The hike starts at the church of St. Matthias in Strauch. Built in 1850 by the villagers as a small chapel, the church quickly became too small in view of the growing population in Strauch, so the foundation stone for today's much larger building was laid in 1922.

We first leave Strauch in the direction of the Michelshof wind farm, which today covers a high proportion of the municipality of Simmerath's renewable energy requirements. After crossing Michelsbach and Hesselbach, two lively streams typical of the Eifel, the path runs along the edge of the forest for a few kilometers until the Rursee comes into view and offers us a wonderful view of the Woffelsbach Bay. On the other side of the banks of the Rursee, you can also see the "Kermeter" mountain range. It is 527.8 meters above sea level and forms the "ecological heart" of the Eifel National Park, the only national park in NRW.On the mountain ridge between the Rursee and Urftsee lakes, native mixed beech forests grow over a large area, forming one of the largest closed deciduous forest areas in the Rhineland at around 33 km².

After a few kilometers, we reach the Eifelblick Kierberg, 455 meters above sea level. From here, too, the view extends far across the Rursee lake in an easterly direction into the Eifel National Park. Along the edge of the forest, we finally return to Strauch, the starting point of our hike.

Highlights along the route:

St. Matthias church

Michelshof wind farm

Rursee panorama