All cycle paths in the Westerwald

There's plenty to discover on this 22 km tour. Allow extra time to explore attractions like the Planetarium in Sessenbach and ceramics at the Keramikbahnhof Grenzau. The route takes you through the forest and historic sites. Your tour starts in Grenzau at the Hotel Zugbrücke, following the German Limes Cycle Path to the northeast. The circular course begins with curves and flat stretches, tackles the ascent to Kammerforst, and leads uphill through the woods. Descending to Wittgert with a view of the enchanting Sayn Valley. Continuing along the Saynbach, you'll conquer the ascent to the watershed between Brexbach and Saynbach. You'll pass through places like Wirscheid and Sessenbach on your way.

Depending on when I take this tour, I visit the Westerwald Ceramics Museum in Höhr-Grenzhausen before or after, the largest of its kind in the world. The town is one of the centers in Kannenbäckerland, the land of pottery. From the Schlossberg in Grenzau, the castle with its triangular keep greets us on the left. Later, when I arrive in Selters, I take some time to explore the historic town center of this village, which is one of the oldest in the Westerwald. I continue to Mogendorf. Here, wonderful ceramic objects are produced partly by hand in the many potteries, most of which have the typical salt glaze of the Kannenbäckerland. In Siershahn waits the Tonbergbaumuseum, which is open in the afternoons between April and November and otherwise by appointment. In Wirges, I like to visit the Westerwald Cathedral, and the Sculpture and Miniature Museum in the Fackelhahn/Rohr industrial park on the A 3 also attracts me with its large collection.

The center of the lake district is the Dreifelder Weiher, because it is the largest of the lakes, two kilometers long and up to 800 meters wide. Here I can swim and row, and I can also rent a pedal boat. With a little time, I go on the hiking trail with 16 display boards, on which a lot can be read about the nature and the people here. Afterwards I look for a nice place to rest and eat, for example the cozy café-restaurant "Haus am See". Another highlight of the region is the large adventure playground near Steinen-Dreifelden. This forest playground entices the offspring to play for hours: a nice reward after a third of the tour. There are numerous benches and a shelter, as well as a fireplace for barbecue lovers and, of course, playground equipment such as large slides, swings and more. The Freilingen miniature golf course is suitable for the whole family. It is located at the Postweiher and offers drinks and snacks in addition to twelve lanes. The village of Freilingen also has a lido at the Postweiher.

I'm standing at the Rotenhain train station and decide to pay a visit to the nearby Stöffel Park first. In this quarry adventure park, the world's first mouse was found with an age of 25 million years. Then it goes back and my next destination is the Wied spring in Linden. I follow the markings to the Dreifelder Weiher, the largest of the lakes in the Westerwald lake district, and enjoy the wonderful natural landscape of the Wiedaue on the tour. Near Altenkirchen I come across the 100-year-old Bismarck Tower, which can be visited on the first Sunday of every month. The Alvensleben tunnel then awaits in Burglahr. Ore was mined here until 1930, today it is open to visitors. The handicraft museum in Waldbreitbach, next to an oil mill, also arouses my curiosity. I can visit it on Saturdays and Sundays and take a coffee break in the rustic rooms. The further way leads me directly to Neuwied, where the Wied flows into the Rhine.

The tour is about 34 kilometers long, I start in the center of Bad Marienberg. For this place I should take some time, either before or after the tour. So there is a game park and a climbing forest on the outskirts of town, in the city the Park of the Senses and the spa park with apothecary garden and barefoot path. In addition, the town offers a basalt park that can be visited. The tour leads me through the valley of the Black Nister to Hahn and Dreisbach. Over fields and through woods it goes on to the Wiesensee. I reach Stahlhofen am Wiesensee with its listed old school. Now the path leads me sometimes closer, sometimes farther around the lake to Pottum. From here I cycle on a big loop via Hellenhahn-Schellenberg (you can see among other things half-timbered houses), Fehl-Ritzhausen and Großseifen (old schoolhouse) back to Bad Marienberg.

In knowledge, I already take the first break to look at Schönstein Castle. The Heister chapel, one of the oldest of its kind, and the Catholic parish church of the Elevation of the Cross, begun in the year 1000, are also worth a look. In Hachenburg I am greeted by the castle, which today is the Deutsche Bundesbank University. The gilded Sayn heraldic lion stands on the Alter Markt. The Stone House (today "Gasthaus zur Krone") is also worth seeing. It is worth walking a little around the beautiful place. On the Gräbersberg near Alpenrod I climb the lookout tower and have a meal in the serviced Alpenroder Hütte. The observation tower gives me wonderful views. A short time later I come across the Wiedquelle near Linden. We continue to Dreifelden and its pond of the same name. Here I swim a bit and then lie down on the lawn for a moment. When I come to Staudt later, there is another place to rest with a playground on the fairground.

With Hachenburg we choose one of the most beautiful towns in the Westerwald as a starting point and linger briefly on the old market with its dreamy half-timbered backdrop before we make our way south. Soon one of the many bathing opportunities that we will encounter along the WW1 awaits us near Maroth with its forest lake. Via Selters we continue through a landscape of fields and forests to Sessenbach, where a visit to the planetarium is highly recommended. In Höhr-Grenzhausen, the next highlight awaits us with the largest ceramics museum in Europe, before we enjoy the Weserwald in all its beauty on our journey through the almost paradisiacal area of the Nassau Nature Park. Our ride up to the Fuckskaute is going to be pretty sporty again. For this we are rewarded with a magnificent view from the highest elevation in the Westerwald. Shortly before Hachenburg we recover and cover the last kilometers.

