The first stage is characterized by the Brenz floodplains, the Hürbetal valley, magnificent forests, and heathland. Crossing the Bruckersberg and passing the ruins of Güssenburg, you arrive at the Brenz renaturation site in Hermaringen. This is a great place to stop and relax. The route continues toward Sontheim. The Panoramastein offers a magnificent view. Passing Niederstotzingen, you reach the stage destination of Stetten. From Stetten, the route leads through the Stettbergwald forest into the Lone Valley and up to the Kaltenburg ruins. Below lies the Charlottenhöhle cave, which is definitely worth a visit. At 587 meters, it is one of the longest accessible show caves in southern Germany. The route takes us back to Giengen via Hürben.
Wegbeschreibung
Stage 1: Giengen – Stetten (17.4 kilometers)
The first stage of the Albschäferweg trail begins in Giengen, as does the first stage of our two-day hike. From the Spitalkirche church, we head straight south, first through a railway underpass, then up an idyllic path to the Bruckersberg. On the way to Hermaringen, we enjoy wonderful views of the Brenz Valley and the Benzenberg mountain opposite. After about 2.5 kilometers, we cross the bridge over the federal highway. Between orchards and the edge of the forest, the trail climbs up to the Schlossberg. At the Güssenburg ruins, a beautiful view of the Brenz Valley awaits. Over the Schlossberg, below the sports facilities and over the Hirschberg above the allotments, the trail continues to the Hürbe estuary. Here, the renaturation of the Brenz has created a dreamlike river landscape once again. Continue right over the small wooden bridge on a path with two paved lanes, always along the Brenz, or take the quieter but more uncomfortable route up the Brenzturm and along the top of the slope. Pass under the railway underpass and continue uphill below the edge of the slope on a meadow towards Bergenweiler. At the entrance to Bergenweiler, turn right, past the cemetery, and then left again onto a meadow path. The route goes around the village on beautiful paths with wonderful views stretching all the way to the Danube valley (unfortunately also with the cooling towers of the Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in view). In the village, it is worth making a detour to the Brenz learning center with a rest area in a pavilion. Continuing on the outskirts of Bergenweiler, we then follow a meadow path along the edge of the forest, always with a view of the castle and Gallus Church in Brenz. The forest playground in Sontheim invites you to take a break. The hiking trail leads past the riding hall and sports fields to the panoramic stone. On some days, the view extends as far as the Alps. The Danube Valley and Günzburg are definitely visible. The next beautiful scenic destination is the so-called Dexelberg, a forest heathland maintained by shepherds. Passing through the forest, you reach the Niederstotzingen forest playground with a rest area. Soon you leave the forest behind, passing an imposing oak tree. The view stretches far into the Danube valley again. We turn away from the forest towards the south and after a few hundred meters, at the highest point, we cross the fields back towards the forest and the power poles. Here, the markings are somewhat sparser, as the wooden posts are constantly losing the battle against the large agricultural machines. Passing through the forest, we soon reach the Stettener Keller and thus the first stage destination – Stetten ob Lontal. The Adler with a shepherd's cart is located directly on the Albschäferweg, and the Lonetalhotel Mohren is only about a hundred meters away.
Access: From Giengen train station to the start of the stage at the Spitalkirche church + 0.5 km.
Stage 2: Stetten – Giengen (11.1 kilometers)
The second and final stage of our weekend tour on the Albschäferweg trail begins at the Stettener Keller. In the village, it is worth making a short detour to see the Black Madonna in the parish church of Mariä Himmelfahrt before following the white shepherd on a blue background hiking sign. Here, the Swabian Alb South Edge Trail (HW2), marked with a red triangle, joins us. We continue on a forest path over the Stettberg. At the top of the forest, we come across the Lonetal trail, which comes from the former archaeopark. From the Stettberg, you have a beautiful view down to the grounds of the former Vogelherd archaeopark. Via the Diebsteig trail, we pass through the forest and into the Lone Valley. There, we walk along the district road and cross the mostly dry riverbed of the Lone. On the other side of the valley, we follow a rustic forest path high above the Lone Valley towards the Kaltenburg ruins. Shortly before the ruins, our path branches off to the left. However, it is also possible to continue through the castle ruins. Soon we reach the turnoff down to the HöhlenErlebnisWelt cave adventure world. Here we leave the Albschäferweg trail and continue on the main hiking trail 2 (HW2) of the Swabian Alb Association. First, we descend to the HöhlenErlebnisWelt (cave adventure world), where you are spoiled for choice between visiting the Charlottenhöhle (cave) or the HöhlenSchauLand (cave exhibition). It is also worth making a detour to stop for refreshments at the HöhlenHaus cave restaurant. We continue our hike and first cross the Hürbe stream via a footbridge at the end of the parking lot. At the motorhome station, we turn left and follow the HW2 trail markers of the Swabian Alb Association. Walking along the edge of the forest, we reach the outskirts of Hürben. At Hurwinstraße, we turn right and follow the path above Hürben. After 350 meters, we reach another gravel path and continue along the edge of the forest. At the farm buildings, we turn left and follow the asphalt road for about 100 meters. After the ditch, we turn right onto the meadow path. At the herb gardens, we cross the road to Hermaringen – please watch out for traffic. Walking along beautiful heathland with a magnificent view back to Hürben, we reach the federal highway. We cross the B492 via the underpass and turn left. We follow the asphalt road for 250 meters, then turn left and after another 200 meters turn right again, walking past fields and meadows. After about 1 kilometer, we come back to the Albschäferweg. We are familiar with the last section of the trail. Via the Bruckersberg and the railway underpass, we return to our starting point.
Access: From Giengen train station to the start of the stage at the Spitalkirche + 0.5 km.
Ausrüstung
Good footwear (hiking boots) is recommended.
Sicherheitshinweise
The Albschäferweg trail has a high proportion of natural sections. You will be hiking on meadow paths and forest trails and paths. Forest paths may be in poor condition due to forestry work. Please therefore ensure you wear sturdy footwear.
Please bear in mind that there are not many places to stop for refreshments along the way. We therefore recommend that you take sufficient drinks and a backpack snack with you.
We offer more comfortable paths as an alternative to very difficult sections.
It is often necessary to cross busy roads. Please pay particular attention to traffic.
