R Ni4 - From Aare trail 9.5 km - difficult

Directions:

From the "Keller Kreuz" parking lot, walk straight ahead along the path, past the entrance to the "Celtic Tree Circle", which is definitely worth a detour. Then turn right onto the small path. Follow this and cross the country road (L116). Keep right and then left at the next fork in the path. You will now reach the "Aarefeld hut", where you take a small path on the left downhill to Lake Laach and have to cross another path. Once you reach the lakeshore, keep right and follow the lakeshore path with great views of the Maria Laach monastery until you reach the campsite. At the fork on the left, the path leads you past the log cabin and the entrance to the campsite to the mini golf course. Behind this, turn left onto a path that leads you along the lake. After a while, you will see a field path on the right, which you follow across the road (L115) to the edge of the forest and then turn right. The path winds its way to the road (L115), which you go down a short distance to the right and then cross. Follow the path on the right until shortly before the country road (L116), where a small path on the left leads you towards the Lydia Tower. A detour to the left up to the tower offers a fabulous view over the lake. The path to the right past the tower takes you to the Waldfrieden restaurant. Cross the country road there and turn left onto the forest path next to the parking lot. The path runs parallel to the road across another parking lot, where you take the path on the left. Follow this downhill and take the same route as on the way there back to the parking lot, i.e. turn left, cross the L116 and follow the small path uphill to the "Celtic tree circle", where you keep left and return to the parking lot.

Places of interest along the way:

"Lydia Tower" observation tower: From the Lydia Tower you have an impressive view of the "Laacher See" caldera. A caldera is a collapse crater formed by the emptying of the magma chambers beneath the volcanic cone. The last eruption of the Laacher See volcano was around 13,000 years ago.

Celtic tree circle & trees of the year: The Celts attributed various properties to the trees and divided the year into time phases. People were assigned the corresponding tree characteristics depending on their birthday.

Consideration and correct behavior in nature reserves:

Natural landscapes such as Lake Laach offer a very special experience. Whether on foot or by bike - on beautiful days, nature lovers flock to wonderful places like Lake Laach. Unfortunately, this is often not without consequences. Sports and recreational use can affect sensitive habitats and can also be a disturbance factor for many animal species. Consideration for nature is therefore becoming increasingly important - not least in order to preserve the experience value of the landscape for everyone. In order to counteract unnecessary noise and protect hikers and walkers, recreationists are asked to use only the designated parking spaces.