Timetables and prices for bus line 325 Wittlich - Niersbach - Dierscheid can be found on the website of the Trier transport region: www.vrt-info.de
The Meulenwaldroute connecting path between Dierscheid and Greverath is marked in both directions. In Dierscheid, the connecting path leaves the small village via Dodenburger Straße. Along the way, the small streams of the Mühlbach are crossed, and the small creek accompanies the route further past the Heidweilermühle to the entrance of the small Eifel community. The rest area at the chapel is perfect for a small picnic break. Don't miss: the old washhouse and the tanner's cottage in the immediate vicinity.
The old washhouse is a washing place covered by a rubble stone barrel, which is fed by spring water and still preserved in its original state. For decades, the women of Heidweiler scrubbed laundry here and then laid it out to bleach on the surrounding meadows. Tanning was and is hard and unpleasant work. It begins with cleaning the hides. Previously, the hides were first salted on the flesh side for several weeks to remove water from the remaining flesh. After that, the hides were soaked in fresh water (stream) for several days to wash out the salt. This was followed by hair removal in a lime bath ("Äscher"). Only then did the processing of the hides begin with hair irons, shears, and other special scrapers to remove any remaining hair and flesh residues. This process was followed by another salt bath for final cleaning. Only then did the actual preservation begin. In pits, the processed hides were stacked with the respective tanning agent, and the full pit was filled with water to initiate the tanning process. Depending on the type of leather, this process could last from several weeks to months or years. Once the desired tanning result was achieved, the hides were washed, brushed, dried, and smoothed multiple times. The odors associated with the fermentation process, as well as the smell of rotting skin and flesh, and the waste disposal explain why tanners worked rather outside the actual village center.
The Meulenwaldroute connecting path leads uphill from the rest area via the paved farm road beside the chapel into the village. Heidweiler is crossed and left via Greverather Straße. The route runs a short stretch along fields and meadows. In the forest, the babbling Gladbach is crossed, and shortly thereafter, the outskirts of Greverath are reached. On Lindenstraße in the pretty Eifel village of Greverath, the Meulenwaldroute connecting path meets the Eifelsteig.
