Promenadenweg

The starting point of the hike is Rabenstein Castle, which towers above the Ailsbach valley. From the forecourt between the castle building and the tavern, the hiking trail leads down the Ailsbach valley on a well-trodden path. This leads through deciduous and coniferous forests along the slope before descending into the valley after 800m. Here you cross the road and also the Ailsbach. If you walk a few more steps down the valley from here, you will reach the Rennerfelsen rock on the left, where a prehistoric settlement site from the Palaeolithic period was excavated in 1930. The hiking trail continues up the valley past the "Theresien-Ruhe", where there is a memorial plaque in honor of Queen Therese of Bavaria from 1830. This is followed by the ascent to the "Schneiderloch". The cave is named after a tailor who hid here during the Thirty Years' War. The path continues to climb up the slope in a northerly direction, offering breathtaking views of the Ailsbach valley and the imposing Rabenstein Castle. After the first descent into the valley, you reach Ludwig's Cave (named after King Ludwig of Bavaria), another, if not the highlight of the hike. After a gap, a gigantic cavity 45 meters long and 20 meters high rises up in the mystical light. A short time later, the hiking trail crosses the stream and road and climbs up the opposite slope on a steep path to the Sophienhöhle cave. This well-known cave has a total passage system of at least 930 meters in length. With its three cave sections, it is one of the most beautiful caves in Franconian Switzerland. From here, the hiking trail leads back down the valley, past the "Zur Erweinsruh" rock gate, the "Parasol" viewpoint and a quaint rock labyrinth, back to Rabenstein Castle.

Tour:
Rabenstein Castle - Bärenbrücke and Rennerfelsen - Theresienruhe - Schneiderloch - Ludwigshöhle - Sophienhöhle - Rabenstein Castle

Access:
From the Ailsbachtal valley via Oberailsfeld or Schweinsmühle to the signposted Rabenstein Castle. Park here.

Marker: green chess queen

How to get there:
Take the A9 motorway exit Trockau, then head towards Ahorntal to Rabenstein Castle or
via Forchheim (B 470) to Behringersmühle, continue to Oberailsfeld on the ST2185 and to Rabenstein Castle

Sights:

• Rabenstein Castle
• Sophienhöhle
• Falconry at Rabenstein Castle
• Schneiderloch
• Ludwigshöhle
• Klaussteinkapelle

Refreshment stops:

• Gutsschenke at Burg Rabenstein
• Gasthof-Pension Neumühle in Ailsbachtal