Where's Bertie? He's in a small car park next to the Mosel in the village of Leiwen. Exact location: 49.818168, 6.886327
Weather: Some high level cloud, but mainly sunny and warm.
In looking at potential running routes in the area a couple of days ago, I came across a route with some features that I thought would be worth a visit. It wouldn't have been practical to go on foot from Trier, but I found a nearby car park and decided it would be worth the detour.
It was to that car park that we relocated this morning and after a cup of tea, some faffing and getting some food together for an alfresco elevenses, off we went.
A few kilometres to the N of the Mosel there is a sandstone escarpment, and in that escarpment there are a number of caves (of the 'opening in the cliff face' type, rather than 'below ground cavern' type). It was to two of these (I assumed the two most impressive, as they seem to be the most visited) that we were to go (Genovevahöhle and Klausenhöhle).
Through varied forest we went, until we got to a junction where my map told me we should be following a large switchback, but the fingerposts told us to head straight upwards. That was a steep pull! The switchbacks may have been the better route.
I'm not sure if the steepness shows here? I hadn't realised when I took this snap that the first cave was just above Mick's head.
Ascending the steps
I couldn't get a snap of the whole thing, so please take my word for it that it was impressive.
Quite high too
From the cave our direction continued to be upwards, until we topped out at a picnic bench:
Within minutes of setting out I'd needed to get a bit of grit out of my shoe, and had found a convenient bench for the purpose. Sometime later I needed another shoe-faff and was about to use a tree stump, when Mick suggested that I use the bench just around the corner. What if it's raining and you want a picnic? Well then you use the covered picnic area just a minute away from the open picnic bench:
I wouldn't say that any of this 'furniture' nor the signposts, detracted from the surroundings.
At what felt like an appropriate time for elevenses, we stopped at the next bench...
...but only lasted there a minute or two. There was only one wasp, but it was so persistent, that we finished off striding around the adjacent clearing, before making haste towards the next cave, Klausenhöhle.
The engineered staircast to get down to it must have taken some work, but the cave itself wasn't as impressive as the first one. It did, however, come equipped with a ladder to a large carved-out sleeping platform, complete with a window so you could appreciate the view:
More forest paths and tracks took us back to Bertie, from where a decision was needed as to where we are heading next.
That took a while, with the eventual decision that we would be heading a little further E along the Mosel - first though, we had to go all around the houses as I'd not realised when I'd taken us to that morning's car park that it was on a dual carriageway and thus we couldn't just turn left out of it. There was also no 'go back on yourself' option at the next junction.
Given the choice between a cheap Stellplatz and a free car park, we went for the latter tonight, although we did detour to within metres of the former so as to use the public service point across the road from it, as it seemed wise to top up our water bottles and empty the toilet whilst we had the opportunity, to give us more freedom over the next few days. In hindsight, we should have then gone to see if the Stellplatz had space, as we arrived in Leiwen to find a fair taking up the car park we wanted to use. We came to the next one along, but we're not entirely comfortable here, being overlooked by houses. It will, however, do for one night.
With the Mosel just behind Bertie and vineyards in every direction, it's no surprise that when I went for a walk through Leiwen before tea, I found that it doesn't lack winehouses. They are of limited interest to me, and I didn't see the bakery (of great interest to me!) that Google tells me I walked past.
Tonight's kipping spot
Weather: Some high level cloud, but mainly sunny and warm.
In looking at potential running routes in the area a couple of days ago, I came across a route with some features that I thought would be worth a visit. It wouldn't have been practical to go on foot from Trier, but I found a nearby car park and decided it would be worth the detour.
It was to that car park that we relocated this morning and after a cup of tea, some faffing and getting some food together for an alfresco elevenses, off we went.
A few kilometres to the N of the Mosel there is a sandstone escarpment, and in that escarpment there are a number of caves (of the 'opening in the cliff face' type, rather than 'below ground cavern' type). It was to two of these (I assumed the two most impressive, as they seem to be the most visited) that we were to go (Genovevahöhle and Klausenhöhle).
Through varied forest we went, until we got to a junction where my map told me we should be following a large switchback, but the fingerposts told us to head straight upwards. That was a steep pull! The switchbacks may have been the better route.
From the cave our direction continued to be upwards, until we topped out at a picnic bench:
Within minutes of setting out I'd needed to get a bit of grit out of my shoe, and had found a convenient bench for the purpose. Sometime later I needed another shoe-faff and was about to use a tree stump, when Mick suggested that I use the bench just around the corner. What if it's raining and you want a picnic? Well then you use the covered picnic area just a minute away from the open picnic bench:
I wouldn't say that any of this 'furniture' nor the signposts, detracted from the surroundings.
At what felt like an appropriate time for elevenses, we stopped at the next bench...
...but only lasted there a minute or two. There was only one wasp, but it was so persistent, that we finished off striding around the adjacent clearing, before making haste towards the next cave, Klausenhöhle.
The engineered staircast to get down to it must have taken some work, but the cave itself wasn't as impressive as the first one. It did, however, come equipped with a ladder to a large carved-out sleeping platform, complete with a window so you could appreciate the view:
More forest paths and tracks took us back to Bertie, from where a decision was needed as to where we are heading next.
That took a while, with the eventual decision that we would be heading a little further E along the Mosel - first though, we had to go all around the houses as I'd not realised when I'd taken us to that morning's car park that it was on a dual carriageway and thus we couldn't just turn left out of it. There was also no 'go back on yourself' option at the next junction.
Given the choice between a cheap Stellplatz and a free car park, we went for the latter tonight, although we did detour to within metres of the former so as to use the public service point across the road from it, as it seemed wise to top up our water bottles and empty the toilet whilst we had the opportunity, to give us more freedom over the next few days. In hindsight, we should have then gone to see if the Stellplatz had space, as we arrived in Leiwen to find a fair taking up the car park we wanted to use. We came to the next one along, but we're not entirely comfortable here, being overlooked by houses. It will, however, do for one night.
With the Mosel just behind Bertie and vineyards in every direction, it's no surprise that when I went for a walk through Leiwen before tea, I found that it doesn't lack winehouses. They are of limited interest to me, and I didn't see the bakery (of great interest to me!) that Google tells me I walked past.
-------
Later: We'd been hearing the bass of loud music since we arrived and having then spotted a 'weinfest heute' sign, after tea we went to investigate.
In a huge tent was a massive quantity of people. An interview was happening on the stage, broadcast to those without a stage view via a big screen. Wine bars with extensive menus were either side of the tent. The noise and temperature inside the tent were both uncomfortably high, and we stuck out so much that we may as well have been carrying signs saying 'Tourists who just stumbled across this'. So, we didn't stick around.
A heaving mass of wine drinkers
Am interesting trip to the caves. That picnic bench looks brutally Germanic. Photos hugely better when "click to enlarge."
ReplyDeleteYou are probably seeing the photos better than I am, as I only view them on my phone (at least until we get home, when I'll probably upload them to view on a bigger screen).
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