Hahnenkamm – Altmühltal Nature Park

Today I headed in a different direction again, to the Altmühltal Nature Park on the border of the Ries Geopark. The stone channel near Wolfsbronn had been on my list for a while, so I set off in perfect weather. My starting point was the small parking lot below Spielberg Castle, and naturally, my first stop was this lovely spot with its fantastic view. I continued through forests, meadows, and open spaces to Heidenheim with its former Benedictine monastery and Romanesque minster, and then up to the Dürrenberg, where I did a little extra loop. The Dürrenberg, with its former military training area and open terrain, reminded me a bit of the Dreiborn Plateau in the Eifel region. The nostalgia and wistfulness quickly faded when I reached the stone channel. Stretching almost 130 meters in length and reaching heights of up to 1.5 meters, the imposing tufa formation winds its way down the slope. The channel has already been reinforced in several places; otherwise, the porous material would likely have collapsed. An impressive natural architectural wonder! The return journey was just as varied. Sweeping views over Wolfsbronn and across the plain, past the paper mill in the forest, magnificent vistas, and signs of beavers on the wooded valley slope – it's amazing where they can find homes... Back in Spielberg, a fantastic, deep orange evening sky awaited me. So I headed back towards the castle, or rather the summit cross, to soak up the atmosphere. A truly beautiful and varied hike, and all in perfect weather. [Komoot seems to have some issues when you take multiple photos in a small area... Unfortunately, the pictures from the start of the hike and the sunset at the end were mixed together.]

Once again, Steffi and Lina showed me the most beautiful corners of their former home on an entertaining and amusing tour. Was - as usual - a great tour. It was a pleasure - always happy to do it again 😊

A really great loop trail, the 3!! Forest sections that can develop "back" into the "jungle" state, 2 stone gullies. One of them up to 1 1/2m high! The church and monastery in Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm is always worth a visit! And right at the start in Spielberg, a visit to the castle with its figurative works of art around the castle and in the inner courtyard is the cultural icing on the cake of this tour. !! Going in this direction, the path runs as a panorama path or as a QW (Quellenweg) up to the 2nd Steinernen Rinne and only then is it signposted as loop path 3!!

I have to admit ... on this tour there was too much tar and field path for me to turn into the Frankenweg and Altmühltalpanoramaweg so it was pretty and interesting just before the stone channel. I know you can't have everything and you complain at a high level 😁.

I had been planning the route for a long time and since Thomas thought 20 km was too long, Lina and I started alone today. It was a very nice round with lots of sun and lots of nature. I didn't know the small stone gully near Kurzenaltheim. Next time I would start from Heidenheim. Then at the end you can treat yourself to an ice cream and/or coffee at the market square there. 🥰

🚀 We start at the 🅿️ parking lot at the former Benedictine monastery of Heidenheim in 🌡 +24° Celsius ☀️ sunshine and a cloudless sky in 🧭 the direction of Wolfsbronn. We cross the market square and follow the road that leads slightly uphill out of the town. We reach a beautiful plateau and continue through a charming landscape of fields and meadows. This offers a beautiful view of Degersheim. We cross the 🛣️ district road WUG 34 and follow the W.w. Altmühltal Panorama Trail up a small hill until we reach a truly extraordinary natural monument, the "Steinerne Rinne" near Wolfsbronn. For about 130 meters, a lively stream trickles in a limestone channel through a beautiful mixed beech forest. The next few kilometers take us uphill and downhill, sometimes through forest, sometimes along the edge of the forest. Shortly before we see the "Yellow Mountain," we pass the "Kleine Rinne" near Kurzenaltheim. After about 1,000 meters, we see the "Yellow Mountain" ahead of us. We can't escape the fascination of this magnificent karst mountain. To the west, north, and south, the slopes drop abruptly and offer fantastic views of the Franconian Lake District, as far as Weißenburg, the 🏰 Wülzburg, Gunzenhausen, and towards Lake Altmühl. The detour to the "Yellow Mountain" was rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view. Continuing on, we reach Spielberg Castle after about an hour along comfortable forest paths. The castle houses an exhibition of sculptures by the artist and sculptor Ernst Steinacker; many of his sculptures can be viewed in and outside the castle, as well as in the pleasant courtyard. After visiting the castle, we hike the Hahnenkamm Loop Trail, which begins in the beautiful setting of Spielberg Castle. We follow the road for half a kilometer in the direction of Heidenheim until we reach the Wasserhaus (Water House). We climb a small hill and shortly thereafter join a beautiful field path. This leads us through an idyllic 🌳 wooded area – ideal for relaxing. After leaving the 🌳 forest behind us, we descend a bit. We take the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful view of the ⛰️ Rechenberg and the ⛪️ cathedral towers of Heidenheim. We cross State Road 2384 and continue to Heidenheim, back to our 📍 starting point. PS: The Heidenheim Monastery Inn was closed. "But the unexpected often comes" and "things often turn out differently than expected." What a coincidence, the Kärwa (fair) in Markt Heidenheim is starting today. So we mingled with the crowd, or rather, we sat down at the 🍻 beer table with the Heidenheim Schützenboum (shooting club) 🤣 ONLY-4-ME 2025 T43 H138.5 D763 A17.7

But first, we both walk again. I, again, with a considerable lead. At 7 p.m. I look at the map again and realize that there are still about 4 km to the car. I could probably reach it by 8 p.m. to then drive to Treuchtlingen to load the bike. That way I would probably be back in Nuremberg by 9:30 p.m. However, with Carsten, a few variables came into play that I couldn't assess at all. So I called him and asked him to take the path to Kurzenaltheim and wait for me there. I continued to follow the Frankenweg because I had stopped the navigation via my mobile phone and made a serious mistake - the stage planning involved a detour from the Frankenweg. I had planned the stage months ago and noticed the mistake when, around 8 p.m., I started having doubts because I was still in the woods and Heidenheim wasn't in sight. I was almost in Spielberg by then! So, quickly back to the next turn-off and across the mountain to the Jakobsweg and then to Heidenheim. It was 8:30 p.m. In total, I had walked 32 km and cycled 16 km.

Beautiful, promising hike on the Frankenweg and in sections on the Altmühlpanoramaweg. Worth seeing are the Steinerne Rinne, the Spielberg Palace/Castle and the monastery town of Heidenheim. The 360° panorama from the Hahnenkamm (Yellow Mountain), a foothill of the southern Franconian Alb between Altmühl and Nördlinger Ries is fantastic...