Bestwig Panorama Trail
Hiking with half-timbered idylls and panoramic views of Sauerland
The ideal hiking trail for half-timbered houses and panoramic views. The 53-kilometre trail takes in the idyllic towns and villages around Bestwig.
The Bestwiger Panoramaweg (Bestwig Panorama Trail) lives up to its name, continually offering magnificent panoramic views. Awarded the “Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland” quality seal by the German Hiking Association (DWV), this 53-kilometre route runs through the idyllic towns and villages of the municipality of Bestwig in Sauerland with their typical half-timbered houses.
Along the route hikers will discover traces of the past in the form of ore mining, slate mining and railway history. Wayside shrines and crosses, churches and chapels also offer an insight into the ecclesiastical past of traditionally Catholic Sauerland.
Bestwig railway station or the town hall make good starting points, as both offer good parking facilities. The various stages offer sights such as the Valme reservoir and the Plästerlegge, the only natural waterfall in North Rhine-Westphalia, which invite visitors to take a break.
Fort Fun and an exhibition mine are among the attractions on the way
Those who want a bit more action on their hike can stop off at Fort Fun leisure park or the Sauerland Exhibition Mine in Ramsbeck. At 800 metres high, the Stüppelturm tower in the amusement park is one of the tallest viewpoints in Sauerland and provides a panoramic view stretching from the Soest flatlands to the Ruhr Area.
Another unusual viewpoint can be found on Steinberg hill near Ostwig, where an unfinished flue gas stack with a spiral staircase and platform ensure a fantastic view over Ostwig, the Elpe Valley and the Ruhr Valley. The ruins bear witness to a golden era of mining in the Ramsbeck area. A smelting plant was to have been built in Ostwig, but before it could be completed the planned Ramsbeck mining empire collapsed and the chimney was never used.
The Panorama Trail is also well suited to trips lasting several days. Several Sauerländer Wandergasthöfe hiking guesthouses, the Sauerland region German Alpine Association (DAV) hut in Heinrichsdorf and various other accommodation options can all be found directly along the route.
