Luxembourg > Hike in Little Switzerland

The weather is beautiful, and after breakfast, we drive to Echternach. This is just over 50 kilometers, effectively crossing almost all of Luxembourg. In Echternach, we plan to take a walk through the nature reserve “Little Switzerland,” a hike of approximately 12 kilometers to Berdorf.

Luxembourg - The nature reserve Little Switzerland

We park the car at the bus station and set off. From the parking lot, we’re supposed to follow route B1, but we can’t find the starting point. Using the map, we walk in the direction we think we should go. At a café, I ask for directions in my best French. This doesn’t help us find the beginning of the route, but after walking 200 meters uphill, we reach the path and understand that we are on the route. Just before a hotel, we take a stone staircase up and continue following the stream along the path. Halfway along, we come across signs for route B and decide to follow it. This path continues to ascend, and eventually, we reconnect with route B1. Above us, we see the rocks of Wolfskloof, but now the question is whether to take the path to the left or the right. We choose the right. Soon, it becomes clear that the path veers away from Wolfskloof. We decide to keep following the path, planning to walk through Wolfskloof on the way back. That way, it’s nicer to experience this beautiful gorge at the end. We follow the path in the direction of the Perekop. We walk past stunning rock formations that sometimes dangerously overhang the path. A small field mouse observes everything in its own calm way, staying still while we try to photograph it from less than a meter away. The Perekop is a large rock block with a one-meter-wide fissure through it. A steep staircase has been carved into the fissure. For the last section, a metal ladder is installed to reach the top of the rock. From the top, about thirty meters high, there’s a beautiful view. We climb back down via the same ladder and continue along route B1 toward the Hohlley cave. The Hohlley cave is a hollow in the rocks that you can walk under.

Luxembourg - View of Echternach

The ceiling is covered in round indentations. In the past, millstones were extracted here. Around them, a groove was carved, filled with wood. The wood was soaked, causing it to expand. The pressure would crack the stone loose. One of the caves has been adapted into an amphitheater. From this point, we walk back along the same route. It’s still another 1.5 kilometers to Berdorf, which is too far. The route is beautiful enough to walk twice. At the fork, we continue toward Wolfskloof. On our right appears a huge stone wall, rising straight up. The wall is over twenty meters high. At a gorge, we can enter the rocks slightly. Using a carved staircase, we enter the dark cave. It is noticeably cooler and damper inside. With the flashlight on, we walk to the end of the fissure, about thirty meters into the rock. A little further on, we climb a high staircase and emerge on top of Wolfskloof. From there, we descend back to Echternach. In the streets of Echternach, we have a drink at a terrace, order a pizza at an Italian restaurant, and drive back to Kautenbach.