WesterwaldSteig 5th stage Westerburg - Freilingen (east-west)

Description

Where Burgmannen lived, colorful meadow valleys flourish, and glittering water surfaces entice

Hidden beauties. You stroll through the narrow streets of the old town and discover masterful half-timbering like in the beautiful Burgmannenhaus, or the colorful stained glass windows in the choir of the old castle church. In the traditional costume museum anno dazumal you encounter the simple and hard life of past times. A detour to the nearby Wiesensee immediately gives you vacation feelings. The lake is pure idyll (ATTENTION: currently the Wiesensee unfortunately has no water!)! You will repeatedly be accompanied on this stage by the quiet blue of numerous ponds and lakes. The landscape now shows the charm of gentle hills, extensive meadow valleys, and bright deciduous forests. A nature with special charisma! Perhaps it is precisely for this reason that numerous pilgrimage sites have formed here in the Westerwald. In honor of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage church has been built elsewhere, but also not far from Westerburg. Discover the beautiful interior of the Liebfrauenkirche! A piece of heaven on earth will repeatedly meet you here. Heavenly beautiful but of a very different nature presents itself the Westerwald Lake District. A real blessing for summer vacationers, bathers, and nature lovers. Here you can just let yourself drift, forget the time, and play with bare feet in the water.

At the campsite in Freilingen, directly on the Postweiher and in the middle of a nature and bird sanctuary, you will find a very special accommodation: five hiking huts that invite you to relax and unwind after your hike.

Approach

From south, west, and north: via B255 to Westerburg exit

From east: via B54 to Westerburg exit

Public transport

Arrival by public transport

Train to ICE station Montabaur and bus to Westerburg station: bus line 460 (daily)

Train from Cologne or Limburg direction to Westerburg stop

www.bahn.de

www.vrminfo.de

Back to the stage start

Unfortunately, there is no bus connection between Freilingen and Westerburg, so returning by taxi is recommended.

Taxi recommendations:

Taxi Börner, Westerburg, Tel. 02663/3316
Taxi Milanowski, Westerburg, Tel. 02663/914100
Taxi Hetzler, Selters, Tel. 02626/6445

Here are more hiking route tips with bus and train connections.

Parking

Westerburg: Parking at the campsite "Zum Katzenstein" or in town at Burgmannenplatz (below the castle), at Ratssaal (Gartenstraße), An der Hofwiese, Park & Ride parking lot at the train station

Freilingen: Hiking parking lot opposite the Freilingen campsite, Postweiher, 56244 Freilingen (directly on the B8); entrance to the WesterwaldSteig on the opposite side (right past the Postweiher)

Directions

The WesterwaldSteig initially leads through meadows and pastures to Hergenroth. Here, a detour to the nearby Wiesensee is recommended, which is not directly on the WesterwaldSteig (ATTENTION: currently the Wiesensee unfortunately has no water!). It covers 80 hectares and derives its great appeal from the scenic beauty. Formerly a fish breeding pond, it is now exclusively a recreational area. The trail leads over the Hergenrother Kopf to Brandscheid and Rothenbach, continuing to the Wölferlinger Weiher and the Westerwald Lake District, a particularly charming and unique cultural landscape in the Westerwald. It stretches as a rolling upland between the mountain peaks of the Hachenburger and Höchstenbacher forests in the north to the valley of the Saynbach in the south. Seven reservoir ponds gave the Westerwald Lake District its name. The ponds are connected by canals. At the beach at Postweiher, you can swim, paddle, pedal boat, and surf. You will reach the stage destination shortly afterward at the playground and hiking parking lot.

Access paths (marking: green W on yellow background):

• from the eastern outskirts of Westerburg to the town center (approx. 1.2 km) and to the train station (approx. 1.8 km)
• from Hergenroth to Wiesensee (approx. 1.9 km)
• from the forest near Gershasen to Westerburg station (approx. 2.5 km) and to the town center (approx. 3.1 km)
• from the western edge of town to Rothenbach (approx. 0.2 km)
• from Wölferlingen to the Helleberg observation tower (approx. 2.4 km)
• loop through Freilingen (approx. 1.6 km)
• from the Steinen playground to Steinen (approx. 1.4 km)

Safety instructions

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

Especially in autumn, attend to the fact that fallen leaves on the ground can cover irregularities, roots, stones, or holes in the path. You must expect such path impairments when hiking.

Although the path is very well marked throughout, for safety reasons you should always carry a suitable hiking map with you or download the free app "Experience Rhineland-Palatinate".

Equipment

Wear sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate, functional clothing to protect against cold and wet conditions or heat and sun.

Bring enough fluids. There are not dining opportunities everywhere.

We recommend packed food!

Please wear suitable hiking shoes that provide sufficient grip even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.

Tips

Enjoy your packed lunch in the WesterwaldSteig shelter above Kölbingen.

For "circular hikers": Experience loop "Green Trail and Lake Path" (approx. 16 km)

Literature

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

Order at www.westerwald-shop.info.

Destination

Freilingen, hiking parking lot

Starting Point

Eastern outskirts of Westerburg; an access path from the station leads here through the town center