Lama Speck-Weg-Tour im Winter (Gruppentour)

Our woolly llamas, who are definitely better equipped for a hike in winter than us humans, live directly below Schönecker Burgberg. This is also where our very special winter experience starts: our Llama Bacon Trail New Year's Tour.

After getting to know our four-legged tour companions, we set off. We hike through the wintry Eifel landscape, enjoying the clear air and the peace and quiet that our llamas radiate.

Our seven-hour trek begins and ends directly below the castle ruins of Schönecken. After an entertaining introduction where you get to know the llamas, we start our tour into the "Schönecker Schweiz" nature reserve. Right at the beginning, we hike down into the valley of the Altburgbach stream. We are accompanied by orchards and the slender silhouettes of juniper bushes. We then climb the "Op Ischt" ridge and enjoy our first views far beyond the plateau. A little later, we enter the beech forest and reach a hidden clearing where we take our first break.

First above and later along the Schalkenbach and Kupferbach streams, we continue through the middle of the forest on narrow paths. Our destination is the enchanted Krausbuche in the Fleringen district. In the Middle Ages, a beech tree stood here, just as gnarled and overgrown as today's beech tree. The Kraus beech is probably one of the very rare Süntel beech trees, also known as snake or cripple beech, witch or devil's wood. It grows out of chunky dolomite rocks and its roots claw firmly into the rock. The trunk, branches and twigs are often twisted and intertwined, forming a shielding canopy of low-hanging foliage over the rocks. Many legends and stories surround this rare tree.

We take a longer break near this magical place before heading southwest again. We roam the fields of the "Op Ischt" ridge for a short while and then descend into the beech forests again. The ancient Celtic fortress lies on a steep rocky spur high above the Altburgtal valley. It is easy to imagine why the Celts chose this secluded spot as a retreat.

Following the Altburgbach stream, we reach our starting point again after around seven hours. Once we arrive, we have to say goodbye to our faithful companions, the llamas.