Westweg-Etappe 12 (Ost) Schweigmatt - Oberminseln

From Schweigmatt, steep paths first lead across mountain meadows and then through the beech forest down to the Schammernbach stream. On the outskirts of Hasel, the Westweg turns right and crosses the Entengraben, behind which the actual Dinkelberg begins with fields, meadows and orchards. The path now leads through a landscape characterised by many, sometimes steep depressions in the ground. These are the remains of sinkholes, collapse funnels of underlying cavities in the perforated karst. After crossing the main road, you reach Lake Eichen - if you can see it at all. This is because Lake Eichen is a karst lake that only appears temporarily and is fed by irregularly leaking groundwater, regardless of the weather. The trail continues along the height of the Dinkelberg, sometimes across meadows and past orchards, then through forest again. Finally, after a short, steep climb, you reach the highest point of the Kalkstock: the Hohe Flum (536 metres). From the observation tower, you can look out over the surrounding orchards into the nearby Wiesental or Rhine Valley and back to the Hohe Möhr, which now seems a long way away. You then descend to Oberminseln.