Luxembourg E2: Some comments

Although Luxembourg looks like a small country the route of the E2 makes it seem longer. Running close to the German border for the length of the country, it takes a circuitous route at times, visiting two types of scenery. 

For most of the way it is through woodland, mainly of beech, often following river valleys in particular of the Our and Sauer. This section includes a day among the cliffs and huge blocks of rock of Little Switzerland (Petite Suisse).

For the last two days of the E2's journey south the route passes through extensive vineyards beside the Moselle River.

In both parts the trail moves up and down the slopes of the valleys. Steep climbs and descents must be expected. To help the weary lots of benches are provided often with waste paper bins and sometimes picnic tables and shelters. 

Waymarking of yellow circles in the north and yellow rectangles in the south (both on a blue background) is very good. Although someone has scrawled GR5 on a few signs the E2 actually follows four National Trails - Sentier de l’ Our, Sentier Maurice Cosyn, Sentier de la Basse Sûre and Sentier de la Moselle. Nevertheless it is easy to miss a crucial junction, and sometimes the waymarks are ambiguous or missing, consequently a GPS is needed with a suitable digital map and the track of the E2 loaded onto it, or else suitable paper maps.

There are a few larger towns on the route such as Echternach, but on many days facilities like shops are limited, nor were there as many cafes as I hoped. Stains left by old lettering and the remains of signs showed some bars and cafes had closed, whether due to Covid or the general decline in village facilities seen in Britain as well as Europe. Hotels and bed & breakfasts proved difficult to find with any vacancies and in consequence most nights I stayed at campsites. These all had restaurants attached or nearby although in one case the restaurants were closed. One night a full campsite and a lack of other accommodation forced me to wild camp. The remaining two nights were spent at Youth Hostels which provided clean and affordable accommodation with the opportunity to meet others.

In addition to beautiful countryside there are also historical sights such as Beaufort and Vianden Castles, plus the more recent history of the Second World War and the Schengen Treaty.

Its unlikely that I will ever master Luxembourgish however for most of the route German was widely spoken. Little surprise as Germany was often just on the other side of the valley. English was also commonly understood but if that failed French is one of the official languages of the country. Greetings on the trail varied, frequently a "Hallo", but it took me a while to realise that they were often saying "Moien", Luxembourgish for "morning".

The yellow circles indicate the route and there are frequent waymarks for the E2. For part of the way the E3 follows the same route as the E2. The E3 takes the walker to Santiago de Compostela and that is also the purpose of the scallop shell symbol.

Link to start of blog is here.