Lahn-Camino: Pilgrimage Report from Marburg to Lahnstein

In 2020, Jakob Engel walked from Görlitz to Trier in 45 walking days. He set off from Görlitz in August in midsummer heat 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 the other – which is why his pilgrimage report is also divided into four parts:

• Part 1: Via Regia – from Görlitz to Eisenach
• Part 2: Elisabethpfad – from Eisenach to Marburg
• Part 3: Lahn-Camino – you are reading this part right now
• Part 4: Mosel-Camino – from Lahnstein to Trier

On the Lahnwanderweg to Wetzlar

Beyond Marburg I carried on through very beautiful low-mountain scenery. On the first section, as far as Wetzlar, the Lahnwanderweg was my home. Like the Way of St James up to Marburg, it is very well signposted. After two nights and three days of walking, I was on the Lahn-Camino proper.

Gleiberg Castle

View from Gleiberg Castle

From the start of the Lahn-Camino there were fewer guesthouses, so I more often switched to hotels and a few times to holiday flats. I kept my rhythm: I always booked my accommodation about a week in advance.

Backpack, boots, socks

When I was preparing for my Way of St James, I read in many pilgrimage reports that by the third day you get used to your backpack and its weight – and after a while you even miss it when you go out in the evening without it.

For me, my backpack was a good companion from day one; it never got in the way or pressed anywhere. But there is one thing I can’t confirm: I never once missed it when I took it off at the end of the day’s stage! I always enjoyed going out in the evening without a backpack. The same went for my hiking boots. They are very, very good, and I didn’t get a single blister on the whole way – a real blessing. Even so, I was glad to swap them for light trainers in the evening to go and get something to eat or look around town. After my Way of St James and many more hikes this year, I had the boots resoled. That way they can keep me company for a long time yet.

For anyone who’s interested: for the walk I bought a backpack from Osprey; I already had my Hanwag hiking boots. For hiking socks I wore socks from Falke. I also tried the double-layer Camino socks, but they were far too tight around my ankles and cut in – very uncomfortable after a short while, especially in the heat.

The Lahn

Few waymarks, plenty of shade

Of all four Ways of St James, the Lahn-Camino was the most poorly signposted. In some places I was glad I had loaded the GPS data onto my phone. That way I always knew exactly where I was and where to go next.

The scenery along the Lahn was beautiful once again – with great views from the steep banks, with valleys, woods and fields. On some days midsummer returned. Here I could enjoy the warmth more because there was plenty of shade. That made walking much easier, and the load on my back got lighter too, because I no longer had to carry as much water as at the beginning. I had never heard of most of the places along the way before – so I got to discover a very beautiful part of Germany for myself.

Limburg Cathedral – first seen through motorway pillars

The most impressive sight on this stretch for me was Limburg Cathedral. Until then I had only known it from driving past on the A3 – you can see it from there – and of course from the news. My path into Limburg led underneath the A3, and I got my first look at the cathedral between the pillars of the motorway bridge.

Limburg Cathedral behind the motorway

Limburg Cathedral

Inside Limburg Cathedral

The most expensive night: Diez youth hostel

The youth hostel in Diez

From Limburg I went on to Diez, where I spent the night in the youth hostel in the castle. Looking back, that was the most expensive night of my whole way. I didn’t have a youth hostel card, so I bought a six-month card because I really wanted to sleep in the castle. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise I was taking out a subscription – back home I discovered that I still had to pay the membership fee for 2021 as well. A shame! But there’s no point getting annoyed, because I had a pleasant night within those historic walls.

Bad Ems and the Ems Dispatch

In Bad Ems I came across German history once more. It was from here in 1870 that the so-called Ems Dispatch was sent to Otto von Bismarck on behalf of King Wilhelm of Prussia (later Emperor Wilhelm I) – and in Bismarck’s sharpened version it became one of the triggers of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.

Bad Ems

Fire salamander in the Schweizer Tal beyond Bad Ems

What luxury really is

On the Lahn-Camino I noticed how completely my idea of luxury had changed. On the road I mostly washed my clothes by hand; about once a week I could use a washing machine. Being able to wash your clothes in a machine makes a huge difference. When I took my laundry out of the machine at a place I stayed near the end of the Lahn-Camino, I noticed the smell of freshly washed clothes very intensely and thought: what a luxury! I had never given it a thought at home.

I also found that I can get by with very few things without any problem. Without water, my backpack weighed 7.8 kg, and I didn’t miss a thing.

The Lahn-Camino ends where the Lahn flows into the Rhine – opposite Stolzenfels Castle, where the Mosel-Camino begins.

Stolzenfels Castle on the Rhine, opposite the mouth of the Lahn

My conclusion

My verdict on the Lahn-Camino:

Luxury is in the little things – and I don’t need much.

My stops on the Lahn-Camino

1. Fronhausen
2. Krofdorf-Gleiberg
3. Wetzlar
4. Weilburg
5. Villmar
6. Diez
7. Obernhof
8. Bad Ems
9. Lahnstein

The story continues with Part 4: Mosel-Camino – from Lahnstein to Trier.

You’ll find the route itself, with stages, map and accommodation, in Camino Ninja: Lahn-Camino.