In the footsteps of a saint - hiking around Ellscheid

HeimatSpuren are high-quality hiking trails in the Volcanic Eifel that allow you to experience the landscape in a particularly intimate way. Untouched nature can make people reverent. It is no coincidence that the twelve-kilometre-long, easy HeimatSpur hike in the Volcanic Eifel around the wildly proliferating, moorland wetland biotope of Mürmes and the small village of Ellscheid is named after Saint Anthony. He is the patron saint of the village, but also of families and lovers. He had an intimate relationship with nature and, according to legend, could talk to fish. Hikers on the Antonius Trail may not be that far removed from reality, but the experience of intense nature and peace of mind is inevitable.

The village of Ellscheid alone, with its bronze statues standing in the alleyways, is worth a walk, it is friendly and cozy. After an explosive volcanic origin, the surrounding nature has become lovely and picturesque, with many distant views over the volcanic landscape. But time and again, the hike plunges into lush mixed forests and is sometimes accompanied by streams meandering through green valley meadows. Thanks to the gentle gradients, the tour is family-friendly and easy to manage even at speed - a tip for Nordic walkers and joggers. But the quintessence of the Eifel's nature is, of course, mainly available in a more relaxed form. Forest sofas and resting places along the way make it easy to pause for a moment.

After the hike, a detour to the barn café in Gillenfeld is well worthwhile. It is actually a rustic barn typical of the Eifel, which has been lovingly and stylishly converted into a paradise for gourmets. Homemade cakes and tarte flambée, cheese, meat and poultry specialties from the surrounding farms, which are produced in a species-appropriate manner or even in organic quality, fair-trade coffee and more make a detour to the lively village a blissful experience.