HeimatSpur Wacholder-Endert Pfad – GesundLand Vulkaneifel

A beautiful hike through the valley of the wild Endert.

A varied circular hike around Alflen. Park and start at the village square. The road takes me through the village. Past the warrior memorial chapel. Then out over field and meadow paths, up to the Alfler Berg and there you have a beautiful view over the gently rolling hills of the Vulkaneifel. It goes past apple fields and elder fields. I think nature is so fantastic to look at now, especially the contrast from the straw yellow of the fields to the dark green in the background and possibly the delicate green of the meadows is a pleasure for the eyes and the soul. I visit the Waldhof farm shop and am happy that they are organic farmers. Again and again there is a great view. I enjoy the landscape to the fullest. After a small forest after crossing the B259, it slowly descends into the valley to Endert. On the way there are so many flowering plants of different colors and a buzzing of insects that I just walk so beaming. Then it goes a bit far through the valley of the Wilden Endert. There is a bench at the rock chapel, I rest here briefly. Unfortunately, there is hardly anything to see from the river, as it is almost dry. I build a stone tower in the middle of the river bed because it's dry. With the crossing of the Endert using a bridge, the path then meanders up to the Nassenberg. It goes past the juniper heath. I stop a bit at the fenced-in goats and sheep that are just resting. A little sheep got its head stuck in the fence outside the fence and couldn't get out, let alone join the herd. I was able to free it and leave it with the herd. The rest of the way made me happy and I passed apple fields again. An all around nice tour. However, there is hardly a bench on the way. Actually, I only saw 3. One on the Alfler Berg, one next to the small chapel in the Enderttal and one at the end at the fountain. You probably don't need more as the hike is not strenuous. It was a beautiful Eifel exploration and there was a lot of beautiful nature to experience.

A very nice start to our stay in the Eifel. From Manderscheid, youth hostel, we want to continue exploring our beautiful country.

A leisurely, quiet hike through forests, across meadows and along the Endert. Relaxing and slowing down.

Overall, a pretty nice walk, but ultimately not particularly impressive. Further downstream, there are much more interesting sections in the Endert Valley. The tour's website: https://www.gesundland-vulkaneifel.de/heimatspur-wacholder-endert-pfad/

Mostly field and meadow paths. A nice route without any major highlights.

https://www.komoot.com/de-de/collection/1053931/-auf-den-spuren-von-natur-und-geschichte-heimatspuren-in-der-vulkaneifel I did this loop from the HeimatSpur hikes of the Gesundland Vulkaneifel a few years ago (https://www.komoot.de/tour/106641764). However, it was in winter. And that wasn't a good idea, because the forest paths that start behind Peterskaul were very rutted and muddy. All in all, I found the whole loop cold and unfriendly... Today, I decided to take a short evening walk down to the Endert with the dog. And why not walk the Wacholder-Endert Trail again? Good idea! So I'll visit it sometime in the summer. The weather isn't the brightest, but it's just right for relaxing, reflecting, and letting go... We walk from Alflen along familiar field paths, past huge orchards where elderberries and apples are cultivated. Peterskaul is quickly passed. On the other side of the country road, we come to a pretty forest path that leads us into a section of forest that is heavily used for forestry. Unfortunately, the paths here still look terrible. Tattered, muddy, and full of broken branches. Huge swathes have been excavated into the forest to the left and right of the path. Pretty desolate... There's no closed season for birds and other small animals here! The excavators are "hidden" a little deeper in the forest! But my keen eye 🧐 doesn't miss it... Poor camouflage! 🤣 A few hundred meters further down, the forest seems more harmonious again. Forest glades and clearings are lined up one after the other, where countless wildflower meadows unfold, varying greatly in nature but always very attractive and colorful. Real eye-catchers! This varied trail ends at the Endert River, which we now follow for a short distance. It babbles along a stony streambed beside us; sometimes hidden behind trees or bushes, sometimes completely open for a brief pause on its bank. The Madonna Grotto is a lovely highlight on this short stretch of stream and is always filled with eternal candles. Unfortunately, I didn't bring one this time. I would have placed it there for my father... We leave the Endert Valley again over a heavily rocking wooden bridge and walk up a forest path towards Nassenberg and the juniper sanctuary. There are truly stunningly beautiful sections of the trail here, one side of which is completely overgrown with viper's bugloss. Not only the intense blue-purple aspect of these very tall perennials, but also the swarm of bees, flies, and beetles on these plants is phenomenal. Here, you can try walking slowly, because there is so much to see. 🐞🐌🦋🐝🐝🦟 If you turn around, you'll also have a wonderful view of the Volcanic Eifel - from above! Truly unique! The Nassenberg is also home to the Juniper Nature Reserve. It's not directly accessible, but can only be viewed from the path; but even that is impressive, because here, truly old and sprawling juniper bushes stand close together. As the partially fallen fences indicate, this area is largely left to its own devices... Behind the Nature Reserve, we cross the county road again and walk through the fields towards Alflen. Along the path, the clusters of wild teasels are impressive; they are now slowly coming into bloom and some are over two meters tall. Through the tall grass, I can make out the spire of Alflen's church steeple. Via a small, romantic shrubbery path, we reach the small Eifel village and our parking space in the center. Conclusion: A really beautiful walk, definitely enhanced by the summer flowers. The first forest section is a disaster, and you get to see forestry work from its rather ugly side. If you can "close your eyes and get through it," you'll experience truly beautiful, unique sections as the walk continues. A walk for wild plant lovers, as you can easily see from the photos. And for the first time, I passed a mixed crop field. Corn with broad beans 😂 Field and meadow paths, forest and gravel paths, a bit of asphalt.

Today I went hiking in the Endert Valley again. The Wacholder-Endertpfad (Homeland Trail) hiking trail is a circular hike through the Volcanic Eifel region around Alflen, through the valley of the wild Endert River and the juniper heaths near the Nassenberg Nature Reserve. The volcanic mountains of the Eifel form the backdrop of the approximately ten-kilometer-long Wacholder-Endert Trail. The starting point is the village square in Alflen. From there, the trail leads up to Alfler Berg. During a first breather, you can enjoy the view of the gently rolling hills of the Volcanic Eifel. Past the Waldschenke (forest inn), the Wacholder-Endert Trail then descends into the valley of the river that gives it its name. Here I hiked a short distance along the Endert stream; the rushing water is often the only sound; the nature seems untouched and beautiful. The Nassenberg peak, with its expansive juniper heath, provides a charming contrast to the gorge of the clear stream. The juniper heath here is a nature reserve approximately 5 hectares in size. When the heath is in bloom in August and September, the area is impressive with its special beauty. Added to this is the magnificent view down into the Endertbach Valley. The path then leads back to the starting point via a winding route. I really enjoyed the hiking trail. It was a varied mix of different paths: narrow, wide, along the edge of the forest and in the forest, paved and gravel. I particularly liked the large orchard and the immense number of elderberry trees; I hadn't seen so many of them before. Moreover, I had only known elderberry as a shrub, not a tree. To round off our hike today, at an ice cream parlor, we drove to the town of Ulmen, 6 km away. Many thanks to Elisabeth for accompanying us today. It was once again a lot of fun hiking together.