Westerwald-Steig Stage 8: Bad Marienberg - Hachenburg (East - West)

Description

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.

Approach

From the south: via the B255 to the Bad Marienberg exit
From the north: via the B414 to the Bad Marienberg exit

Public transport

Travelling by public transport

Train to Montabaur ICE station, bus to Bad Marienberg (Westerwald) Neuer Weg stop: bus route 463 (Monday-Friday);Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: from Montabaur railway station to Westerburg, Altes Katasteramt (bus route 460) and from there change to bus route 470.

Back to the start of the stage

Return journey from Hachenburg to Bad Marienberg: bus route 449 (daily)

Bus stop Hachenburg: Hachenburg Bf (from here an approx. 300 m long access path leads to the main path) or Hachenburg Markt (located directly on the WesterwaldSteig)

Bad Marienberg bus stop: Bad Marienberg Neuer Weg (approx. 150 metres from the main trail)

Taxi recommendations:

Hehn-Touristik, Alpenrod, Tel. 02662/3366Taxi Hilgers, Bad Marienberg, Tel. 02661/5055Taxi Nagel, Bad Marienberg, Tel. 02661/5949Taxi Schmidt GbR, Hachenburg, Tel. 02662/6119Taxi Uwe Bischoff, Hachenburg, Tel. 02662/944444

Here you can find more hiking tour tips with bus and train connections.

Parking

Bad Marienberg: Centre (Bismarckstraße, Albrechtstraße, Im Bohnengarten, Tourist-Information/Wilhelmstraße)

Hachenburg: Landschaftsmuseum Westerwald (Leipziger Str. 1)

Directions

From the tourist information centre in the town centre, the WesterwaldSteig trail leads through the disused basalt quarry, where you can find lots of information about basalt mining. From the basalt park, the trail leads to the Bad Marienberg wildlife park with falconry, which is open all year round. At the wildlife park, the Hedwigsturm tower offers the famous ‘Westerwald view’. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Siebengebirge in the west, the Eifel in the south and the Feldberg in the east. The Westerwaldsteig trail continues to the Kleiner and Großer Wolfstein. You pass a private game reserve and an old basalt quarry on natural paths and deciduous forest in the direction of Stangenrod. With a beautiful view as far as the Monsberg, the trail leads along meadow paths past Stangenrod into the Wäschbach valley and to Unnau-Korb with its railway connection. Through the Hachenburg town forest, you reach the Jewish cemetery via the ‘Philosophenweg’ with an impressive view of the Siebengebirge mountains. The landscape museum in Hachenburg is well worth a visit. The centrepiece of the museum is the baroque hunting lodge of the Counts of Sayn-Hachenburg. An open-air museum shows a group of farmsteads with buildings that were moved here from other places: School, mill house, barn, bakehouse, oil mill, poor people's house and village fountain with herb garden. You should definitely visit the baroque castle and the market square with its lion fountain, Gasthaus zur Krone inn and beautiful half-timbered and town houses.

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

• from the centre of Bad Marienberg to the bus station (approx. 0.1 km)
• from the forest north of Unnau to the Unnau outdoor pool (approx. 1.0 km)
• from the outskirts of Unnau-Korb to the railway station (approx. 0.6 km)

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 path is very well marked throughout, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.Due to a defective step system, the 8th stage of the WesterwaldSteig between Korb and Hachenburg is closed for an indefinite period. The stage can still be hiked with a small diversions (approx. 600 m). The diversions is signposted accordingly.

Equipment

Hiking boots/shoes
Suitable weatherproof clothing

Tips

For relaxation: MarienBad spa, Bad Marienberg
For great views: the Hedwig Tower at the wildlife park
For families with children: visit the Bad Marienberg wildlife park (free)
For culture vultures: visit Hachenburg's museum of natural and cultural history

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

Hachenburg

Starting Point

Bad Marienberg