Steinbruchweg

This hike takes you through woodland and across open countryside. Right at the start, you pass the "In der Striet" nature reserve. Enjoy beautiful views over the rural landscape and listen to the birdsong in the silence. You might even come across a deer during the day. The Mackenheim viaduct, which you pass under on the quiet village road, makes an impressive impression. Perhaps a trolley is just passing over it?

The Mackenheim quarry is an exciting place. Here you can see how gneissic metamorphic rocks and iron-rich mica have been mined for centuries. Rare plants, birds, insects and amphibians have settled here thanks to the immediate renaturation of the quarried sections. You may be able to spot an eagle owl or peregrine falcon. Rare lizards and dragonflies have also found a new habitat there.

At the beginning and end of the hike, the sculptures on the art trail invite you to take a look around.

Way description: From the parking lot, you start off on a paved path in a northerly direction. At the first sandstone sculpture, turn left onto the field path and follow the A6 markings towards the forest. The route now descends past a spruce grove, the new water reservoir and a pond. As you continue through sparse deciduous woodland, you will see a pond on the right and a playground behind it. Walk out of the forest and around the playground. Immediately after the "Ringstraße" road sign, the hiking trail leads left into the forest. Walk past the soccer goal on the left, uphill on a narrow forest path. Woodruff lines the path. Every now and then, a fallen tree forms an obstacle that is easy to negotiate.

Don't be distracted by the birdsong, as the path turns left in the middle of the forest and our hiking trail leads through the "In der Striet" nature reserve to Vöckelsbach. The markings take us uphill through the fields.

Variant/shortcut: If the entire hike is too long, you can take the shortcut (connecting path with the marking V) down to Mackenheim and stop off at the "Grüner Baum". This shortens the hike to 8.2 km. The connecting path takes you back to the route along the Gittersberg.

Further on, you will discover the village of Vöckelsbach between the trees in the valley and the impressive heights in the distance. Before descending to Mackenheim, the hiking trail turns left. You walk downhill on gravel through the forest to the quarry. Before the gate, a path leads down to the right to the village road K18. Cross the road and follow it as it bends to the right.

Shortly afterwards, the Mackenheim viaduct spans the road. After crossing under the viaduct, you need to be careful. The main path soon turns right and leads uphill into the forest. However, in order not to miss the short loop to the quarry, continue straight ahead for a short distance and follow the signs around to the left. After the loop around the quarry, you will also hike back along this section. Shortly after the second crossing of the trolley track, you will come to this section again on the right and walk into the forest on the other side of the road as described.

The small St. Andrew's cross indicates a repeated crossing of the trolley tracks. A look to the left into the old tunnel is reminiscent of the days of steam locomotives. You continue uphill through dense deciduous forest until you leave the Gittersberg behind you at an altitude of around 400 meters and enjoy the panorama of rolling hills with pastures and wooded heights. The Kreidacher Höhe with its summer toboggan run can be seen in the distance to the left. After a few right-left bends, you walk down through a hollow path to Kreidach. From Mackenheimer Weg, turn right into Mörlenbacher Straße.

You follow this uphill for a while before reaching the Talweg on the other side of the road through private gardens. Once again, a solar trolley may cross your route. Leave Kreidach on a tarmac path and follow the stream straight ahead through the forest. As soon as the forest releases you again, the sculptures of the art trail appear. Walk back to your starting point across open countryside.

Marker sign: A6