With children to the upper castle

Although we live in Manderscheid and our children (8 and 3 years) see the castles every day, they are thrilled by every visit to the upper castle. After the obligatory stop at the pond in the spa park- throwing in stones is a must- we walk with a small backpack and some goodies from the spa house towards Grafenstraße and then turn left onto the footpath to the castles. The somewhat bumpy path leads through the forest and we have the upper castle in view, so that those who are not so keen on running can always see the goal of the walk. We take our first small break at the Kaisertempelchen. From this cute pavilion, named to commemorate the visit of Emperor Wilhelm II to Manderscheid, you have a panoramic view of the valley and the upper as well as the lower castle. The rocks around the hut always invite our children to climb. Up to here the tour is also manageable with a stroller, no buggy. On a somewhat steep path with some stone steps we continue towards the upper castle. This path can only be managed with strollers in pairs and with some effort. In front of the castle we turn right towards Turnierwiese and Niederburg. Here we reach the side entrance of the castle via a staircase. If you have made it this far with a stroller, please choose the way around the castle, it is more comfortable and safer. We are greeted by a green meadow surrounded by remains of the castle wall and the keep. Of course, the children must first climb the dark tower via the wooden stairs.

Time for me

I prefer to stay on the ground -not afraid of heights- sit in the sun and enjoy the peace and quiet. My favorite bench faces the Niederburg and there's also a great view of the slopes dropping steeply into the valley. This view is especially poignant on a sunny autumn day, when the slopes are brightly colored by the leaves of the trees. After our children have escaped the eerie tower, they take a short rest to regain their strength for the climbing tour over rocks and niches. Of course, we also explore the unfortunately dry well and go in search of salamanders and snakes hiding among the sunlit stones. We leave the castle through the ivy-covered gate of the Pechmarie -our daughter is still not sure today whether pitch trickles down or not, and choose the lower path through the rugged gorge in which trees and boulders are impressively crisscrossed. With a little effort, this path is also manageable with strollers. After a good hour and a half to two hours we reach Manderscheid.

Author: Doris Rau