recommended route
Stage 4
Westerwald-Steig Stage 4: Rennerod - Westerburg (East - West)
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/ Rast an der Holzbachschlucht bei SeckPhoto: Westerwald Touristik-Service -
/ Holzbachschlucht bei SeckPhoto: Westerwald Touristik-Service
This stage of the trail through the High Westerwald passes the Seitenstein and the Secker Weiher lakes. The highlight is the wild, romantic Holzbach gorge near Seck.
difficult
Distance 16.1 km
5:00 h
282 m
367 m
The trail passes right by the Secker Weiher lakes, which lie between Rennerod and Westerburg. On the banks of the largest lake there is a campsite with restaurant. The main attraction of this stage of the trail is the Holzbach gorge, which begins near the Dappricher Hof café near Seck. The gorge is about one kilometre long and almost 20 metres deep. Broken up basalt boulders and fallen trees give the narrow valley its wild and romantic character.
Author’s recommendation
For families with children: Holzbach gorge with educational nature trail
Author
Michael Sterr
Updated: August 17, 2020
Quality route according to "Wanderbares Deutschland"
Difficulty
difficult
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
506 m
Lowest point
314 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Rest Stop
Hofcafé Hofgut DapprichGasthaus Weiherhof
Hotel Deynique
Restaurant Semperfrey
Alte Landsratsvilla Hotel Bender
La Flamme. Flammkuchen aller Art
Restaurant Pizzeria La Vita
Bäckerei Grund
Die Mühlenbäcker Filiale Rennerod
Las Palmas - Burger & Cocktails
Safety information
- Im Bereich der Holzbachschlucht kann es durch umgestürzte Bäume stellenweise zu natürlichen Hindernissen kommen, die jedoch überstiegen werden können. (Stand der Meldung: 26.10.15)
- Tragen Sie festes Schuhwerk sowie witterungsangepasste, zweckmäßige Kleidung, die Sie vor Kälte und Nässe bzw. Hitze und Sonne schützt.
- Nehmen Sie ausreichend Flüssigkeit mit. Es sind nicht überall Einkehrmöglichkeiten vorhanden.
- Bitte ziehen Sie dem Weg angemessene Wanderschuhe an, welche Ihnen ausreichend Halt auch auf schlüpfrigen und steilen bzw. felsigen und unebenen Wegen geben.
- Sollten Sie bei bestimmten Wegeabschnitten der Meinung sein, dass diese für Sie nicht begehbar sind, dann sollten Sie diese umgehen. Gerade bei widrigen Wetterverhältnissen kann es bei naturnahen Wegen zu matschigen und rutschigen Passagen kommen.
- Besonders im Herbst ist auch darauf zu achten, dass das am Boden liegende Laub Unebenheiten, Wurzeln, Steine oder Löcher im Weg verdecken kann. Mit Wegebeeinträchtigungen dieser Art müssen Sie rechnen, wenn Sie eine Wanderung unternehmen.
- Obwohl der Weg durchgehend sehr gut markiert ist, sollten Sie aus Sicherheitsgründen immer eine geeignete Wanderkarte dabei haben.
Tips and hints
www.rennerod.dewww.westerburgerland.de
Start
Rennerod (496 m)
Coordinates:
DD
50.607774, 8.059052
DMS
50°36'28.0"N 8°03'32.6"E
UTM
32U 433419 5606631
w3w
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Destination
Westerburg
Turn-by-turn directions
Rennerod lies in the sheltered south-sloping Holzbach Valley. The Westerwald-Steig trail continues as far as the town. After about 2 kilometres we reach the Seitenstein, a 20m high basalt formation in the middle of the forest, and information boards which recount an exciting local legend. Forest paths lead to the Secker Weiher lakes, which were created in 1672 by Prince Moritz Heinrich von Nassau-Hadamar near a small hunting lodge. The largest lake is 20 hectares in size and has a campsite with restaurant. The highlight of this stage of the trail is the Holzbach gorge, which begins near the Dappricher Hof café near Seck. The River Holzbach, a tributary of the Elbbach, has carved a deep gorge in the basalt rock before it continues on past Gemünden on its way to Hesse. The gorge is about one kilometre long and almost 20 metres deep. Broken up basalt boulders and fallen trees give the narrow valley its wild and romantic character. Information panels along the trail help you to identify some of the plants and animals found in the gorge. Gentle hills, extensive deciduous forests and wide grassy valleys characterise the area around Westerburg. The trail passes a campsite and the 'Zum Katzenstein' restaurant and continues on narrow paths through the forest to the Katzenstein, a flat basalt rock. There is a monument here commemorating the ethnic Germans who were expelled from former German territories in the east, as well as a wonderful view of Westerburg and the Taunus. We soon reach the eastern outskirts of Westerburg, where this stage of the trail ends, and can easily find our way into the town centre.
Access paths (marking: green W on a yellow background)
Access paths (marking: green W on a yellow background)
Note
all notes on protected areas
Public transport
Train to ICE station at Montabaur and bus to Rennerod bus station; bus no. 116Return journey from Westerburg to Rennerod: bus no. 116
www.bahn.de
www.rmv-bus.de
Getting there
From the south and north: via the B54 to the Rennerod exitFrom the east and west: via the B255 to the Rennerod exit
Parking
Rennerod, on Bahnhofsstraße or FriedhofswegCoordinates
DD
50.607774, 8.059052
DMS
50°36'28.0"N 8°03'32.6"E
UTM
32U 433419 5606631
w3w
///vaguest.swaddling.mesh
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Book recommendation by the author
- Abenteuer Westerwald-Steig, hiking guide with detailed route outlines and elevation profile, 224 pages, ISBN 978-3-93569-064-5, €12.80
- Westerwald-Steig, Schöneres Wandern Pocket, 17 half-day and full-day walks in a pocket-size map, publisher: ideemedia-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-934342-25-5, €10.95
- Rother Wanderführer Westerwald-Steig, publisher: Bergverlag Rother GmbH, from Herborn to Bad Hönningen, 112 pages with 58 colour illustrations, 16 elevation profiles, 16 1:50 000 scale hiking maps, 6 street maps, one small-scale map, ISBN 978-3-7633-4376-8, €10.90
Author’s map recommendations
- 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
Equipment
Hiking boots/shoesSuitable weatherproof clothing
Statistics
Maps and trails
Duration
: h
Distance
km
Ascent
m
Descent
m
Highest point
m
Lowest point
m
Questions and answers
Rating
Photos from others