WesterwaldSteig 04. stage Rennerod - Westerburg (east-west)

Description

Where green gorges entice, ancient power places appear and the power of fate can be felt

The place of the nine mighty lindens, known as the Witch Tree, is eerily beautiful and tells of torture, death, and the devil. How nice that the next striking place called Butterweck has a very different nature. Not from the center of the earth, but at least from the geographical center of the former Federal Republic before reunification announces the rounded rock, which really resembles a Butterweck, a round bread roll. And yet another place tells history. The three Emperor Oaks were planted in 1888 in the Year of the Three Emperors. They are all fateful places and with the old wisdom that man thinks, but God directs, you continue walking through the sublime silence of the forests. Not far from the pretty Secker Weiher ponds, you can already feel the anticipation of the wild romantic valley that the Holzbach breaks through. In the bright shadow realm, elves could reign. Like from a green fairy tale book grow ferns and forest flowers, basalt stones seem scattered by giant hands. And above all, a green roof towers, under which you feel comfortable and safe. Similar things await you in the Gemünden collegiate church, where you can let your thoughts wander and listen to the peace. The baroque organ must sound wonderful. One power place follows another. The Katzenstein is said to have once been a pre-Christian cult site. On the way to Westerburg, the nearly 400-meter high rock formation crosses your path.

Approach

From south or north: via B54 to Rennerod exit

From east or west: via B255 to Rennerod exit

Public transport

Getting there by public transport

Train to ICE station Montabaur and bus to Rennerod bus station: Bus line 460 to "Altes Katasteramt, Westerburg" and from there change to bus line 480 to Rennerod (daily; travel time: approx. 1 hour)

Return to the stage start

Return from Westerburg to Rennerod: Bus line 480 (Monday-Saturday)

Bus stop Westerburg: Westerburg Bf/Station (via a approx. 1.8 km long side path you reach the start towards Rennerod)
Bus stop Rennerod: Rennerod bus station (from here a approx. 700 m long side path leads to the main trail)

www.vrminfo.de

www.bahn.de

Taxi recommendations:

Taxi Große, Rennerod, Tel. 02664/992221

Taxi Kulas, Rennerod, Tel. 02664/1020

Taxi Reuter, Rennerod, Tel. 02664/8274

Taxi Börner, Westerburg, Tel. 02663/3316

Taxi Milanowski, Westerburg, Tel. 02663/914100

Here you can find more hiking route tips with bus and train connection.

Parking

Rennerod: Bahnhofsstraße or Friedhofsweg or at the Westerwaldhalle
Westerburg: Car park at the campsite "Zum Katzenstein" or in the town at Burgmannenplatz (below the castle), at the Town Hall (Gartenstraße), An der Hofwiese.

Directions

Rennerod lies sheltered from the wind in the southward sloping valley of the Holzbach. The WesterwaldSteig reaches right up to the urban area. After about two kilometers, you reach the Seitenstein, a 20 m high basalt formation in the middle of the forest, to which an information board tells an exciting legend. Very close by, about 500 m southeast of the WesterwaldSteig, is the model airfield of the model building club Rennerod e.V. Flight operation mainly takes place on weekends from April to October.

Forest paths lead to the Secker Weiher ponds, which the trail passes directly. They were laid out from 1672 by Prince Moritz Heinrich von Nassau-Hadamar near a small hunting lodge. The Große Weiher is ten hectares large. There is a campsite with a restaurant here.

The highlight of this stage is the Holzbach Gorge. The entrance to the gorge is located at the Dappricher Hof near Seck. The Holzbach, a tributary of the Elbbach, has carved its way deeply into the basalt here before flowing past Gemünden towards Hessen. The gorge is about one kilometer long and up to 20 meters deep. Fallen basalt blocks and uprooted trees give the narrow valley a wild stream-like character. Information boards along the gorge help you identify the local plants and animals. Gentle hills, extensive deciduous forests, and wide meadow valleys characterize the region around Westerburg. Passing the campsite and the inn “Zum Katzenstein,” you now hike along narrow paths through the forest to the Katzenstein, a rock made of plate basalt. Here stands a monument for the expellees from the former German eastern territories. It offers a wonderful view over Westerburg all the way to the Taunus range. Soon you reach the end of the stage at the eastern edge of the town. From here, you can quickly reach the town center by a marked side path.

Side trails (marking: green W on yellow background):

• from the town center of Rennerod to the starting point of the stage (approx. 0.7 km)
• from the Seitenstein to Hellenhahn-Schellenberg (approx. 2.4 km)
• from the Hofgut Dapprich to the hiking car park at the L300 (approx. 0.5 km)
• from the western outskirts of Gemünden into the town (approx. 0.7 km)
• from the eastern edge of Westerburg to the town center (approx. 1.2 km) and to the station (approx. 1.8 km)

Safety instructions

If you think that certain trail sections are not passable for you, you should bypass them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, natural paths can become muddy and slippery.

Particularly in autumn, you should be aware that leaves on the ground can cover unevenness, roots, stones, or holes in the path. You have to expect such trail impairments when hiking.

Although the trail is very well marked throughout, for safety reasons you should always carry a suitable hiking map or download the free app "Rheinland-Pfalz erleben".

Equipment

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

Take sufficient fluids with you. There are not always places to stop for food and drink.

Please wear hiking boots suitable for the trail, which provide enough support even on slippery, steep, rocky, or uneven paths.

Tips

Enjoy a delicious piece of homemade cake or tart at the farm café at Hofgut Dapprich (Wed-Sun 2-6 pm)!

Literature

WesterwaldSteig folding hiking map at a scale of 1:25,000

Order at www.westerwald-shop.info.

Destination

Westerburg, a side path leads from the eastern outskirts past the castle into the town

Starting Point

Western outskirts of Rennerod, a side path from the town center leads here via Friedhofsweg