Bestwig: Hiking, Waterfall and Mining

Hiking trails for different time budgets

The Bestwiger Panoramaweg is around 60 km long and runs across the ridges of the municipality. You can join the route in any of Bestwig’s districts. The German Hiking Association named it a “Quality Trail: Hikers’ Germany” four times in a row. If you would like to include a longer hiking route in your travel plans, this trail offers access from more than one district.

For a half-day hike, consider the Bestwiger BestWege: these varied circular hiking trails run around Andreasberg, Heringhausen, Nuttlar, Ostwig, Ramsbeck and Velmede-Bestwig. The stated walking time is two to four hours. You can plan these trails as separate hiking excursions, while the Panoramaweg, at around 60 km, is on a different scale. This information can help you choose between a half-day hike and a longer route, without implying a particular level of difficulty.

Plästerlegge and trails by the waterfall

Plästerlegge, the only natural waterfall in North Rhine-Westphalia, is located near Bestwig-Wasserfall. The water plunges almost vertically about 20 m over a rocky ledge and then continues for about 500 m as a torrent. This distinctive form of the waterfall can be taken into account when planning an excursion: the landscape described includes not only the waterfall itself, but also the stream that follows it.

From the car park in the centre of the village on Aurorastraße, Plästerlegge is about a 20-minute walk away. This gives you a specific guide for planning the walk from this car park. If you would like to visit the waterfall, you can make it a destination in its own right and allow for the approximate walking time from the stated starting point.

Mining history in Ramsbeck

The Sauerland Visitor Mine combines an insight into mining with a journey underground: the electric mine train travels about 1.5 km through the dark Eickhoff tunnel. Bus route R72 runs regularly from Bestwig station to the visitor mine in Ramsbeck; the “Ramsbeck-Ziegelwiese” stop is directly in front of it. If you are planning to travel by public transport, this gives you both the bus connection from the station and the location of the stop.

The Mining Hiking Trail also starts at the Sauerland Visitor Mine, on Glück-Auf-Straße in Ramsbeck, and is signposted. It is about 10 km long and passes numerous mining relics and former mine sites. The trail thus combines a longer hike with traces of the area’s mining past. The starting point is also useful for planning: it is at the visitor mine, not at another starting point mentioned here.

Family outings and special places

Two activities in different formats are described for families. The Ostwig Schaukelweg (swing trail) is 1.7 km long and has six different swings; it combines a nature experience with fun for the whole family. FORT FUN Abenteuerland offers attractions for children and adults, including a roller coaster, a log flume, a summer toboggan run, a flying dragon ride, a Ferris wheel, an indoor playground and a show programme. The park also has the Trapper Slider, a 1.3 km-long toboggan run.

Another destination for those interested in culture is the Alte Kornmühle (Old Grain Mill) in Ramsbeck. It is the only surviving mill in North Rhine-Westphalia with three sets of millstones and medieval technology. Every year, it opens to visitors on Whit Monday, International Mill Day. Free guided tours are offered at the mill festival; during milling demonstrations, visitors can watch water power being used to grind grain into flour. In Ostwig, a historic smoke-stack also recalls hopes for mining in the past. It has a spiral staircase and an observation platform.

You can also visit the pages for nearby destinations: BerlarBerlar, AndreasbergAndreasberg and WasserfallWasserfall.

For the wider travel overview: Hochsauerlandkreis.

More destinations

More places in the same destination:

Winterberg, Hallenberg, Olsberg, Schmallenberg, Medebach.