Mosel-Camino: a pilgrim's story from Lahnstein to Trier
Jakob Engel walks the Mosel-Camino to Trier in autumn 2020: a tough hunt for rooms, wayside apples, fellow pilgrims and tips on guidebooks and GPS.
In 2020, Jakob Engel walked from Görlitz to Trier in 45 days. He set off from Görlitz in August in the heat of high summer and arrived in Trier on 2 October, in autumn and in the rain. Over his 1,010 kilometres he walked four official German Ways of St James one after another – which is why his pilgrimage account is divided into four parts:
- Part 1: Via Regia – from Görlitz to Eisenach
- Part 2: Elisabethpfad – from Eisenach to Marburg
- Part 3: Lahn-Camino – from Marburg to Lahnstein
- Part 4: Mosel-Camino – the part you are reading now
Autumn weather and a pilgrim stamp at the motorway
The Mosel-Camino welcomed me with grey autumn weather. Two minutes before I reached my accommodation in Alken, it started to rain. Good timing, I'd say.
On the way to Alken there was a motorway service station. Stopping for a break there was funny and strange at the same time: a pilgrim and hiker at the motorway … The friendly woman behind the counter saw the shell on my rucksack, realised I was on the Way of St James and asked whether I'd like a stamp for my pilgrim passport. I hadn't expected that at a motorway. Sometimes two such different ways of travelling sit closer together than you'd think.
The start of the Mosel-Camino
The view from my guesthouse in Alken
The hardest search for a room on the whole way
Finding accommodation for my first two days on the Moselle was the hardest of my entire journey. When I phoned guesthouses and hotels, some of them laughed at me for trying to find a room so late. Yet by my standards I had started early, about a week and a half beforehand. One hotel told me it had been fully booked for two months.
A friendly woman at the tourist information office in Treis-Karden was then able to help and found me a room in Pommern. Until then I had always placed Pommern somewhere else entirely – Pomerania, much further to the north-east. You live and learn.
Eltz Castle
Along the Moselle it was easy to see that many pilgrims walk here
Company at last – and apples by the wayside
The Mosel-Camino, I was told, is the most popular Way of St James in Germany. I can confirm that I met more pilgrims here than on the three sections before. After a good 800 kilometres on my own, I enjoyed meeting other pilgrims and walking some stretches together. Thank you for the lovely company and the fascinating and funny conversations!
A delicious bonus was that every day I passed traditional orchards where I could stock up on apples. My walking poles made a welcome picking aid for the fruit hanging higher up. And of course I didn't turn my nose up at the Riesling grapes either.
Beilstein: right next to the church I had the best cake of the entire way
A bend in the Moselle
Autumn has arrived
Arriving in Trier
On the last day I saw Trier Cathedral for the first time from the steep bank on the opposite side of the Moselle. It was a very beautiful and at the same time slightly wistful feeling: on the one hand it was lovely to have my goal in sight, on the other it was a shame to know that my journey was coming to an end.
On that last day I got wet for the second time. The first time was on the very first day, on the way from Görlitz to Melaune. Someone up there was smiling down on me.
I experienced a moment I will always remember at St. Matthias Abbey, the official end of the Mosel-Camino. The instant I set foot over the threshold of the church, the bell rang. What a beautiful way to be welcomed after so many kilometres, experiences and impressions.
My first view of Trier Cathedral (still very small)
St. Matthias Abbey, the official end of the Mosel-Camino
The tomb of the Apostle Matthias
Trier Cathedral, the end of my Way of St James
I spent the last evening with four fellow pilgrims. We treated ourselves to a delicious farewell dinner in Trier's city centre. The four of them headed home the next morning. I stayed in Trier for three nights in all before I, too, went back to Düsseldorf.
As for the coronavirus situation, I can say that despite the pandemic I faced no restrictions at all along the way and met many very friendly and relaxed people. The journey is a lasting memory!
My tips: guidebooks, accommodation, GPS
On my four German Ways of St James I was accompanied by the pilgrim guidebooks from the “Outdoor” series. For me they were the right guidebooks. For the Via Regia I also got hold of the pilgrim guide published by the Ökumenischer Pilgerweg association. It is very detailed and lists all the pilgrim hostels along the way, which are missing from the “Outdoor” guide. So if you want to stay in pilgrim hostels, you are better served with this guide. I left it at home – partly because of the weight.
In addition to the guidebooks, you can find further information online. On the website of the Ökumenischer Pilgerweg you will find, among other things, up-to-date information on accommodation. The Elisabethpfad website also lists accommodation, including some places just for pilgrims. That's how I discovered some very nice places to stay. There is said to be a website for the Mosel-Camino too; I didn't use it, so I can't say anything about it.
The GPS data for all four routes is available on the website of the publisher of the “Outdoor” guides. I mainly used it with komoot. Only on the Lahnwanderweg from Marburg to Wetzlar did I use AllTrails, because the stages of the Lahnwanderweg are available there. The guidebooks were often very helpful for finding accommodation. Otherwise I recommend Google Maps: I searched there for guesthouses and almost always found something – the reviews help you choose.
My travel companions on my Way of St James
My conclusion
Finally, a personal impression: 2020 was one of the best years of my life! I had the luxury of an extended break, enjoyed that time to the full and made the most of it.
To anyone thinking about walking a Way of St James, I warmly recommend considering the many very beautiful German Ways of St James as well. I had a wonderful time and an intense experience.
My verdict on the Mosel-Camino:
After spells of solitude, it's good to walk in company. And I only like Riesling as grapes, not as wine.
My verdict on my whole Way of St James:
Thank you! This journey showed me new perspectives and opened my eyes and my heart.
My stops on the Mosel-Camino
- Alken
- Pommern (I couldn't get accommodation in Treis-Karden)
- Bullay
- Traben-Trarbach
- Monzel
- Klüsserath
- Schweich
- Trier
To everyone who wants to walk their Way of St James, I wish you: Buen Camino!
The four routes in Camino Ninja
You can find all four routes of Jakob's pilgrimage, with stages, map and accommodation, in Camino Ninja: Via Regia (Germany), Elisabethpfad 2 (Eisenach – Marburg), Lahn-Camino and Mosel-Camino.
Looking back at the Lahn-Camino: at Arnstein Abbey in Obernhof an der Lahn