards Lauw and Masevaux. Walk along the edge of the forest. At a bench, ignore an unmarked path turning left and continue straight ahead. At a three-way junction, continue diagonally to the right, on the geological trail towards the Col du Schirm and the Rocher du Poilu. Shortly afterwards, leave the geological trail on your right and turn left onto the Blue Triangle marked path which winds upwards.

(4) At the top of the path, there are steps leading down to your left: ignore them and continue straight ahead. A little further on, ignore two paths leading off to the right (marked with a yellow disc) and continue towards the village of Lauw. The dirt track gives way to tarmac. Walk along a fenced-off lake and continue straight ahead just after it. Ignore Rue Bellevue and, at the junction with Rue des Vignes, which leads to Col du Schirm, continue along the same street, diagonally to the left. 50 m further on, take the dirt track on the right, called Chemin de la Cité, towards the bell tower. Ignore Rue du Père des Bons Vins to arrive at an electrical transformer.

(5) The road is paved again: ignore two streets that turn left and continue straight ahead, where you will see a road sign saying "Sauf ayants droit" (except for authorised vehicles). Ignore another street on your left and continue straight ahead along a small marked path, following a fence. You will come to a car park. Turn left towards the church. Walk past the village school and then the church. When you reach the main road, turn right. After the "Lauw-Église" bus stop, you will come to a roundabout.

(6) Cross carefully, turn left and follow the D14b towards Mortzwiller. Cross the Doller river, then turn left into the car park after the first building (which is the village hall). Opposite you, at the far end of the car park, is the war memorial: take a path on your left called "La Doller au fil de Lauw". Leave the Blue Triangle markings and follow the Green Ring markings. Continue along this path between the river and the back of the properties. After a sign saying "Chemin non réciprocitaire" (non-reciprocal path), ignore an unmarked path on your right. After information board no. 4, take a small metal bridge over a branch of the Doller.

(7) Just after this bridge, at information board no. 5 and the Hohlenstein Cave, continue straight ahead, ignoring the Blue Rectangle markings, which go up to the right. At the next Y-junction, turn diagonally right towards the Sainte-Anne Chapel and Mortzwiller. Shortly afterwards, at another junction, follow the Green Ring markings on the left towards the Sainte-Anne Chapel. A few metres further on, the marked path crosses a ditch, turning diagonally to the right before reaching the Sainte-Anne Chapel.

(8) Continue straight ahead, following the Anneau Vert signs until you reach the village of Sentheim via a street. At the end of this street, at the T-junction, turn left and then immediately right into Rue du Chêne. At the end of this street, you will find yourself back at your starting point at Sentheim cemetery (S/E).

Between points (3) and (4), as well as at point (8), there are benches and picnic tables.

Names and meanings of Club Vosgien markers.

At point number (1) is the Sentheim station of the "Train Thur Doller Alsace", where a tourist train run by a non-profit association occasionally runs.

On the barriers of the bridge just before point (3), there are educational panels describing the different geological periods of planet Earth. They are part of the Sentheim "Geological Trail", which you will follow for part of this hike. If you wish, at point (4), you can take the stairs on the left to go down and see the caves below.

After point (6), you will take a path along the Doller river dotted with educational panels providing information on local history, fauna and flora.

At point (7) is the Hohlenstein Cave: please note that it is not possible to enter it.

Finally, at point (8) is the Sainte-Anne Chapel.