The Westerwald, whose name goes back to the western woodlands of the medieval royal court of Herborn, is bordered by four rivers: the Rhine in the west, the Sieg in the north, the Dill in the east and the Lahn in the south. In between lies a low mountain range with beech and mixed deciduous forests, spruce and fir trees at higher altitudes, dark valleys, steep slopes, small lakes - and above all, the Westerwald has a bad reputation, as the popular Westerwald song claims: "The wind whistles so cold over your heights". And the Westerwald people, popularly known as "Wäller", are also often referred to as "Basaltköpp", as they are considered stubborn and live in a very basalt-rich region.
Anyone travelling from the Rhine to the Westerwald will notice that the landscape suddenly changes its face. After the narrowness of the lively Rhine Valley with its castles and vineyards, the horizon widens and the view sweeps over gentle hills, meadows and simple, barely scrubbed villages. Tranquillity returns, only the gentle whirring of the chain mingles with the twittering of birds.
You can download the entire article and these tours below:
- Tour 1: Kroppach Switzerland
The romantic corner is actually called Nistertal, commonly known as Kroppacher Schweiz. The name is apt, as it constantly goes up and down. The most scenic stretch leads from Wissen through the Nistertal to Helmeroth.
- Tour 2: High Westerwald
Heavenly peace reigns on many of the little roads in the nature reserve of the Westerwald lake district. A must: the Fuchskaute, the highest point in the Westerwald at 656 metres.
GPS DATA: TOUR offers the tour data for free download. You can download the tracks in GPX format directly onto a GPS device or view them on your computer in Google Earth or Google Maps.
