Wiedweg 4th stage Altenkirchen - Oberlahr

Description

You enjoy the varied hike through the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park and the alternation between lush meadows directly by the river and cooling forests on the heights. Along the way, you pass through Obernauer Kopf (265 m) into Raiffeisenland, named after the famous social reformer Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, who founded the cooperative idea here in his lifetime. Passing Seelbach and Seifen, you continue to Döttesfeld, where the Holzbach, the largest tributary, flows into the Wied. At the rushing Holzbach, a Kneipp water treading facility has been installed directly in the creek – a refreshment that tired feet will appreciate. The adjacent barefoot path promises a welcome change as well. An interesting extra of this route is the basilica from the 12th century in Almersbach at the beginning. It welcomes you with a great location on a projecting ridge above the Wied valley in the center of an old stand of trees and with remarkably well-preserved frescoes. At the stage destination Oberlahr, you will find not only beautiful half-timbered houses but also the impressive St. Antonius parish church at the village square.

Approach

Via the A3 to Neuwied exit and via B 256 to Altenkirchen-Leuzbach or Oberlahr

Public transport

Access by public transport

Train from Cologne via Au (Sieg) station or from Limburg to Altenkirchen station. From here, a roughly 2 km access path leads to the start in Almersbach.
Alternatively, the following bus lines run from Altenkirchen station to the Almersbach, Papierfabrik stop (after about 50 m you will meet the Wiedweg at the Koblenzer Straße/Hoffnungsthal/Auf d. Hardt intersection):
- Bus line 121 (daily, with Saturday and Sunday as call-line service, travel time: approx. 4 min.)
- Bus line 122 (Monday to Friday, travel time: approx. 4 min.)
- Bus line 126 (Monday to Friday, travel time: approx. 3 min.)

Return to stage start

Return journey from Oberlahr to Altenkirchen with bus line 120 (daily, travel time approx. 25 min.).
Oberlahr bus stop: Bürdenbach-Bruch (located directly on Wiedweg)
Altenkirchen bus stop: Altenkirchen, station (from here a roughly 2 km access path leads to the main trail)

www.bahn.de | ww.vrm.info

Parking

Altenkirchen: free park and ride parking at Altenkirchen station, access path marked or free parking at the Kirchstraße hiking car park in Almersbach

Oberlahr: Hotel Westerwald-Treff, In der Huth 1, 57641 Oberlahr (free of charge)

Directions

You start your hike on Kirchweg, where you can admire the basilica as you pass by. After the cemetery, turn right onto a path and cross the Wied. Shortly before Almersbacher Straße at the entrance to Leuzbach, turn left and follow a 2.3-kilometer natural trail, past Berghausen and along the Wied for a while until just before Niederölfen. There, turn left, cross the river once more, and walk about 300 meters to Schöneberg, passing the Dorfkrug country inn and the cemetery, then turn right towards the forest. After 300 meters, follow a gravel path and then turn left into the forest. Your path now leads you uphill about 1.1 kilometers to the Altenkirchen state forest. At the top, go right and walk about 400 meters downhill, then turn left and continue for about a kilometer mostly along the forest edge. Turn left and see Höchesberg ahead and Oberauer Kopf on your right. After another 400 meters downhill and parallel to the Wied, follow a gravel path for 400 meters to Berzhausen. At Brunnenweg, turn left and walk along Schulstraße to the main street. Follow this to the right and then leave it again to the left. After 200 meters, you reach the forest and hike to the Wied. Shortly before the railway tracks, turn left and follow the river's course about 700 meters to the street "Am Sportplatz" in Bettgenhausen. There, turn right and after 200 meters left. After about 700 meters along the forest edge, turn right towards Seyen. At the street "Zum Wiesengrund," turn right to Tannenstraße and again right out of the village. You are now in the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park and follow a natural path before turning left after 400 meters and hiking another 400 meters through the forest. At the Holzbachtal railway tracks, turn left and walk 800 meters parallel to the Wied along the forest. After 300 meters through a residential area, turn left and shortly after the last houses, turn right into the forest. The natural path takes you in a curve back to the Wied after about 700 meters, and you walk 900 meters parallel to the river before crossing it in Döttesfeld and walking one and a half kilometers on the other side to the left. You meet the L269 and follow it for 100 meters, cross the Wied, and then turn immediately right. Walk another 900 meters more or less parallel to the river and through a forest area. At Bruchermühle, cross the B256. Before the next Wied bridge, the path leads left and shortly afterward right into the small street "Am Lahrbach." Without realizing it, you now walk on the former railway line to Linz until you reach Waldstraße in Oberlahr.

Safety instructions

• Wear sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate, practical clothing that protects you from cold and wet or heat and sun.
• Take enough fluids with you. Refreshment stops are not available everywhere. Please wear suitable hiking boots that provide sufficient grip even on slippery, steep, rocky, and uneven paths.
• If you feel certain sections are impassable for you, you should avoid them. Particularly in adverse weather conditions, natural trails may have muddy and slippery sections.
• Especially in autumn, be aware that fallen leaves can conceal unevenness, roots, stones, or holes in the path. You should expect such path impairments when hiking.
• Although the path is very well marked throughout, for safety reasons always carry a suitable hiking map.
• Not suitable for strollers
• Not suitable for wheelchair users

Equipment

Sturdy footwear recommended!

Tips

In the half-timbered village of Oberlahr, the picturesque square around the parish church is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy.

Literature

"Hiking in the northern Westerwald Sheet 1", 4th edition 2008 (ISBN 978-3-89637-250-5)

Destination

Bruchermühle, Raiffeisenstraße 1, 57641 Oberlahr

Starting Point

Kirchweg, 57610 Almersbach/ Altenkirchen (AK)