Waterfall walk

I love photographing waterfalls so I’ve been wanting to visit Schéissendëmpel since we arrived in the Müllerthal region. These falls on the Black Ernz river are really pretty, surrounded by mossy green rocks, with an attractive stone bridge above. I found a hike that went past the falls and we took the bus to Consdorf, which was a good place to start walking.

Once again, we set off through beautiful woodland. The ground was carpeted with wood anemones. I have never seen so many and even John commented that the scene was magical.

After a while, we passed several sections with sandstone cliffs named Goldkaul, Goldfralee and Eilebuerg. These have been eroded into interesting shapes, and we enjoyed wandering through chasms in the rock, up and down sandstone steps.

After a stop to eat our butties, we arrived at the waterfall. Apparently, this place is the most popular destination in the Müllerthal region; therefore, we weren’t surprised to see lots of people. I’d hoped to get some good photos with my camera but, unfortunately, it was too busy to get my tripod out, especially as the best spot was on a large rock in the middle of the river. Typically, as soon as I put my camera away the bridge cleared for a couple of minutes. At least I managed to get a couple of phone pictures without the crowds!

We continued following the river, along with many other tourists until we reached an old mill in Müllerthal village, which is now a visitor centre. After beers and ice cream, we set off again. The plan had been to return to Consdorf via a different route but I noticed a signpost to Berdorf. As it was only 6 kilometres away, I suggested walking back to Bertie, and John agreed that was a good plan.

Many of the routes we’ve hiked here have followed sections of the Müllerthal Trail, an 112 kilometre trek through the region, which is usually undertaken over 6 days. We now followed another section of the trail back to Berdorf. As we hadn’t researched it, we weren’t sure what this part would be like, but we weren’t disappointed.

Once again, there was no time to get bored, with beautiful woodland, carpeted with wood anemones and celandines, dotted with bright green mossy rocks and fallen tree trunks, and yet more sandstone cliffs towering above us.

The path constantly meandered uphill and downhill, occasionally passing through clefts in the high cliff faces. It was hard work but much quieter on this path, with most tourists staying close to the villages. We enjoyed the peace and quiet, with just birdsong for company most of the time.

We’ve done a lot of hiking this week and my body is quite tired today. Therefore, I was flagging as we approached Berdorf and was pleased to see bridges, walkways and sandstone cliffs that I recognised, meaning the campsite wasn’t far away.

So… another stunning walk, and our last before we move on and start heading north again. I’m sure we’ll be back in the Müllerthal region again though.