Bödefelder Hollenpfad
A barefoot path and treading pool ensure visitors stay cool
The diverse Bödefelder Hollenpfad trail takes its name from the mythical creatures said to have once lived on the doorstep of the picturesque Sauerland village of Bödefeld.
Children’s ears prick up as soon as they hear the name of the Bödefelder Hollenpfad, a family-friendly trail covering more than nine kilometres around the picturesque village of Schmallenberg-Bödefeld in Sauerland: according to legend, small mythical creatures known as Hollen once lived in the Sauerland area of Bödefeld, keeping watch over hoards of gleaming gems in a cliff by the entrance to the village. These good-natured mythical creatures helped humans in times of need and once gave a young girl a sparkling jewel. But greedy humans then stormed their hideout and the Hollen were never seen again.
There is much for hikers young and old to discover here on this route, which has been certified by the Deutsches Wanderinstitut (German Hiking Institute): visitors will find the Hollen Spring and the Hollen House, an old charcoal kiln site, a highland cattle enclosure, a nature adventure playground, a barefoot path, a water-treading pool and a children’s hut village.
Once a year, it is less the glittering gems than the beads of sweat on the brows of extreme hikers that glisten in the light. Participants in the Bödefelder Hollenmarsch and Bödefelder Hollenlauf races walk and run extreme distances, conquering up to 101 kilometres.