The trail then follows a steep, serpentine section along huge slate cliffs into the valley. Shortly before reaching the Hitzelbach stream at the bottom of the valley, there is a covered forest hut, an ideal resting place. In the deep, dark valley of the Hitzelbach stream, hikers are accompanied only by the babbling of the water. The path winds between the watercourse and dead wood through the damp forest idyll.
Before later crossing the country road that connects Altlay with Zell, the route leads over a via ferrata secured with steel cables on rocky ground. Since 2015, the site of the former Altlay sports field has been home to a paintball arena.
An impressive view can be enjoyed just a few meters behind the sports ground at the Stahlkreuz viewpoint: opposite on the Hunsrück heights are the villages of Tellig, Schauren, Wahlhauen, Panzweiler, Peterswald-Löffelscheid, Rödelhausen and Würrich, and down in the valley, close enough to touch, is Altlay. The entire panoramic picture is framed by the towering Hunsrück forest.
The trail has been certified by the German Hiking Institute with 90 experience points.
Line 723 between Bullay and Altlay
Tel. +49 6542 96220 www.zellerland.de
Hunsrück-Nahe Tourismus GmbH, Bahnhofstr. 37, 55606 Kirn
Tel. +49 6752 137610 www.hunsruecknahe.de