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Departure from Turckheim, train station platform. Coming from Colmar, turn left immediately after the railway and before the bridge over the Fecht river, towards Camping Le Médiéval, and park along the stadium after the tennis courts.
(You can also start from the agricultural college car park if you want to avoid Turckheim and the surrounding roads).
(S/E) Continue along the road beside the Fecht river, then turn left at the next crossroads. Pass the Espace Rive Droite hall and continue to the Calvary.
(1) Take the path between the gardens, marked with a yellow rectangle (GR® 532), towards Saint Gilles.
Cross the railway line, turn right, then continue straight ahead, following the yellow rectangle signs. When you reach the RD417 departmental road, turn left and then immediately right, passing the agricultural college car park, following the yellow rectangle signs towards Pflixbourg. At the exit of the car park, continue right on the road and reach the crossroads with the Route des Cinq Châteaux.
(2) Take this road on the left to reach a house at Saint-Gilles.
(3) Turn left uphill to enter the forest, following the red diamond signs towards Ehrbergkopf. You will rejoin the Route des Cinq Châteaux in a sharp bend.
(4) Immediately turn right onto the path marked with a yellow triangle signpost, heading towards Ehrbergkopf and Hohlandsbourg.
N.B.: the IGN paper map shows yellow-white-yellow rectangle markings, which have been changed to yellow triangles on the ground. In some places, the old markings can still be found.
The trail winds upwards, then follows the ridge, passing the Rochers du Ehrbergkopf.
(5) On the descent, at a crossroads, turn left, still following the yellow triangle, towards Hohlandsbourg and Monument Meyer. Cross a forest road, turn slightly left, then take the path on the right, marked with a blue cross. After a few metres, leave the signposts and continue on the path on the right, walking below the road. You will arrive at the Route des Cinq Châteaux (car park) at the foot of Hohlandsbourg.
(6) Follow the path opposite that climbs up to the castle, marked with a yellow rectangle. Take the path marked with a yellow circle on the right, a circular walk around Hohlandsbourg Castle, until you reach the large square in front of the entrance, which offers a beautiful view of Colmar and the plain.
(7) Find the yellow rectangle sign and take the road downhill (you can make a round trip to a viewpoint 10 minutes away).
(8) At the hairpin bend, leave the road and follow the Sentier de l'Écureuil (Squirrel Trail) on the right. Further on, leave the yellow rectangle sign on your left and continue right towards the Fontaine de la Dame (Lady's Fountain).
(9) When you reach a forest road, turn right and walk back to the fountain (picnic area). Continue down the forest road, following the red triangle signs towards Pflixbourg. Further on, leave the road and follow the yellow rectangle signs (GR®532) towards Pflixbourg until you reach the crossroads with the path leading to the castle.
(10) Turn left to reach and visit Pflixbourg Castle.
(11) Return to the previous crossroads.
(10) Continue left on the yellow rectangle signs towards Gare Saint-Gilles. Further down, follow the blue triangle signs towards Saint-Gilles and the small Roches path. After this wild path, find the yellow rectangle signs and continue downhill to the Saint Gilles road.
(12) Continue along this road to the right, passing greenhouses and then the football pitch. You will return to the start of the Cinq Châteaux forest road and the agricultural college.
(2) Follow the same route as on the way there until you reach the starting point (S/E).
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