Hiking loop above Timmenrode: photo session in a goat stall

Christina/ April 26, 2021/ The daily grind

Goats and especially its youngsters are little show starts, I learned that already at Mallorca. On the one hand it is fun to watch the creature trying to walk and drink for the first time. On the other hand it is good for one’s own mood to step out of the Corona-caused stress and to enjoy the beauty of nature. The hiking loop connecting Timmenrode, Cattenstedt and Wienrode is a great opportunity to do so. And whoever thinks that a walk of nine kilometres is not enough can prolong the hike by taking the ridgeway on the Küsterberg towards Thale. That is how we do it.

An alley with blossoming fruit-trees
We park our car at the sports field close to the devil’s wall, well, at least we try. On this sunny but cold sunday morning the parking lot is already packed. We draw aside and place our car directly in front of the club home. The devil’s wall is a very popular sight, especially in times of Corona.
Christian suggests a hiking loop around Timmenrode for today, which will lead us to the fruit-trees blooming. From Timmenrode we walk towards Cattenstedt via the so called Hasental. We see a lot of blossoming cherry trees on our way. Fruit-trees basically bloom from mid April to the beginning of May. It lasts for 10 days up to 14 days maximum.

Desire for the past
We walk through the Hasental and arrive at Cattenstedt. We discover the manor Cattenstedt. Oh gosh, it would be soooooo nice to stop for a bite to eat and drink. The mere thought of it puts us in a reminiscent mood. However, the search for the right path redirects us. By accident, we discover the church St. Martin and some other nice old buildings.

At „the Teichkopf“ we turn left and reach Wienrode via a lovely country road. This place turns out to be as idyllic as Cattenstedt. But where to continue? The signpost tells us to go straight – however doing so we realize that we initially came this way. As far as we know the way back should be different and lead us via the Harzer Klosterwanderweg. We make a U-turn back to the crossing. We take a closer look at the information board in the centre of the village and recognize our mistake.

Forester’s logde Eggerode
I suddenly discover the signpost of the forester’s lodge called Eggerode. I have seen that name before, is it something special? Christian is not very enthusiastic about the idea of another detour. At least this undertaking undermines his male authority. After some grumbling he follows us however. We ask a lokal sitting on a tractor for directions and learn that the forester’s lodge is only a kilometre away from us. At some point it seems to be a long haul, we get insecure. We ask again, our information is confirmed, we are already close to the place.

Photo session at the goat stall
As soon as we spot the building respectively the whole resort we are surprised. On the one hand because we expected something else and on the other hand because we realize that we are back on our original track. We approach the site which is idyllically located at the Silberbach and are suddenly – at least Susanne an me – stoked because we discovered the sugar-sweet young goats with its mothers. The animals are keen on acting as models; Heidi Klum would rejoice with this show. At the end all of them get their picture and are qualified for the next round.

Only Christian is not too crazy about the whole thing. He is sitting on a stone aside the proceedings and enjoys his lunch. We however, happy, cross the Silberbach on a narrow pedestrian bridge and enjoy the midday sun on a bench standing in the garden of the place. Finally, we can warm up a little bit. Christian is still plays a little bit hard to get but joins us after some cajoling. What a panorama! And still we do not know yet what is still to come!

The ridgeway on the Küsterberg
Leaving the forester’s lodge we head back towards Timmenrode. Considering the fact that our loop is only nine kilometres long, we originally intended to do another walk afterwards. Our idea was the ridgeway between Heimburg and Benzingerode. By chance we come across another ridgeway, the one on top of the Küsterberg which leads to Thale.

It is a really nice walk with magnificent panoramic views onto the blooming landscape, a flock of sheep and Thale on the horizon. We are excited and are lucky at the same time to occupy a bench in the sun for a short break. Sitting on that bench we enjoy some chocolate that Christian offers to us. That’s all you can ask for! For a moment we are in paradise.

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