Long-distance hiking trails in the Westerwald

The first stage of this trail starts in Herborn's market square and leads around the Dollenberg mountain into the Ambach Valley and on to Neuhaus. The trail continues through the Donsbach Valley, then follows the bird park to Uckersdorf, where it leaves the village in the direction of Gonkelrain. It climbs over the Kramberg and continues along the slopes of the Mühlberg mountain to Erdbach, with its 'Zeitsprünge' museum. Highlights of the tour are the Große and Kleine Steinkammer caves between Erdbach and Breitscheid, as well as the 'Herbstlabyrinth' limestone caves just before Breitscheid.

From Limbach, the trail heads along the Heunigs Höhlenweg path to the viewing point on the Hohe Ley rock, where you can visit a small slate mine. The trail continues to follow the River Nister, passing Astert and Heuzert to reach Heimborn, where the Kleine Nister and Große Nister meet. It continues to the Spitzen Ley rock, with its view of Steinwingert. The highlight of this stage of the trail is the narrow Weltende ('World's End') path, which is a difficult climb. The trail then continues on more gentle paths past Racksen and the state forest at Altenkirchen down to Marienthal Abbey.

This stage of the trail begins at Freilingen, passing the Postweiher lake and leading along the Dreifelder Weiher lake on its way to Dreifelden. At Linden, the Westerwald-Steig arrives at the source of the River Wied. It continues through beech forest over the Großer Weißenstein mountain to the Gräbersberg mountain. Have a rest at the Alpenroder hikers' hut and enjoy the panoramic view from the viewing tower. A particular jewel of this stage of the trail is Stöffel Park, a geological and industrial theme park, situated between Nistertal, Enspel and Stockum-Püschen. It's worth giving yourself plenty of time to visit the theme park.

From Bad Marienberg, the trail runs through the basalt park and on to the Bad Marienberg wildlife park. It continues over the Kleiner and Großer Wolfstein mountains towards Stangenrod, passing a game reserve on the way. The trail then follows paths through meadows, with great views of the Monsberg mountain, past Stangenrod and into the Wäschbach Valley. Take the 'Philosophenweg' path in the direction of the Hachenburg town forest to reach the Jewish cemetery. In Hachenburg, visit the lovely museum of natural and cultural history and the fascinating town centre, which is dominated by the Baroque castle.

Starting from Herborn, the path leads us past the villages of Merkenbach and Fleisbach up to Greifenstein. There we can see the landscape-dominating high castle in a spectacular location with its unique silhouette. From Greifenstein we pass the castle ruins of Lichtenstein to the beautifully situated Ulmbachtalsperre, which invites you to take a bath in summer. The next stage we reach in the mountain forest above Nenderoth a scenic speciality, because here you can find the Nenderoth waterfall. A big name for the small Leyenbach, which falls over some rocks here. However, when the water level is good - especially in spring and autumn - the waterfall forms a picturesque backdrop. The last stage of the Greifenstein loop leads us past the Krombachtalsperre and back to the Westerwald-Steig near Rehe. From here you can continue the route as a circular hiking trail in the direction of Fuchskaute to the starting point in Herborn.

The Wiedquelle rises under the roots of a centuries-old beech tree. From there we start and accompany the Wied in the direction of Dreifelden, where we can marvel at the oldest stone church in the Westerwald, the Trinity Church. On the banks of the Dreifelder Weiher, the largest body of water in the Westerwald lake district, we take a break on one of the benches, let our souls dangle and enjoy the breathtaking landscape. We follow the Wiedweg and leave the Dreifelder Weiher nature reserve in the direction of Oberes Wiedtal, where we come to the Steinebach sculpture park

This stage of the Wiedweg leads through the Lahrer Herrlichkeit, a particularly picturesque section of the Wiedtal between Döttesfeld and Neustadt (Wied). The ruins of Burglahr Castle with its 25-meter-high round keep, the 34-hectare Bertenauer Kopf nature reserve, and Telegrafenhügel are the highlights along the way. I follow the Wiedweg on a former railroad track to Burglahr. Soon I recognize the castle Lahr on the other side of the Wied and a little later on the left of the way the Alvenslebenstollen. A former water solution gallery of the Louise mine with a length of 1.5 km and a dead straight course. Through a small illuminated railroad tunnel I reach directly behind Peterslahr the Mettelshahner Schweiz with the viewpoint "Mettelshahner Ley", which lies south of the castle ruin Ehrenstein. I reach it and the associated monastery via a short detour. The Kreuzherrenkirche has beautiful glass windows in the nave. High above the Wiedtal, on the slope of the Bertenauer Kopf, I enjoy the distant view. At 352 meters, the volcanic basalt cone is the highest elevation in the Neustadt district and is said to have been the only active volcano in the Westerwald.

Final spurt: At the Neuerburg campsite in Niederbreitbach, I set off for the last stage along the Wied at the southern edge of the lower Wiedtal. On the way, I am particularly impressed by the vantage point over the Wied loop at Bürder. Up to Melsbach it goes partly on narrow paths towards the goal. On the way, views of the curved Wied open up again and again. Here it is worth making a detour to the Laubach waterfall, which plunges over 20 meters in several stages down the valley. Together with other marked trails, I reach the imposing Altwied Castle, which rises picturesquely above the Wied. The ancestral castle of the Counts of Wied is a real photo highlight and can be visited (only) from the outside. The district of Altwied welcomes me with its pretty half-timbered houses from the 17th and 18th centuries and the Gothic St. Antonius village church. In the district of Niederbieber, the route changes once again to the Wied side (intersection "In derLach"/"Am Steg"). From here on, I follow the "Blue W on yellow background" signs to the mouth of the river. Irlich, the destination of my tour, belongs to the city of Neuwied since 1969. Here the Wied flows into the Rhine and my hike ends. Finally, I treat myself to a visit to the public castle park of Neuwied, from which you can also get to the beautiful dike shore promenade and I can enjoy the sunset.