Tour M1: The Agger Loop

The hike begins at the church in Marialinden. We initially walk north, which means: if we are facing the cathedral towers from the front, we turn LEFT. We walk downhill along the Bernsauer Jagdweg (Bernsau Hunting Trail) from the Marien-Kirchplatz (St. Mary's Church Square). A magnificent view opens up over the Agger Valley and the opposite hills of the Bergisches Land region. To the left, the Overath residential area of ​​Ferrenberg is clearly visible, about 3 km away as the crow flies; to the right, the A4 motorway winds its way towards Cologne in the distance. Straight ahead, due north, the church of Hohkeppel can be seen above the rooftops of the next houses, 6 km away in good visibility. Behind us, the Marialinden Cathedral offers a beautiful photo opportunity.
After 5 minutes we reach the hamlet of Höhe. At the small intersection, we turn RIGHT and follow the hiking trail markers (see map in the flyer). Only about 100 m further on, a farm track branches off to the LEFT, leading down into the Lombach valley. The hiking trail markers are also posted there. We hike into the forest and continue straight ahead downhill. After a few minutes, we pass a small pond and a large one.
Shortly after, the path forks. We take the LEFT fork, following a gentle path downhill, keeping the stream on our right the whole time. After another 15 minutes, the path curves to the right. CAUTION: Don't miss the LEFT turn here! A trail marker directs us onto a narrow path that winds its way down to the stream. A lovely wooden bridge takes us across the stream 2 minutes later. We continue STRAIGHT AHEAD.
A path now leads us along the left bank of the Agger, constantly undulating above the river. Several beautiful views open up of the river, which initially flows steeply below. A pleasant bench invites you to rest. Ducks are often seen.
After a few minutes, the path levels out and no longer runs so far above the shore. We pass the ruins of a bunker.
We reach the first houses of Overath on our side of the river. We stay on the Agger embankment until we reach the Agger bridge. After crossing the L 312 road, we continue straight ahead on the path for about 100 meters until we reach a paved area. Now pay attention: Where the path ends on the paved area, we turn left. Immediately after about 30 meters, we turn right again onto the street "An der Brücke" (At the Bridge).

We've been hiking for just under an hour since we started. Halfway there! A sign on the right points the way to the pedestrian bridge over the Agger River, which is clearly visible about 50 meters ahead. From here, it's only a 5-minute walk to Overath train station. This is also the starting point if you're starting at the Overath train station. At 90 meters above sea level, it's about 160 meters lower than Marialinden Cathedral, which sits at about 250 meters above sea level.
If we decide not to make a detour to Overath, we continue along the road "An der Brücke" (At the Bridge). We follow it and turn right at the next junction. After a few minutes, the road climbs steeply into the district of Wasser. At a junction where we turn right, we continue uphill. After a few meters, we leave the district of Wasser behind us.
After a left turn, we leave the paved path and keep LEFT at the fork. The "Overath Pilgrim's Way" (16) is also signposted there. We follow this path towards Marialinden. For a short while, the path is no longer quite so steep. Looking back, a beautiful view opens up over Overath and the Agger Valley.
After a short, steeper section, we reach the houses of the hamlet of Schiefenthal. We pass the first house on the RIGHT and then continue almost level and STRAIGHT AHEAD into a meadow path. There, we again see the trail marker for the "Overath Pilgrim's Way" (16). After a few meters, we enter a dense beech forest. At the edge of the forest, we keep LEFT/STRAIGHT AHEAD. The path then climbs steeply again. It continues for almost 15 minutes through the forest before we see another house.
We reach the L 312 state road, which leads from Overath to Much. We turn RIGHT towards the Landgasthaus Sonne (Sun Country Inn) at the roundabout, the highest point of the road. The climb back up to the Marialinden ridge is now complete.
At the roundabout, we cross the road and walk towards Marialinden. After about 100 meters, we leave the "Overath Pilgrim's Way" (16) and turn LEFT onto Kirschbaum Street. We walk through Kirschbaum and continue along the paved path into the forest. When the forest ends on the right and houses come into view straight ahead, we need to pay attention: Immediately after the last trees, we turn RIGHT past the barrier and up the meadow. At the top of the meadow, we now have our starting point and destination in sight again: the cathedral.
We continue along the lovely meadow path until we reach the old Roman road. The final stretch up to the cathedral follows the old pilgrimage route back to our starting point. We reach it after a total of 2 hours and 05 minutes of walking time.
After a good two hours, the Marialinden Cathedral welcomes us back to our starting point.