Wild and romantic around Neustadt a. d. Aisch

From the station, follow the Bahnhof road eastwards towards the town centre for about 300 metres. You will soon find yourself in the Aischaue and cross the river on an idyllic bridge.

Follow the Geissteg for 200 metres and you have now reached the district of Riedfeld. Riedfeld was an important church and royal seat in the 8th and 9th centuries.

Cross the Riedfeld local road. Between Riedfelder Ortsstraße 46 and 50 you will find the centuries-old "Roter Marter" statue.

The "Roter Marter" wayside shrine made of red sandstone dates back to 1488 and the images on it can only be guessed at due to weathering: they show the crucifixion scene (with the year 1488 carved underneath), the Gregorius Mass (a very popular depiction of a legend in the late Middle Ages), St Christopher and St Laurentius. A small shoe is also depicted above the latter motif, which could possibly provide a clue to the founder of the martyrdom.

This cultural and historical monument was almost lost during construction work in the 1970s. When the Pfalzbach stream was to be channelled in 1975, an excavator driver knocked over the marter, breaking it into several pieces. It was then reassembled, but contrary to the earlier depiction, it was put back up upside down.

Both the Red and White Marterns have in common that they were erected at the side of important roads. The reason for this was that passers-by were supposed to pause for a moment at the spot and say a short prayer for those who were to be commemorated by the erection of the martyres.

At the "Rote Marter", take the footpath to the left and follow the course of the stream.

You have left the houses behind you and are now walking in the Pfalzbach valley on an initially gentle, then steeper ascent through the Lehrberg clays to the Blasensandstein plateau.

This sandstone layer is over 20 metres thick and over 200 million years old. It bears its name because of the bubble-like cavities that have formed due to weather-related erosion of clay nests.

After leaving the gorge, turn right onto the dirt track to the crossroads. Now follow hiking trail N3 in a north-westerly direction until you reach the edge of the forest.

On a clear day, you can see as far as Franconian Switzerland on the horizon to the east, the Franconian Heights with the Lehrbergtonen at the railway station to the south and the wide Aisch Valley to the south-west.

At the small airfield, you can stop off at Il Ristorante Aeronautica and take a break.

The name of the restaurant "Il Ristorante Aeronautica" says it all. Italian culinary delights go hand in hand with the fascination of flying. Microlights, gliders and small motorised aircraft take to the skies from the special Neustadt an der Aisch airfield, and have been doing so since 1928. The flights can be watched directly from the terrace or from inside the restaurant.

The restaurant serves handmade pizza, weekly changing pasta dishes and other Italian specialities. Coffee and cake are of course also available.

Now turn right along the road with a marvellous view of the Aisch valley until you reach the first houses.

Turn left there, pass the orchards and return to the Pfalzbach gorge and the town centre to the starting point.

Neustadt an der Aisch railway station was opened in 1865. It was an important junction on the railway line between Nuremberg and Würzburg, which opened at the same time.

The station restaurant is popular and well-known for its freshly prepared Greek dishes. German cuisine is also on offer, as well as take-away snacks. In the warmer months, you can also sit outside in a cosy atmosphere and round off your hike with a cool glass of beer or wine.

After you have refreshed yourself here or simply rested, the way to your platform is very close.