Mill hiking route - the mills in the Elbbach valley

Description

From the Dickendorfer Mill, this moderate circular route takes you through the picturesque Elbbach valley and over the "Weißen Gaul" - a wooded ridge between Dickendorf and the Steinebachtal, past the Bindweide to Steinebach/Sieg at the visitor mine "Grube Bindweide." Further along the Steinebach, which flows into the Elbbach in Elben, through Elben to the Dauersberger Mill. You return exclusively along the Elbbach to the starting point at the Dickendorfer Mill.

A varied hike with a series of beautiful views and further sights. Most of the time you walk along the Elbbach, which is sometimes accompanied by natural forest and sometimes the valley is characterized by meadows and pastureland. On the "Weißen Gaul" you will find a beautiful forest area with stately trees as well as freshly reforested areas.

On the hiking trail in Steinebach/Sieg are the visitor mine Grube Bindweide and the Westerwald Museum - Motorcycles and Technology.

The main attractions are, of course, the two still functioning water mills.

Approach

Talstraße 1, 57520 Dickendorf

Public transport

Westerwald bus stop in Talstraße in close proximity.

Parking

Hiking car park with about 15 free parking spaces

Directions

The route starts and ends at the hiking car park at the Dickendorfer Mill. There are about 15 free parking spaces available there. The hike begins with crossing the lightly trafficked district road between Dickendorf and Elben. First, you go up the steep forest path that leads you over the "Weißen Gaul" - a wooded ridge.

The entire path is well marked with a stylized mill wheel. The forest area is currently marked by spruce dieback caused by bark beetles and drought. Here, there was a clear-cutting of the spruce forest, which has already been reforested with new tree species and will soon produce a new forest. The path offers you an impressive view of Dickendorf directly below you and further on to the places Kausen and Molzhain.

Afterwards, you walk along a straight farm road past the Steinebach district Biesenstück directly towards Bindweide. Here, buildings from the active time of the iron ore mine Bindweide, which was closed in 1932, still stand. After a few meters across the district road, you turn right onto the path that runs below the railway line. Then a forest path leads you to the visitor center "Grube Bindweide" with a new pit forge. You can have an impressive mining experience with a ride into the tunnel. Equally remarkable is the Westerwald Museum, Motorcycles & Technology, about 200 meters away. It is located somewhat off the hiking trail at Hauptstraße 21 in Steinebach/Sieg.

The hiking trail leads you from the visitor mine further through Barbarastraße to the village exit towards Elben. After a short ascent on a field and forest path, from which you have a beautiful view over the Steinebachtal to the municipality of Gebhardshain, it then goes downhill again and across the first track of a narrow-gauge railway through Elben to the Dauersberger Mill, which is reached via an Elbbach footbridge. After visiting the mill, you return on the same path through the Elbbach valley back to Elben. Here, you must cross the main road at the bus stops by the community center and turn right into Petersberg street, which leads you straight out of Elben along a nature-friendly path along the Elbbach to the Dickendorfer Mill.

Safety instructions

Wear sturdy footwear as well as weather-appropriate, functional clothing that protects you from cold and wet or heat and sun.

Take sufficient fluids with you. There are not always catering options available.

Please wear suitable hiking shoes that give you sufficient support even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.

If you think certain sections of the path are impassable for you, you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, natural paths can have muddy and slippery sections.

Particularly in autumn, note that fallen leaves on the ground can cover unevenness, roots, stones, or holes in the path. You must expect impairments of this kind when undertaking a hike.

Although the path is very well marked throughout, for safety reasons you should always have an appropriate hiking map with you.

Equipment

Hiking shoes are recommended. Clothing should be adapted to the respective weather conditions.

Tips

At the mill café, you can pamper yourself with coffee and cake after the route. In the Dauersberger Mill, the farm shop offers potatoes, meat, and eggs from its own production.

Destination

Hiking car park at the Dickendorfer Mill, Talstraße 1, 57520 Dickendorf

Starting Point

Hiking car park at the Dickendorfer Mill, Talstraße 1, 57520 Dickendorf