Chilly's Journal
Volume3
Author:ChillytheBunitt
Hi
MINETT TRAIL MINETT TRAIL
Year:2023
Origin: Minett Trail
The Minett Trail was at first just an idea. The "Minett UNESCO Biosphere" wanted a regional trail connecting it's cities, hubs, historical and natural sites.
Work for this trail started in 2017
Walk through former opencast mines and discover the industrial past! Witness how nature has reclaimed its former territory!
The Minett Trail is a 90km long trail that expands its wings all across the south of Luxembourg. Due to its enormous length the trail is split into 10 stages which can be explored individually.
More info: https://www.minetttrail.lu/
The stages are rated with a difficulty. Are we in a video game now? If so GAME ON
Easy = great for beginners and families.
Medium = great for occasional hikers - it includes narrow pathways and stairs.
Hard = only sporty hikers or people with good physical fitness should tackle these routes.
Sidenote: Unfortunately, not all the stages are barrier-free.
POW Promotion and education of the southern region in Luxembourg.Minett Trail: Differdange - Belval-Rédange
Distance: 8,15 km
Duration: 2h20
Difficulty: medium
Highlights:
Train tracks, Open-pit mine, Nature reserve
Differdange, a city known for its great sorbets.
Fun fact:
Differdange is the third largest city in Luxembourg.
Arriving in a familiar town always brings a wonderful feeling, don't you agree?
It's weird how different the trail feels to me, even though I'm walking it in reverse this time.
The map and signs indicate that I should follow the trail backward until I reach the big crossing from last time.
Funny looking fountain!
Hii Hii
Here we are at the crossing.
Alright...where next?
Aha! Found it!
Follow the signs!!
Chilly's note: To be frank, I initially thought that backtracking would be an utter waste of my time, but it seems I was mistaken. Especially the change in perspective and the photos I managed to take taught me a valuable lesson.
"Lessons are the beginning of experience, and experience leads to wisdom"
This trail charms me in less than 5 minutes. The old iron ore train tracks and the tunnel make me feel like I am exploring undiscovered ancient ruins.
No one is here. This makes me a bit nervous!
It feels like I am walking in a haunted forest.
Furthermore
I spot a creepy old building that strengthens my theory about a haunted forest.
Further inspection of the old ruins reveal....
That this is not a haunted building or anything of the sort...
Silly me.
According to my research, this building was an operation center for the miners. And there is more...
First this place was a quarry that was active during the 19th century. The "Mine Grôven" was composed of two concessions in 1894 and iron ore extraction was started by the SBS (Stahlwerk Burbach Saarbrücken) in 1898.
There were two mine shafts, desks, a forge, a depot for benzene and wood, and a scale for the carts (Buggien) The mining site "Mine Grôven" was closed in 1957.
Fun Fact:
At the entrance of the mine, the letters SBS are still engraved.
And some may know what I am up to again.
Look at me! Am I not looking like a real adventurer up there!
Not long after starting the hike, I reach the nature reserve "Kiemerchen - Scheiergronn-Groussebësch".
From the texture of the ground, it appears as if this was once a path occupied by cars...
Aha! I see a bridge!
Old road for cars?!
By my salad! This is a big road.
I just hope that the path won't be like this all the time - more greenery would be nice!
Hm... Maybe I should try this one day?
Imagine me on a mountain bike.
I make sure that no mountain
Mountain bikers love some action and adrenaline.
Chilly's note: Luxembourg has a lot of mountain bike trails, but the best one, especially for beginners is in the nature reserve "Brucherbierg-Lallengerbierg"!
FRAME
biker crosses me.
Thankfully, I leave the asphalt ground behind and follow the mountain bike trail.
The trees are moving unnaturally due to the strong wind, and it looks like a storm is on its way. This doesn't look good.
I don't want to be smashed by a giant tree. I would then become Chilly the pancake.
Official pancake
Luckily, my fear of trees doesn't stop me from moving on.
The fun thing is that this sign is the same as the previous one, which means...
This must be a second entry to the nature reserve!!
I must admit that this place has a lot of versatility. It feels as if the forest changes its outfits every 20 minutes.
I bet the forest likes me, and who can blame?
I am a real gentleman
Outskirt of Belval-Soleuvre which is also BelvalRedange's neighbor.
Relaxed, I follow the signs until I reach a small crossing. Luckily, for every problem, there is a solution.
What is this!?
The crossing itself confuses me because it has no real indication of where to go next.
Let's draw a map!
In fact it is so fast that I couldn't get a picture of it, but...
