The Geierlay rope suspension bridge is not for those of a nervous disposition. At 360 metres long and 100 metres high, this spectacular engineering marvel hovers high above the valley known as the Mörsdorfer Bachtal. Since it was opened in 2015, it has had an enormous number of visitors from all over the world walk across its planks. Pure adrenaline for anyone who likes to aim high!
Not only in the Himalayas does it take you up to dizzying heights, but in the Hunsrück Heights it does the same: the rope suspension bridge based on a Nepalese design. The further you walk towards the middle of the Geierlay, the more you’ll wish you had as good a head for heights as a Sherpa. The foundations of the two bridgeheads are sunk 25 metres deep in the rock. It can bear a maximum load of 50 tons, i.e. around 600 people each weighing 80 kilos. Probably more than would ever fit on the bridge at all. The bridge’s unusual name is incidentally composed of the words Geier (meaning vulture or bird of prey) and lay (slate rocks), of which there are many in the area. After a walk of almost two kilometres, you reach the entrance to the bridge. Apart from a dose of courage, you won’t need anything else. But you'll certainly be rewarded with a terrific experience.
Geierlay rope suspension bridge, Hunsrück
The rope suspension bridge is part of a very attractive, approximately six-kilometre premium hiking trail known as the Geierlay loop. You start at the Mörsdorf visitor centre, cross the suspension bridge and take part of the premium long-distance Saar-Hunsrück climb back to Mörsdorf.
Balduinseck castle ruins, Baybach gorge, Eltz Castle, Cochem, Metternich Castle, Traumschleife Layensteig (hiking loop).
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