Ready for an adventure? Your circular tour begins in the enchanting town of Hachenburg. Right from the start, you'll enjoy a stunning panoramic view over the Nister valley. If you're up for it, take a short detour to the Cistercian Abbey of Marienstatt, home to one of Germany's oldest Gothic basilicas. After refueling, you'll continue through Streithausen and Luckenbach before conquering the ascent to Limbach. From a high plateau just above, the Kroppacher Schweiz offers an impressive panorama. Onward through charming villages, you'll catch marvelous glimpses extending all the way to the Siebengebirge range. Your journey leads to the Upper Wiedtal, one of the largest nature reserves, where you'll experience untouched wilderness. Soon, you'll reach the largest lake of the Westerwald Lakes Plateau, a haven for diverse wildlife and plants. Ascend the viewing tower on Gräbersberg for yet another panoramic view of the Westerwald. Then, head back to Hachenburg, where your exciting tour concludes.

I start with the ascent to the nearby Fuchskaute (657 meters) and enjoy the view. I can eat and drink something in the local inn. Then I start the tour towards Bad Marienberg. I look around the Kurpark and relax on the barefoot path and in the apothecary garden. Then I visit the interesting basalt park and take a detour to the Hedwig's Tower at the wildlife park. Here I am also rewarded with a wide view. I could also try the climbing garden, but I keep going because I want to visit the famous Stöffel Park with its many offers. I continue through Hachenburg, the "Pearl of the Westerwald", where I am enchanted by the market and the beautiful half-timbered houses. After a few kilometers I reach the Marienstatt monastery. The confluence of the Kleine Nister and the Große Nister follows at Heimborn-Ehrlich. Finally, I arrive in knowledge and explore the castle and the Heister Chapel, which is well worth seeing.

The starting point of the tour is the Fuchskaute, an extinct volcano and 657m above sea level. NN the highest elevation of the Westerwald. After Liebenscheid I cycle past Siegerland Airport, Germany's second-highest commercial airport. I also take some time for the Marienstatt Monastery. To this day, delicious beer is brewed in the in-house brewery, which you can taste in the on-site restaurant. In addition to books and art, the monastery shop offers self-made products. I can also go for a little walk here and enjoy the tranquility of the monastery.

If I wanted to cycle from the Lahn Valley to the Westerwald, I would have to overcome quite a few inclines. What a stroke of luck it is when a former railway line can be used as a cycle path. The former Ulm Valley railway - also known as the "Balkan Express" - was closed in 1976. Today, the railway line has been converted into an attractive cycle path. This allows me to experience and enjoy the low mountain range landscape with few gradients. The cycle path has been developed as a GeoRoute in the GEOPARK Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus. The Ulm Valley Railway was once built to transport raw materials from the Westerwald to the Lahn Valley. Basalt, clay and iron ore were exported from here. Today, I find many relics of mining history along the route, which I learn exciting stories about at beautifully designed rest areas and viewpoints. Shortly after starting high up on the mountain called "Knoten", one of the highest mountains in the Westerwald, I reach the Adolf Weiß monument (Hui-Wäller monument). Adolf Weiß was a true Westerwald farmer and local poet. In 1913, he won a competition for a hiker's greeting. This is still popular today: "Hui! Wäller? Allemol!" The route continues to Beilstein, where I can buy some tasty provisions in the apple shop. And in the village, the BASALT-PARKours awaits with lots of information about the raw material basalt and small climbing facilities for children. A wonderful oasis of peace has been created here. A little further on, between Beilstein and Holzhausen, is the Ulmbachtalsperre reservoir with a restaurant and swimming facilities. Above Ulm, I am greeted by the bronze head of the Erwin Piscator monument, which was erected to the famous citizen in 2016. Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Piscator's students in New York were Bea Arthur, Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Ben Gazzara, Judith Malina, Walter Matthau, Rod Steiger, Elaine Stritch, Eli Wallach, Jack Creley, and Tennessee Williams. Shortly after Allendorf, I visit the Siegfried Fietz sculpture park. On a walk through the open park, I discover wonderful large sculptures made of wood and stone. Siegfried Fietz (born 25 May 1946) is a German singer-songwriter, composer, music producer and sculptor. He has collaborated with Ivan Rebroff, Clemens Bittlinger, Dieter Falk, Eberhard Weber, Petula Clark, Uwe Kröger, Eva Lind, Bill Ramsey, Edwin Hawkins, Olivia Molina and Coretta Scott King. He developed a Weltraumsinfonie (Space Symphony) with the astronaut James Irwin. A little later, I am drawn to the Outdoor Centre Lahntal, a location with a covered beer garden in the middle of the forest. The centre also hosts events, offers overnight accommodation, canoe hire and parties of all kinds. In Biskirchen, I reach the Lahn cycle path and can refresh myself at the Gertrudisbrunnen healing spring.

We start in Flammersfeld, where the home and office building of the former mayor F.W. Raiffeisen (Raiffeisenstraße 11) still stands today. From here, the route leads through the beautiful landscape of the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park and many small villages where F.W. Raiffeisen (1818-1888) campaigned for the poor rural population and came up with the idea of cooperatives. An old mill on the Mehrbach, Ehrenstein Monastery and Lahr Castle line our cycle route, which mainly takes us along asphalt roads. In the Wiedtal valley, we are allowed to use a former railroad line and even cycle through the narrow tunnel in Peterslahr. Otherwise, we have to put up with climbs here and there, but the beautiful views make it worthwhile. The "Lahrer Herrlichkeit" is definitely worth its name and maybe the farm cheese dairy is open and you can take a piece of Westerwald delicacy home with you. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)