Wild and romantic around Neustadt a. d. Aisch

From the station, follow the Bahnhof road east towards the city centre for about 300 metres. Soon you are 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 Riedfelder Ortsstraße. Between Riedfelder Ortsstraße 46 and 50 you will find the "Roter Marter" statue, which is several centuries old.

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

This cultural-historical monument was almost lost during construction work in the 1970s. When the Pfalzbach stream was to be piped in 1975, an excavator driver drove over the statue, which broke into several pieces. It was subsequently reassembled, but contrary to the earlier depiction, it was put back upside down.

Both the Red and White Marters 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 briefly at the spot and say a short prayer for those who were to be commemorated by the erection of the shrine.

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

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

This layer of sandstone, over 20 metres thick, is 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 road until you reach the crossroads. Now follow hiking trail N3 northwest to the edge of the forest.

On a clear day, you can see as far as Franconian Switzerland on the horizon from here in an easterly direction, the Frankenhöhe with Lehrbergtonen at the railway station in the south and the wide Aisch valley in the southwest.

At the small airfield, you can stop at Il Ristorante Aeronautica for 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. From the special airfield in Neustadt an der Aisch, ultralights, gliders and smaller motorised aircraft take to the skies. And this has been the case since 1928. Flight operations can be observed directly from the terrace or also from inside the restaurant.

The restaurant serves handmade pizza, pasta dishes that change weekly and other Italian specialities. Of course, coffee and cake are not missing either.

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

Turn left there, pass the orchard meadows, back to the Pfalzbach gorge and into the town area to the starting point.

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

The station restaurant is popular and well-known for its freshly prepared Greek food. But German cuisine is also on offer, as well as take-away snacks. In the warm season, you can also sit comfortably outside and let the impressions of the hike fade away with a cool glass of beer or a glass of wine.

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