Hiking Trail
Route profile
Notice
In the tour planner we inform you under the tab "Current info" about temporary route changes, closures and detours.
To the Tour Planer
The history of ore mining is brought to life in Horhausen and its surroundings. A bronze statue of one of the famous sons of the city, Cardinal Joseph Höffner, archbishop of Cologne for many years, stands in the courtyard of the neo-Romanesque church in the centre of Horhausen. The social reformer Chaplain Friedrich Dasbach and Johannes Rüth, who became a bishop in Norway, were also born in Horhausen. The landscape in the Rhine-Westerwald nature park is characterised mainly by the romantic River Wied, a tributary of the Rhine. Wide valleys, hills, slopes and wooded areas are all typical of the Wied Valley. The highest point in the municipality of Neustadt is the 351.5m high volcanic cone of the Bertenauer Kopf.
A3 to the Neuwied exit (36), then continue on the B256 in the direction of Flammersfeld to Horhausen
Directions by Public Transport
Hessian State Railway: Au-Limburg to the Altenkirchen (Ww) stop, then continue by bus to the Horhausen (Westerw) Kardinal-Höffner-Platz stop: bus line 120 (daily, travel time approx. 30 minutes).
Return to the start of the stage
Return journey from Strauscheid to Horhausen: first take bus line 141 to Neustadt (Wied) (Monday to Friday, travel time approx. 10 minutes).
Note: This is a dial-a-ride service (please book at least 60 minutes before departure)! In Neustadt (Wied), change to bus line 125 (daily, travel time approx. 35 minutes).
Bus stop in Strauscheid: Strauscheid Friedhof (the entry point to the WesterwaldSteig is a short distance further towards the village exit).
Bus stop in Neustadt (Wied): Neustadt (Wied) Margarita-Platz (from the main trail of the hiking route at the K78 near Jungfernhof, a 1.9 km access path leads to the bus stop).
Recommendation: Due to better bus connections, it is recommended to hike the stage from Horhausen to Neustadt (Wied) (approx. 14 km).Bus stop in Horhausen: Horhausen (Westerw) Kardinal-Höffner-Platz.
www.bahn.de
Alternatively, a return by taxi is recommended.
Taxi Recommendations:
Taxi Rüth, Horhausen, Tel. 02687/2267
Taxi Neustadt, Neustadt/Wied, Tel. 02683/943873
Horhausen: Village centre (on the B256)
Strauscheid: Hotel "Westerwälder Hof" (Kurstraße 10) and at the village entrance
In Horhausen, you marvelled at the once abundant religious vocations. Three significant churchmen, including a Cologne cardinal and a bishop in Trondheim, have their roots here. Additionally, many priests, missionaries, and nuns came from this village. Perhaps it was the perilous mining history of the region that uniquely connected heaven and earth here. From Kirchstraße in Horhausen, you walk past the church and the Cardinal Höffner monument towards the villages of Huf and Luchert. Through Niedersteinebach and past the wildlife enclosure at Hotel Heiderhof, you proceed through the Stangenwald forest to the "Bildeiche". The trail follows the old miner’s path with views of Burglahr before reaching Peterslahr. The Wiedauen landscape accompanies your journey to Eulenberg. In switchbacks, you ascend the Bertenauer Kopf. Before that, a 1.4 km access path leads to Kloster Ehrenstein, whose history dates back to the Order of the Holy Cross in the 15th century, and it is certainly worth a visit. You continue past the Manroth basalt lake, Ammerich, and Neustadt-Kodden towards Strauscheid.
Access routes (marked with a green "W" on a yellow background):
Wear sturdy shoes and appropriate, weatherproof clothing that protects you from cold and wet or heat and sun.Take enough liquid with you. There are not always places to stop for refreshments.Please wear walking shoes appropriate for the trail, which will give you sufficient grip even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.If you are of the opinion that certain sections of the trail are not passable for you, then you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, muddy and slippery passages can occur on natural paths.Especially in autumn, you should also be aware that leaves lying on the ground can hide uneven surfaces, roots, stones or holes in the path. You must expect path impairments of this kind when you undertake a hike.Although the trail is very well marked throughout, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Hiking boots/shoes
Suitable weatherproof clothing
For culture vultures: visit Ehrenstein Abbey in the Wied Valley
- Wanderkarte-Leporello Westerwald-Steig, hiking map with GPS data and tips for day trips, rest stops and leisure activities, map size (w x h): 18 x 20 cm, 39 pages in total, including 29 pages of maps, ISBN 978-3-89920-461-2, €8.95 - Official WesterWaldSteig trail map for hikers and holidaymakers, 1:50 000 scale map, LVermGeo Rheinland-Pfalz, ISBN 978-3-89637-406-6, €8.50
Strauscheid
Horhausen
More information & GPX download
Notice
In the tour planner we inform you under the tab "Current info" about temporary route changes, closures and detours.
To the Tour Planer