After our experience on the Isel Trail last year, we really wanted to do another hike this year, but our time was limited. So we settled on the Lee Trail. For me it is the third time hiking this trail, but it is so beautiful and fun that I don’t mind doing it again. We stayed in one location for the whole hike, since public transport in Luxembourg is excellent. That made it easier for Wulf to sleep in the same spot every night, and it saved us from carrying sleeping gear (and food for Wulf).
Intro
The Lee Trail is an “easy” three day hike in Luxembourg. It starts in Ettelbruck and finishes in Kautenbach. Public transport is free in Luxembourg, so we repeated our strategy from the Isel Trail and stayed in one place: a “pod” at Camping du Nord in Goebelsmühle.
Day 0: Journey
We took the afternoon off work to get an early start and drove to Luxembourg. We brought an easy dinner for the first night so we could eat as soon as we arrived at the campsite. The pod was quite warm when we got there, so we aired it out right away and ended up having an OK first night.
Day 1: Ettelbruck - Michelau (13,5km)
Because of the predicted weather we decided to start early, around seven in the morning. We wanted to take the train from Michelau to Ettelbruck, but the trains weren’t running, so we took a bus instead. About 30 minutes later we arrived in Ettelbruck and could start our hike. After a quick sandwich at the Patton memorial, we headed into the forest and the hike began for real. A few kilometres in, Wulf finally switched into hike mode. After a couple of hours the heat became a bit of a problem, since both Wulf and Ante were quite hot. We stopped for a while, and after some water and rest we managed to finish the stage. We reached Michelau around 12:30 and drove back to the pod, ready for an afternoon of relaxing and ice cream :).
Day 2: Michelau - Goebelsmühle (16,5km)
Today we took a bus to Michelau and hiked from there to our “home” for the weekend, which felt very relaxed. Another early start so we could finish before the heat and the possible thunderstorms. The first hill was hard on both Ante and Wulf, but we made it. After a quick sandwich we continued to the Napoleon Tree, where we took a long break, ate some food and rested for a bit. We also gave Wulf some snacks, which really helped him keep going. After the descent we had time for a quick coke on the terrace of Hotel Dirbach; the route runs right across it, so it is hard to resist :). One more small hill up and down and we were back at the pod for the day. Tomorrow is a big day of around 20 kilometres, depending on shortcuts.
Day 3: Goebelsmühle - Kautenbach (19,5km*)
The last full day of the hike. We started from the campsite and headed for the finish, beginning with a steep climb that didn’t agree with Wulf or Ante. After a short downhill we reached the Molberlee, which some call the highlight of the trail. It is very pretty and a little exposed. Wulf struggled with the heat on the Lee. After a short stop in Hoscheid we continued to the Hoflee, a descent that was quite steep and very warm. Too warm for Wulf, so we decided to skip the last Lee (Ueweschleed) and take a small shortcut to Kautenbach, cutting out most of the remaining climb. Ante is still thinking about doing the last Lee tomorrow. I have hiked the trail twice before, so I am going to stay with Wulf.
Day 4: Kautenbach - Kautenbach (~5,5km)
Today only Ante did the last part, while Wulf and I waited for her in the valley. Since I have already hiked the route twice, I didn’t mind staying behind with Wulf, who was not up for another kilometre :). After Ante finished, we drove home so Wulf could rest properly. On to the next adventure. I already have some ideas for hikes we can do, but first our holiday to Norway in September.