Heidenrod walks

On the fifth and final stage, the Soonwaldsteig trail leads from the quiet and secluded forests of Lützelsoon and Großer Soon into the Middle Rhine Valley, a World Heritage Site. The route mostly follows narrow paths and rocky climbs. A narrow gorge, a turbulent torrent, two medieval ruins and several fantastic views of the Rhine Valley characterise this section of the trail, which begins at the Jägerhaus forest lodge and ends in Bingen am Rhein.

From the panoramic Schanzerkopf in the Mittlerer Soon to the Binger Wald The fourth stage also takes us through the unspoilt, almost untouched landscape of the Soonwald forest. However, we are noticeably closer to civilisation again. We pass through the village of Rheinböllen, walk through a wind farm and come across two former foresters' houses where we can stop for refreshments. On the section from Schanzerkopf to the Jägerhaus foresters' house, we can enjoy magnificent views and, in addition to the panoramic Soonwald ridge, we pass two viewing towers.

The stage takes us behind Selters to the "Hahn" hill and the "Wacht" viewpoint, where we come across a Stone Age site. Later, we reach the old Jewish cemetery of Selters and learn why many inhabitants of Sessenhausen were "Landgänger" (people who left the land), pass a biotope at the Holzbach stream and reach Dierdorf through a magnificent beech forest.

Through beech forests and nature reserves in the Großer Soon On the third stage of the Soonwaldsteig trail, from the Koppenstein hiking car park to the Schanzerkopf hiking car park, the long-distance hiking trail plunges into the total seclusion of the Greater and Middle Soon. It passes through a primeval forest, two marshy nature reserves and quiet beech forests. Wild paths over bumpy quartzite rock, natural forest trails and soft meadow paths are part of the route profile, which takes us over the highest point of the Soonwald, the 658-metre-high Ellerspring.

The hike goes through the Märkerwald forest, past the Max and Moritz oak trees to Dernbach, then through meadows and fields to Urbach, a village with a church reminiscent of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen. Behind Urbach, a beautiful beech forest welcomes us. We reach Linkenbach, whose main street is named after the path that runs through the village: the Kölner Weg. Through the Linkenbach Valley, we reach the Grenzbachtal and the Grenzbach Mill.