Discovery Loop Romantic Düsseltal

From Haan-Gruiten train station, the route heads west along the Neandertalweg to the "Pillscheuerhalde," a now green relic of the former limestone mining area. Continuing along the railway line, the path turns sharply north at an underpass and leads past a small farmstead down into the Düsseltal valley. The "Ehlenbeck" path there follows a former industrial railway line that connected the limestone quarries with the railway loading facilities.

The trail continues along the "Winkelsmühler Weg" to the railway line and then westward to the signpost "Eiszeitliches Wildgehege." From here, a beautiful path along the Düssel River leads to the Neanderthal Museum.

On the northern side of the valley, the trail continues upstream through the romantic Düsseltal valley. Shortly before the Winkelsmühle (first documented in 1387), the trail crosses the Düssel and leads past the historic mill grounds. Soon, you reach the historic "Huppertsbracken" lime kiln (documented from 1655 onward). Continuing through the Düsseltal valley with its old quarries and factories, the trail continues uphill through the Lindenbecker Bachtal valley to the Neandertalweg, and from there back to the train station.