Westerwald-Steig Stage 14: Horhausen - Strauscheid (East - West)

Description

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.

Brief description

This stage of the trail leads from Horhausen past the legendary 'Bildeiche' oak tree to Peterslahr in the Lahrer Herrlichkeit region and through the Bertenauer Kopf nature reserve to Strauscheid.

Approach

A3 to the Neuwied exit (36), then continue on the B256 in the direction of Flammersfeld to Horhausen

Public transport

Oberwesterwaldbahn train from Au-Limburg to the stop at Altenkirchen (Ww), then continue by bus to the Kardinal-Höffner-Platz stop in Horhausen: bus no. 132
Return journey from Strauscheid to Horhausen: from the stop at Strauscheid junction (ca. 1.6km footpath on the K78) with bus no. 131 to Neustadt and onwards with bus no. 120 to Horhausen, or take a taxi.
www.vectus-online.de
www.mb-bus.de
www.vrminfo.de

Parking

Horhausen, town centre (off the B256)

Directions

From Kirchstraße in Horhausen, you walk past the church and the Cardinal Höffner Memorial towards the villages of Huf and Luchert. The trail passes Niedersteinebach and the game reserve at the Heiderhof hotel and continues through the forest to the 'Bildeiche' oak tree. It then follows the old miners' path, with its view of Burglahr and Peterlahr, and continues through a landscape defined by pastures to Eulenberg. A looping path leads up to the Bertenauer Kopf. Before this, a 1.4km long path leads to Ehrenstein Abbey, which was used by the Crosiers in the 15th century and is well worth a visit. The trail then continues past an artificial lake, Manroth, Ammerich and Neustadt-Kodden before ending in Strauscheid.
Access paths (marking: green W on a yellow background)

Safety instructions

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.

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Equipment

Hiking boots/shoes
Suitable weatherproof clothing

Tips

For culture vultures: visit Ehrenstein Abbey in the Wied Valley

Literature

- 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

Destination

Strauscheid

Starting Point

Horhausen