Circular hike on the Wied route between Schöneberg and Seelbach

Description

At the beginning of my route, I follow the trail marking of the Wied route, which takes me over the Wied slopes and the Obernauer Kopf towards Berzhausen. Here, I repeatedly have a beautiful view of the winding Wied, whose river course turns about 45 degrees south near Obernau.

Bark beetle damage on coniferous trees also changes the landscape here, which, however, was said to have looked very different about 100 years ago due to busy mining activity between Schöneberg and Neiterschen.

Behind Berzhausen, I am once again very close to the river, accompanied by the railway tracks of the "Holzbachtal line" towards Puderbach. Currently, only freight trains run here; passenger transport has long been discontinued.
Along the forest, I reach the sports field of Bettgenhausen and here change to the main hiking trail + of the Westerwald Association.
This brings me directly back through meadow and forest landscape to Schöneberg.

Approach

Via the B 256 from the direction of Horhausen/Flammersfeld or A3 or also from the direction of Altenkirchen

Public transport

From Altenkirchen (station), you can reach Schöneberg by Regiobus 120 in less than 10 minutes. From there, it is a 6-minute walk to the starting point of the hike in the village of Schöneberg.

During weekdays and Saturdays, there are hourly connections; on Sundays, the bus runs every 2 hours.

Timetable information

Parking

In the village, 57638 Schöneberg, there are sufficient free parking spaces available.

Directions

In Schöneberg, I start in the immediate vicinity of the church, on whose site there was once said to be a small castle. In the area of the Wied bridge, I find the signage of the Wied route, which leads me along the cemetery and guides me on a forest path towards the sports field. From here I hike uphill, well aware that mining and ore extraction once took place beneath me. Today, none of this can be seen anymore; only the sports field area suggests that mining spoil enabled this flat and dry area.

Some open forest areas and small reforestations give me a clear view over many small valleys and swales, whose water feeds the Wied.
At the radio tower on the Obernauer Kopf, I have reached the highest point and now descend back into the Wied valley with a view of Berzhausen and Reiferscheid. Behind the local community of Berzhausen, I reach the railway tracks and hike towards Bettgenhausen, a district of Seelbach.
All places with a long history and many ups and downs.
Thus, Bettgenhausen, like the other villages in the region, could only develop slowly until the 19th century. Not only the poor agricultural yields were to blame for this but also the many wars that ruined the land. The Westerwald always served as a transit area. The soldiers supplied themselves from the villages and took away not only the inhabitants' food and livestock but also quartered themselves and robbed everything that seemed useful. More about the history of these places can be found on the websites of the respective villages.

I reach the sports field of Bettgenhausen and now leave the Wied route and switch to the main hiking trail +. This leads me uphill again on a winding and paved path straight back towards Schöneberg.
Meadows, deciduous and coniferous forests accompany my way. Here and there, I also see the damage caused by bark beetles, which will ensure in the long term that the forest will develop new and differently here. I am curious to see what awaits me here in a few years.

Towards the end of my route, there is again a wide view into the gentle hilly landscape and of the village Schöneberg. I reach the main road, turn left towards the church, and reach the starting point of my hike.

Safety instructions

In the winter months, the condition of the paths may be impaired by logging operations.

Equipment

In the warm season, you should definitely remember to bring drinks.

Tips

It is worth bringing some snacks, as various viewpoints along the way invite you to rest again and again.

Destination

57638 Schöneberg

Starting Point

57638 Schöneberg