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We start in the centre of Güttersbach at the bench (junction of Im Städtel and Hüttenthaler Straße).
(S) At the bench, we keep to the left and initially walk along Hüttenthaler Straße, past the Landgasthof zum Goldenen Löwen and the outdoor swimming pool. Immediately after the outdoor swimming pool grounds, we turn right, following the Nibelungensteig sign up the tarmac road. At the next fork, we turn left uphill onto the street Am Vogelherd.
(1) At the birdhouse, we follow the tarmac road to the left as it winds its way uphill; at the edge of the forest, the road becomes an unpaved forest track and it is worth taking a look back at Güttersbach before we head into the woods. At the T-junction, we follow hiking trail no. 6 to the left and downhill; at the next T-junction, we turn right and can now follow the Nibelungensteig signposts again.
(2) At the signpost, we keep to the left and pass a shelter on the left shortly after the junction. We follow the Nibelungensteig signpost, initially down the tarmac forest road. After about 100 metres, we turn right onto a narrow path into the woods.
(3) The path runs alongside a forest and bird conservation nature trail with information boards about the local flora and fauna. We reach the tarmac forest road again and follow it down to the left until we reach Güttersbacher Straße.
(4) At the Mossauthalhalle signpost, we turn right towards Marbach Stausee. We have arrived in Hüttenthal, the village with the smallest dairy in the Odenwald. After crossing the Marbach stream, we reach a wider country road, which we follow to the right (Untere Siegfriedstraße).
(5) At the signpost for Hüttenthal, the Nibelungensteig splits. If you want to go to Erbach, continue straight on towards the bus stop. We take the route via Ebersberg and turn right onto Molkereiweg. Be sure to visit the dairy’s farm shop and stock up on provisions! At the fork behind the dairy, we follow the right-hand path uphill and, at the large, free-standing oak tree, we continue to the left, past the Waldbubenhof holiday complex. We follow the path uphill, keeping to the left at all junctions. Our path winds along the edge of the forest.
(6) We reach a distinctive tree on the left-hand side. We stay at the edge of the forest; our path becomes a gravel forest track and shortly afterwards we catch sight of the Marbach Reservoir and parts of the dam through the trees. At the next crossroads, we turn left and head downhill towards the reservoir.
(7) We avoid the hairpin bends and, at the barrier, follow the footpath down to the right directly to the tarmac path along the shore, which we follow to the right as far as the DLRG tower with public toilets.
(8) We then keep left and head downhill until we finally reach the edge of the forest again and follow the path along the shore; at the next fork, just before the control tower in the water, we turn right uphill and arrive at a barrier and information board. We cross the car park and reach the building of the Mümling Water Authority.
(9) During the summer season, a kiosk and the toilets may well be open here. Here we follow the road over the dam and cross the main road at the pedestrian crossing, take the cycle path opposite the dam and follow it to the right, initially running parallel to the main road. We cross a car park, at the end of which our path leads up to the left into the woods. We ignore all the turnings and follow the signposts straight ahead. At a T-junction, we reach the gravel forest track, which we follow to the right. At the edge of the forest, our path becomes a paved road.
(10) At the next T-junction with a magnificent view, we turn right downhill, following the signpost. We follow the path downhill, initially straight ahead, then round a right-hand bend until we reach the road, which we follow to the right. The signpost is not immediately visible here. We cross the road at a pedestrian crossing.
(11) At the Vesperhäusle, we turn into Ebersberger Straße and follow it uphill.
(12) We reach a leisure area and can see a slide and a hut to our left.
If you don’t need a break, you can skip this detour and follow Ebersberger Straße to number 33 – a striking sandstone building with a yellow postbox. Here we turn into the street Zum Viadukt and gradually leave Ebersberg behind. We pass the cemetery, situated on the outskirts of the village, walk past a few scattered houses and catch sight of the Himbächel Viaduct ahead of us.
(13) Here we take the narrow path up to the left, pass under the viaduct and follow the Nibelungensteig signpost. After the viaduct, we are immersed in the tranquillity of the Odenwald, and it is well worth stopping every now and then to listen to nature.
(14) Our path takes us past a pond with a hut; we continue to follow the Nibelungensteig signpost. The gravel forest track winds gently downwards in wide bends.
(15) We pass a bench with a view. Shortly afterwards, in a relatively tight left-hand bend, we need to take care.
(16) If your path suddenly becomes noticeably steeper going downhill, you are on the wrong track. At the apex of the bend, we follow the unmarked path uphill. The signpost is not visible at the junction, only a few hundred metres further on. The path climbs steeply up a narrow track; as soon as we reach the forest road, we follow it to the right, slightly downhill. After about 100 metres, we reach a junction and take the path on the far left – a gravel-surfaced sunken track that leads us uphill again. We reach another forest track, which we follow to the right.
(17) At the Felsenmeer signpost, we continue straight ahead, following the Nibelungensteig. We are now in the heart of the Ebersberg Felsenmeer, which stretches out to the right and left of our path. At an inconspicuous junction, before the forest becomes denser again, we turn left uphill and cross the Felsenmeer on a wonderful path that requires sure-footedness in places. At junctions, we keep to the right or go straight on and – should the Nibelungensteig sign not be visible – follow the other signposts until we reach a T-junction in a clearing.
(18) At the signpost for the Bullau turn-off, take the left-hand path directly to Bullau – this is definitely worth doing if you are staying overnight in Bullau, as the official route to Bullau is not worth the effort and you cover part of it anyway on the stage from Bullau to Hesselbach.
Our route description follows the signpost to the right towards the hamlet of Gebhardshütte; at the next fork, we keep left and, after passing a paddock, we turn sharply left and continue walking below the same paddock. We follow the well-marked path downhill, continue straight on at a junction, then take a sharp right-hand bend until the next fork.
(19) Here the Nibelungensteig splits, or rather, here the variant via Erbach rejoins the main route. We follow the path to the left, winding upwards in long hairpin bends; at a junction we take the hairpin bend to the left and finally reach the tarmac road.
(20) At the T-junction with the Schumpert inn, the Nibelungensteig signpost points to the right; here, you would continue along the bypass route to Erbach or be coming from there.
To reach Bullau, we turn left, soon reaching the village sign and, on the right-hand side, the Schumbert inn.
(E) Our stage ends in Bullau, level with the cemetery.
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