Prümer Land Tour Route 2 - Schönecken und Umgebung

Enchanting meadow valleys, calcareous grasslands with wildflower meadows and herbs, juniper bushes, old beech forests and bizarre rock formations - the Eifel hike Prümer Land Route 2 in the Prümer Kalkmulde between Prüm and Schönecken is an eventful tour in the Schönecker Schweiz nature reserve. The start and finish of the approximately twelve-kilometre circular hike is the Schönecker Schweiz hiking parking lot at the entrance to Schönecken.

In spring, the hiking tour is a special experience when the first heralds of spring, the spring snowflakes, appear. They look like large snowdrops and are a protected species. The area in the Eifel is one of the largest in Germany. It almost looks as if it has just snowed when you look at the large areas of delicate white flowers.

The ruins of the old Schönecken Castle tower above the Nims valley. At its foot, on the shallow limestone-rich soil, numerous animals frolic on the semi-dry grassland and the wildflowers sway gently in the wind. The route now enters the valleys of the Schalken and Altburger streams. The valley of Schönecker Schweiz is also a botanical nature trail. Information boards line the path, so that your thirst for knowledge is also quenched during the hike. Ancient beech forests dominate the landscape, often interspersed with bizarre limestone and dolomite rock formations such as the Jungfernley. According to legend, a young woman is said to have frozen into a pillar of rock as punishment for her wickedness - the name Ley means rock.

The route continues along the edge of the forest, uphill through meadows - this hiking tour alternates between ups and downs and the view of the wide Eifel landscape is not only unobstructed from the hilltops. After the Ichter Berg, the hiking trail leads back into the beech forest, where the rocks reveal bizarre shapes and figures. A short detour up to the Keltenfliehburg castle is allowed, then the trail continues into the Altburger Bachtal valley. This is followed by a serpentine ascent up the Auf Icht mountain. Benches invite you to take a short break and enjoy the view. From here, it is not far to the Schalkenbach valley, the starting point of the hike.

Every season has its own charm. After the spring wildflowers come the wild garlic, delicate orchid blossoms sway gently in the wind in late spring, the herbs are fragrant and the wildflowers on the calcareous grassland are in full bloom. The canopy of beech trees provides pleasant shade in summer and in autumn the yellow-red leaves transform the forests into a magnificent sea of color.