Black Forest-Jura-Lake Constance path: Engen - Singen

From Engen train station, we start southwest with a view of the first intermediate destination, the city's local mountain. From the platform, we initially go through the underpass, cross Hegau Street at the traffic lights, turn right into Scheffel Street, and then take a left curve onto Hewen Street. Another long-distance hiking trail of the Black Forest Association accompanies us 500 m from the location "Ludwig-Finckh-Str.": the "Querweg Freiburg – Bodensee" with the red-white lozenge is part of the European long-distance path E1 here. Together, we reach the Engen district of Anselfingen and climb steeply 200 m along the forest edge to the "Herrenweg." Here we could already interrupt the route to the further ascent to the summit of Hohenhewen, but we stay on the west side of the mountain and descend steeply 275 m again.

On the "Ludwig-Finckh-Weg" we walk through Welschingen towards Hohenstoffeln. The path is named after the local poet Ludwig Finckh, who advocated in 1939 for the halt of basalt quarrying on the distinctive Hegau mountain, thereby ensuring that two of the originally three peaks remain. Until then, the three Hohenstoffeln ruins also served as quarries.

First, however, we turn south in Welschingen and hike along the road to Weiterdingen to the "Ertenhag." Environmentalists also fought here to preserve the approximately 150-hectare forest area that was to be sacrificed for gravel extraction. The changed route now leads right through the forest, steeply uphill through open farmland at "Am Binninger Ried," and then again in dense forest to the fork "Ob Wangen," where the former Querweg from Weiterdingen came up. On the further ascent, we skirt "Am Basaltbruch" to the summit of Hohenstoffeln initially on its east side to the fork "Eiche." From here, we can make a detour to the two scenic summits. Then we hike eastwards down to Lochmühle.

From the Roggensteig, the pleasantly descending meadow path offers a wide view to Mägdeberg and Hohentwiel. Halfway to Lochmühle, a short detour to the right on Hilzinger Street is worthwhile to the Heiliggrabkapelle. On today's connecting road between Weiterdingen and Hilzingen, an important trade route ran during Roman times. Travelers liked to refill their drinking water supplies at the then still bubbling spring in the "Kapellenhof." In 1694, Baron Karl Balthasar von Hornstein (1649-1723) donated a chapel here, which was named Heiliggrabkapelle at his request. It is a faithful replica of the Holy Sepulchre of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Such copies met the wishes of many believers who were unable to visit the original in Jerusalem.

We must climb 150 m again and are rewarded with the panoramic view from the Hegaukreuz. From here, it is still 9 km to Singen am Hohentwiel, located 200 m lower. To the southeast, we see the well-preserved remains of Mägdeberg Castle on a forested hill. An unmarked forest path leads left backwards to it. Only at the forest edge does a sign provide information about the castle's history.

At Mägdeberger Hof, turn right and, passing between Offerenbühl and Schüsselbühl, go straight to Hohenkrähen. The castle serves as the federal headquarters of the scouting association "Grauer Reiter". At the gate arch to the outer bailey, the hiking trail turns south, leads to the parking lot, and continues right to Hotel Restaurant Hegauhaus, and then to the unremarkable "Staufen". A castle once stood on this phonolite mountain too. However, the sparse wall remains are not worth a detour, which is also unmarked.

On exiting the forest, we already see the Hohentwiel ahead of us. Between is the A81 motorway, which was routed underground for 700 m to preserve the landscape's appearance. Even if there is no time to visit Hohentwiel Fortress, a tour through the information center at the estate is worthwhile. Thanks to its commander Konrad Widerholt, Hohentwiel was never captured. To prevent possible besiegers from using nearby castles as bases during the Thirty Years' War, he had them destroyed in advance as a precaution.

A shady path from the estate leads down through the forest and then to the former grounds of the state garden show with a parking lot and the Regionalbahn "Seehas" stop.