Castle Camping in Winter: A Night at Schmidtburg at -8°C

Minus 8 degrees, frozen ground and a medieval castle ruin high above the Hahnenbach valley. For our winter camp we headed to Schmidtburg in the Hunsrück. The castle can officially be booked for overnight stays, but at these temperatures we had the place to ourselves. Castle camping in deep winter was a first for most of us, and the first minutes set the tone: cold fingers, frost on the backpacks and a pile of firewood that still needed collecting.

Arriving at the Castle: Firewood, Frost and a Winter Setup
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The start was practical. Collect wood, prep the fire pit, set up camp. Below freezing, preparation decides how the evening goes, so the fire was burning before dusk. The setups in the group were mixed: tents right against the castle wall and a few open sleeping spots under the sky. Once the fire was going, the camp came alive. We carved, baked bread on sticks and got the first hot drinks into cold hands. That contrast is what I like about bushcraft. Outside it stays harsh, at the fire everything calms down.

During the day we took a closer look at the ruins. Schmidtburg is one of the oldest castles in the Hunsrück, first mentioned in 1084, and around 1800 the outlaw Schinderhannes hid here from the gendarmes. In winter the place has a mood of its own: quiet, clear, almost timeless. You hear wind, footsteps on cold stone and not much else.

Andreas, Philipp, Sascha, Timo, Heike & Peter, Bernd, Angie and Tobias joined the trip. Tours like this depend on the group, and everyone brought experience and humor along. If you want to see more, check out Heike & Peter, Bernd and Angie.

Ice Bathing Below Zero and Warm Wraps at the Fire
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Andreas and Sascha went into the water at sub-zero temperatures. Ice bathing was never on my list, and just watching made me cold. Respect to both of them. In the evening we made warm wraps for everyone: chicken and ground beef from the hunter’s skillet, plus fresh vegetables, cheese and a table full of fillings. I seasoned everything from my spice pouch, three bottles are all I need at the campfire.

Cold Night, Clear Morning and a Clean Finish
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The night delivered exactly what -8 °C promises: cold, clear and silent. I slept in the Carinthia Observer, which handles these temperatures well as a bivy bag. In the morning frost covered the tents along the castle wall. After coffee and breakfast we broke camp and left the site the way we found it.

If you are thinking about an overnight stay at Schmidtburg yourself: the castle can be booked for camping, in the Hahnenbach valley near Schneppenbach. In winter you need a setup for sub-zero nights and enough firewood. In return you get one of the largest castle ruins in the region almost to yourself.