- Culturally interesting
- Refreshment stop
- Circular route
- Good public transport connections
Hikers' parking lot Vorspanneiche or center of Brachthausen
Hikers' parking lot Vorspanneiche or center of Brachthausen
Monument: Kohlhagen pilgrimage church
Flora: juniper, alluvial forest
Landscape: Dollenbruch nature reserve, meandering streams
More information about the Sauerland-Seelenorte pilgrimage church in Kohlhagen.
Click here for the video of the Brachthausen Höhenweg.
Lots of variety, from the idyllic stream to the almost endless distant views, ensure a relaxed atmosphere. The Sauerland-Seelenorte pilgrimage church in Kohlhagen provides a cultural highlight, while the Landhotel & Café Gut Ahe provides refreshments.
Here, the girls from "bevandert" will take you on the Brachtser Höhenweg.
So that you don't have to walk the access route from Brachthausen twice, which runs along asphalt roads, you can start the tour at the Vorspanneiche hiking parking lot on the L728. Follow the "K" markings from the stately Vorspanneiche on a wide farm track through a sparse wood. Then you pass a juniper heath and head downhill on a field path at the edge of extensive Weide. In the Silberbach valley, turn right onto the "Z" markings and walk through the very varied and idyllic valley. Wide views of the valley are replaced by spruce passages, then poplars rustle in the floodplain. In the next spruce section, the narrow meandering stream, which is allowed to follow its natural course here, is a delight. You then have to walk 170 m to the left downhill on the K19 before crossing the road and conquering the next slope on paved forest paths. The path soon flattens out and the white "Z" leads through a species-rich forest to Varste. In Varste, follow the white diamond ♢ initially on the road "Zur Kophelle" and follow the markings to the Wegescheid hiking parking lot. There, a Rothaarsteig (RHS) access path takes over the signposting. You cross the crest on the road and can then complete the steep descent down to Wirme on a narrow nature trail. At the church in Wirme, you cross the L728 and follow the residential road very steeply to the edge of the forest. From there, the route continues uphill into the forest to the pilgrimage church in Kohlhagen. Tip: halfway along the route, the 7-Schmerzen-Weg branches off as a nature trail that runs parallel to the road to the church. After visiting the Baroque pilgrimage church, which is well worth seeing, follow the RHS access path, which is still paved, uphill to the left and you will see the next intermediate destination from the hill: the Ahe estate. The view over the hilltops of the Sauerland is also very impressive from one of the benches at the edge of the forest. The asphalt ends at the Gut Ahe country hotel / café, which is open daily, and you hike noticeably uphill through spruce forest on a paved forest path. Only at a forest meadow do you leave the RHS access path and turn right onto the white ∆ towards Hilchenbach. The spruce trees are soon left behind and the trail climbs leisurely through a windswept field. Once again, there are good distant views before you cross the hilltop on the historic Kriegerweg and arrive at Hasenbahnhof after 10.5 km. Here you can walk to Brachthausen via the little road marked with " ⊥ ". Otherwise, walk straight ahead on the ∆ and join the K path at the edge of the forest. Follow these markings through the tall spruce forest back to the hiking parking lot at the Vorspanneiche.
Sturdy shoes, rain protection and hiking poles are advisable on this tour.
Information on the rescue signs
Most hiking trails run away from towns and settlements and every hiker has thought about what would happen if an emergency were to occur. How can I be found here? Where am I anyway? Can the emergency services reach me?
But in an emergency, things have to move quickly! That's why the hiking trail network in the Lennestadt & Kirchhundem region is equipped with so-called rescue signs throughout. The green and white stickers attached to the posts of the signposts have a number that you must give when making an emergency call. This means that the emergency services know exactly where you are and valuable time can be saved.
Cultural and natural history with the podcasts "Grenzgeschichten hautnah" (Border stories up close): Frontier oak and Dollenbruch
From Altenhundem via the L553 to Kirchhundem. From there, take the L728 towards Brachthausen. After Brachthausen, park directly on the L728 at the Vorspanneiche trail parking lot.
Hikers' parking lot Vorspanneiche on the L728, parking lot at the church in Kohlhagen, in the center of Brachthausen or at the Wegescheid hiking parking lot.