Bike used
Lapierre MTB.
Favourite cycling route
I discovered the 39-kilometre mountain bike trail in October 2020. I’ve only been mountain biking a couple of years and, with much of 2020 spent road cycling, my technique needed some work. A rainy weekend in the Mullerthal seemed the perfect opportunity to get fitter, faster and, most importantly, muddy. Armed with the Luxembourg holiday accommodation voucher, my partner and I booked a mobile home on a campsite in Berdorf and hit the trail.
Here, I want to stress that I’m a very tame mountain biker (compared to my partner) and I chose this trail because the Mullerthal website described it as having “an average degree of difficulty”. I know that difficulty is subjective, which is why I liked that this ride was in two parts--that way we would have the option to quit halfway if I got tired. Don’t judge me.
The single trails are challenging, particularly when you meet other cyclists. You have to eat and drink well to keep your concentration up and work your way around the ropelike roots and rocks that sneak up on you in the narrowest parts. The smooth, weather-worn trails between impressive rock formations are a real thrill, lending a kind of fluidity to the ride.
The trail is well signposted, but I recommend taking a GPS computer so that you can anticipate the climbs and sharp turns.
It felt like the remains of the yellow brick road in Return to Oz and offered a welcome distraction to the fact that it marked the last leg of a 160-metre climb to the finish.
Highlights and comments
There’s so much to see love about this trail, it’s hard to select highlights. I guess what I appreciated most were the different shades of green as far as the eye can see and massive variety of tracks. You have fields, single tracks beside sheer drops, the rolling river paths, castles and, at the end, a dilapidated rock-strewn road--I imagine Roman heritage. It felt like the remains of the yellow brick road in Return to Oz and offered a welcome distraction to the fact that it marked the last leg of a 160-metre climb to the finish.
Spending time in the hidden gem that is Berdorf was also a highlight. The Trail Inn has free bike wash facilities if needed and outdoor seating, in case you’re too mucky to be allowed inside. Indoors the walls are covered with tributes to cycling. Also, check out the Berdorfer Eck, a thriving café and store selling sustainable and local produce.
A rare photo of Jess on her bike near Dijon, France JR
Why I ride
I’ve ridden a bike to get from “a” to “b” since I was a kid growing up in a rural English village where wheels meant freedom. I picked up cycling again in Luxembourg after an injury forced me to quit running.
Now I ride for health: physical and mental, because it’s a nice activity I can do outside and with my partner but also because it’s sociable--we now have friends we can ride with.
What is missing from the cycle infrastructure in Luxembourg?
Cyclists. A record number of bikes got sold last year thanks to the subsidy scheme. Where are they all? OK, I know it’s been an exceptionally wet year and I can’t speak--I’ve not been out as much as I would have liked. If I have to give an answer for the cycling gods, I’d like a bike wash facility in my village. Please.
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