The squirrel hides around there.
Outskirt A squirrel! It is really fast.You must admit that I pose here like a superstar!!
After this adventurous climb, I decide to take a nice break and eat another sandwich as well as drink some water. Stay hydrated!
Water feels so much nicer after a good long traveling distance
The path continues to shift into a drier and rockier environment. There are even rocks lined up one after another, as if they want to guide the way.
Wow, so this is how and open mine pit used to look like.
I wonder how long it will take for nature to reclaim this territory.
This place has a vibe to it. However, the most fascinating thing is the structure of the walls and the colorations.
XMAS TIME!!
What is this old Christmas tree doing here, haha!
Hii Hii
After enjoying my early Christmas event for a while, I come across a big pool. My fur doesn't appreciate water, especially not dirty water like this.
Oh well...This will take a while until my fur dries.
The path is a slippery mess Squish! Squish! Squish!
But I'm having fun; the ground under my paws makes funny sounds.
My paws are all dirty, and my fur is wet from the pool.
I'm a swamp monster!
Grrr!
Even though everything goes wrong, and the storm blazes through the forest, I'm happy.
Oh a parking space, but what is this!? crahhhh! cräh!! cräh!!
Two people are trying to communicate with a crow. H
Hii Man, their "crowish" is really bad, haha. Oh the crow is angry and responds to them with a loud crahhhh! This goes on a while, until.... it notices me. Oh no!
You know these humans?
I won't eat you.
Crah! Sir? I havn't heard that in a long time.
Please don't eat me!
But you are an omnivore and you eat bunnies!
Ha!
Ha!
Ha!
I am an opportunistic eater, I eat what is already weak or dead. However, bunnies are not typically on my general menu list.
Indeed. By the way, my name is Beak. Shall I take you for a tour?
Oh! This means I am safe!
Yes, please!
Beak's favorite spot.
...
sir!
Uhm...No
...
Beak's tour as well as guidance helps me a lot around this place. Additionally, he tells me that the path we take borders the "Gaalgebierg" of Belvaux.
Will I be able to visit the Gaalgebierg on my tour?
Chilly's note: Beak didn't believe me that I am a master climber. Ha! I showed him my skills.
After my little climbing session, I got reminded that climbing down an object is much more challenging than climbing up—at least this is my personal experience
Yes! I am on the ground again!
We find this little pond of water, and somehow I am the lucky bunny as a dragonfly flies past me.
Beak looks a bit grim thought.
He tells me that it is way to early for a dragonfly season.
Dragonflies are often seen in June, July, and August. The official season starts in late April and goes until October. This varies from country to country.
But did you know that there are some dragonflies that can only be seen in spring?
Fun fact:
Do you know why dragonflies are called dragonflies?
Dragonflies in Luxembourg
In Romanian folklore, a saint's horse got cursed by the devil and turned into a giant flying insect. In the Romanian language, the word dragonfly translates to Devil's Horse or Devil's fly.
Past the pond we enter an urban area...
Where are we?
Already!
Belval-Rédange.
I hear a train!
The path is nice and clean and I enter a tiny tunnel .
The finish line!
Entrance to Belval-Rédange
The path is really simple. Past the big tree to the right. Cross over the street and then enter a little passageway.
Conclusion: Minett Trail: Differdange - Belval-Rédange
This section is a splendid weekend activity for families. Be warned though that the trail requires strong legs and good stamina. People with any kind of joint pain or physical hindrance should not go along due to the many hills. It is not barrier-free.
Additional Info:
Time: It took me around 3 hours to complete this stage of the Minett Trail. My time deviates from the average 2 hour and 20 minutes, due to my photos and multiple breaks. (I always exclude my arrival and departure on public transport)
Travel with Public Transport: Train (Differdange Gare) or Bus (TICE lines 1, 13, 14)
Important app: https://www.mobiliteit.lu/en/ (Public transport)
Cultural: Satisfactory, it offers one nature reserve "Kiemerchen/Scheiergronn/Groussebësch". It compensates with its historical ruins, old train tracks and open-pit mine.
Path: Mediocre, it is mostly easy to walk on, but it has one or two steep hills that can be a challenge.
Accessibility:
It is possible to do this stage on a mountain bike, but it is not recommended and I would leave it to the more experienced mountain bikers.
I can't believe I've become friends with a crow. OHHH! I wonder who I will meet next.
Ps. Unfortunately, Beak flew back home, but maybe we can hang out together in the future.
The train station of Belval-Rédange is a small, but the simplicity suits well with the surrounding.
!!