Struffelt Route Hike

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The Struffelt Route Hike is a great circular walk above a reservoir, through a variety of landscapes such as forest and open moorland. You can also find interesting information boards about the catchment area of the Dreilägerbach Reservoir.

Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.

Location

The Struffelt Route starts from the car park at the Filter Works. In German the car park’s name is Parkplatz Filterwerk. If coming via public transport, you can get off bus SB63 from Aachen at the Münsterbildchen Roetgen stop and then walk an extra 25 minutes to the start. Alternatively, from Roetgen centre take bus 46 to the bus stop at the start of this hike.

From the Filter Works car park, head to the main road and across it to directly walk along a steep path zigzagging up the hillside. When you reach a main track at the stop, head slightly right. There is a viewpoint here over the Dreilägerbach Reservoir below.

Now head left on a track, which immediately bends right and heads very straight through the forest to the open moorland of Struffeltkopf.

Struffeltkopf

The Struffeltkopf is an area of flat high heath, containing bogs, heather, long grass and only scattered trees. There are numerous wooden walkways across the land here which means your feet stay dry even when the ground is very wet. Once you reach a main junction with a bench, take the track to the right.

You’ll continue with the Struffeltkopf moorland to your left, through a bit of forest, and then to more open on your right. Here there is a small lake with a viewpoint. Continue onwards and downwards to cross over Hasselbachgraben stream, which leads into the reservoir.

Around the Reservoirs

Just after the stream take the path on the right, which bends around to the left and you soon reach the edge of a smaller reservoir, Vorbeken. Walk along the dam and take the first left and then the right at the fork in the path. Continue onwards through the woodland, over a stream, then turn right.

After about 800 metres, turn right to cross over a stream and continue walking along the right-hand bank of a much smaller stream. This area has some beautiful woodland. After 1.7 km look out for a junction where it’s signed Struffelt Route to the left. After a short distance, you’ll head right and then downwards.

At the bottom turn right to walk along the stream. You’ll first be in woodland but soon come into fields surrounding a village on the outskirts of Roetgen. Keep walking left through the village. Take a right down Rotter Gasse, just after the two white buildings. This road and then track soon lead you to Hauptstraße Road where you turn left.

Panzersperre (Tank Barriers) by Roetgen

On your left-hand side you’ll see some big, pointy stone tank barriers across a field. It’s rather peaceful here now, especially when the flowers in the field are blooming and the tank barriers look rather photogenic. These barriers were part of the Siegfried Line, built by the German Reich to guard against any tank attack from the west. It’s surprisingly well preserved, and also now in a slightly surprising location.

Just after the tank barriers, take a path left from the road and it will soon lead you back to the Filter Works car park where you started. This is the end of the Struffelt Route Hike.

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If you enjoyed this hike, check out the nearby walk through Roetgen Forest, a walk by the cute town of Monschau, or other hikes in Germany.

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