On a wonderful Wednesday in February we simply took a break and drove to the Saarland with the dogs. There we hiked the lake trail around the Nonnweiler dam and visited our favorite dog shop stake-out.de.
Shopping before the hike around the Nonnweiler dam It happened not so often last February that the weather with a clear blue sky and sunshine beckons. The lovely husband and I took advantage of such a day and simply took a break (the lovely husband of course quite properly with a short-term vacation).
The goal was close 180 kilometers away from Nonnweiler in Saarland. The municipality is located in the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, and in the district of Otzenhausen is our favorite dog shop – the stake-out – where we buy, among other things, the embroidered collars for Raban and Charly.
We are against Arrived at the shop at 11:00 p.m. and shopped to your heart’s content – new collars, a suitable harness for Charly, practical feeding bowls for the trip (because we don’t have anything at home at home 🙈) and new, very stylish feeding bowls. And since the new collars still had to be embroidered, we continued on to the Nonnweiler dam for a circular hike.
Talsperre Nonnweiler – Facts & Figures
The Nonnweiler dam is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region
Apart from that the Nonnweiler dam (often also called Primstalsperre due to the water supplying the Prims river) is a popular tourist attraction for day trippers, hikers and cyclists, of course it also performs important tasks, namely:
Drinking water supply for the associated municipalities of Hermeskeil and Birkenfeld, the town of Idar-Oberstein and the rural districts of St. Wendel and Neunkirchen Cooling water supply of power plants (among others in Bexbach and Fenne)Low water recharge and flood controlUse of hydropower as an energy sourceRecreation close to natureThe dam was built in two phases in the 1970 years ago, has been 1982 in operation and counting today with a depth of about 60 meters to the highest dam walls in Germany. It has a surface area of one square meter (when completely filled), holds around 20 million cubic meters of water, making it the largest water reservoir in Saarland . Approximately 40 Percent of the lake is in Rhineland-Palatinate (Trier-Saarburg district). 180 percent belong to Saarland (district St. Wendel)
Seerundweg dam Nonnweiler with planets nature trailThe Nonnweiler dam is signposted. We parked in a forest parking lot, which is a little below the dam. On this sunny (and cold) Wednesday afternoon we just about got the 12 kilometer-long circular hiking trail almost to ourselves.
The lake circuit around the Nonnweiler dam starts on the dam
Here on the dam crest also begins the planetary hiking trail, which has existed since 1996 gives. The sun is the beginning. From here the path leads via Mercury and Venus to the earth-moon model (everything is still on the dam). Six more planets are introduced on the way along the lake.
The planetary educational trail begins on the crest of the Nonnweiler dam – here the moon-earth installation
The planetary installations are presented at a scale of 1:1 billion and are equipped with detailed information panels. We are amazed and take a leisurely stroll across the dam, stopping again and again to enjoy the sun and the great view over the reservoir.
In February, however, exercise was particularly important, because despite the It was quite cold in the sun and the icy wind did the rest. From the top of the dyke it was a slight climb to the circular lake trail.
The path is well developed. All 500 meters, a sign indicates which route is already behind you and which is ahead of you. Behind every bend there is a new great view of the fjord-like reservoir.
Behind every bend in the path lies a new, breathtaking view of the fjord-like reservoir
Raban was less interested in the beautiful view. He was drawn to numerous “nose-numbing” smells. Obviously there is a lot of game in the area around the Nonnweile dam – the first 2 or 3 kilometers were pretty exhausting with him anyway.
Charly, however, couldn’t take it at all, behind Raban and me to have to walk. He bullied the lovely husband properly and still couldn’t put himself at the head of the pack… 😉 …
The lake circular trail is really fun in February when the sun is shining
On the entire circular trail, by the way is also used by cyclists, there is a leash obligation. In addition, dogs are NOT allowed into the lake at any point. The reservoir and the surrounding area are a nature reserve. There is also a bathing ban here in summer.
In February none of this plays a major role. We don’t have to pay much attention to cyclists, other hikers and dogs. So we walk along, admire the constantly changing views over the lake and regret that it isn’t warmer. Because along the way there are a number of shelters and rest areas with comfortable seating.
Around the Nonnweiler dam, shelters and rest areas invite you to linger
The route is almost there without gradients and is therefore comfortable and easy to hike. Presumably, this hiking trail is very crowded in the warm seasons for precisely this reason. It is also suitable for families who are still traveling with a stroller.
From the Primsvorsperre back to the damAt some point we will reach the Primsvorsperre. Here we walk over the weir and are now on the so-called inner dam circular path.
We cross the Primsvorsperre on the weir
From here we are on the way back to the dam of the Nonnweiler dam. Since we kept taking photos or reading the information boards on the planetary trail, we are much slower than planned. The lovely husband is now putting some pressure on because he is afraid that the dog shop has already closed and we can no longer pick up our ordered products… 🙂 …
We walk past Neptune and Pluto, the last two stations of the planetary educational trail.
The last two stations of the planetary trail are on the east side of the lake
Soon afterwards we reach the Altbachvorsperre, which we also cross. Meanwhile, Raban walks very well on the leash next to me. There’s either less game around here or he’s a bit tired. After all, we only have 2 or 3 kilometers ahead of us.
After we hiked the last kilometers together as a whole pack, the lovely husband is now a little behind with Charly. This doesn’t suit our wild baby at all, because he still wants to run at the top. When we arrive at the car later, master and dog are also somewhat exhausted …
The dam wall of the Nonnweiler dam is in sight
But it will be a while before we get back to the parking lot. At least the dam is in sight. Inspired by the idea of having a quick cup of coffee at the small café by the dam wall, our steps get a little quicker towards the end. Unfortunately, we were denied coffee because the café is only open from April to October.
But it doesn’t matter, at least we got to our dog shop on time, picked up our things and then went back Drove home … we didn’t hear much from Raban and Charly on the drive. You slept the sleep of the righteous.
22624Further information on the nonnweiler dam circular lake trail The Lake Circuit around the dam Nonnweiler is approx. 11,5 kilometers long (counting from the parking lot). If you are interested, you can download the hike from Komoot.The route is easy, has almost no inclines and is well signposted.Leashes are compulsory on this hiking trail all year round. In addition, dogs are not allowed in the lake (but neither are people). There are many beautiful rest areas that invite you to linger. Please don’t forget to take enough water with you for two and four-legged friends.There is a café at the dam which is open from April to October. In the warm seasons, this hiking trail is probably very crowded. Attention: There are also cyclists on the road here.
