Michel's Vitality Tour

Instead of the actual starting point, I chose the Schweppenhausen oil mill to start. A great start to the tour...and there are also some parking spaces...and nice seats to linger...

If you like it quiet and want to enjoy yourself, Michel's Vital Tour is the right place for you. Extensive field and meadow paths and narrow forest paths where you can just switch off. The last three kilometers to the Stromberg Gorge are a little uphill. The gorge itself is very beautiful and varied with bridges and large stones that you have to cross. If you don't want to do that, you can also take the direct route without going through the gorge back to the car park. It's still a very nice thing for children. At the end or the beginning of the gorge, depending on which way you go, there is a treasure chest with little surprises. There is also a specially signposted family hiking trail.

"Michel's Vital Tour" is a varied circular hike near Stromberg in the Soonwald. The tour owes its name to the German Michel, who once served as a symbol of German virtues. This image was found in the cavalry general Michael von Obentraut, who was born in Stromburg in 1574 and fought in the Thirty Years' War. Since I start in Stromberg, I come across the first highlight after just a few steps: In the Stromberger Gorge, a narrow path meanders steeply uphill along a small stream. It's great fun to walk along the stream, which has become very waterlogged due to the rain of the past few days. Through beautiful forest sections we continue to the small town of Schöneberg, whose church boasts a copy of the Stalingrad Madonna. The subsequent beautiful Steyerbachtal is characterized by natural meadows and the eponymous stream. Suddenly the landscape opens up and leads through an impressive vineyard, the Steyerberg. Just in time for the magnificent views that are offered here (including the Guldenbachtal) the sun is now showing itself. After passing the small town of Schweppenhausen, the last few kilometers are all through the forest on partly wild and romantic paths back to the starting point of the hike.

In good weather, sometimes even sunny 🌤, hiked the varied Michels Vital Tour. The path over 7 bridges through the Strombergklamm gorge is particularly beautiful on this tour Schöneberger Church and the romantic valley path through the Steyerbach valley. The "heaven key" and "cuckoo flowers" are already blooming there 🥰. It was nice.

Many years ago I ran the tour once and today I finally wanted to repeat it. The weather was perfect and yet I hardly met anyone on the way. Due to the snow of the last two days I hoped that the paths weren't too wet. But they dried surprisingly well and the gorge was totally dry and easy to walk on. A very nice tour that I'm definitely not the last time walked. 🥰

The autumn colors make it especially beautiful.🍂

One of the top 10 hikes in the region. Very varying nature and not a lot of people - warmly recommended.

Today I went on a vitality tour together with my wife. But why don't I have my MTB with me... Official description: The path leads us from the starting point at the "Michels Walderlebnis" car park, first a short distance along the specially designed fitness trail through the Stromberg city forest. We cross the Schindelbach over a wooden bridge, which owes its name to the Schindeldorf district at high altitude. The shingle village accompanies us for a short part of the way. About 200 m after the last houses, the deciduous forest becomes a pure fir forest that appears so dense and enchanted that you are not surprised if you suddenly come across a witch's house. After a short, but sporty ascent, the path widens again and reveals the view of the first place to rest. A well-filled backpack is definitely recommended for the hiking tour. It continues along narrow, natural paths to Schöneberg, in the middle of the Soonwald. This village has always been closely linked to the forest "on the doorstep" and to its rich history. Schöneberg is proud to have produced a real elector and archbishop (Johann von Schonenburg). Today the castle house built in 1686 stands on the foundation walls of his parents' house, which we will see later on in our hike. Halfway along our route, the forest landscape changes into a field and meadow landscape. Along the romantic Steyerbach valley, we immerse ourselves in an intense natural meadow and stream experience. On the following 2 km, the classic appearance of a wine-growing cultural landscape develops on a hillside, from a romantic hedgerow landscape of abandoned vineyards. The small wine village of Eckenroth is enthroned at the top of the mountain and can offer all wine lovers above all sparkling, strong Riesling. After leaving the vineyard slopes, we come to the town of Schweppenhausen on the right-hand side, which is characterized by viticulture. A detour to one of the ostrich inns during the Federweißer season is particularly worthwhile (note opening times). In front of us is the last, but at around 400 m long, the most demanding climb. The forest that now follows, some of which drops steeply in the direction of the Guldenbach valley, surprises you with its small paths and forest romance. Almost at the end of the round tour, a very special hiking experience awaits us. If you are still strong here, you should definitely not miss the "Stromberger Klamm". The path is about 1.2 km long and compensates for the sometimes arduous ascent with a grandiose, up-close stream experience. If you have already run out of breath, you can continue on your way directly through the gorge without the "detour". Those who "need to rest" can wait in groups for those "who want to climb". Now we just cross under the wooden bridge that we crossed at the beginning of our hike and after about 500 m we are at our starting point.