- Family friendly
- Refreshment stop
- Circular route
- Signage
Willingen Visitor Center, Am Hagen 10, 34508 Willingen (Upland)
Willingen Visitor Center, Am Hagen 10, 34508 Willingen (Upland)
From the visitors' streetcar, the route climbs briefly below the fairytale park into the Stryck hiking area, past the Mühlenkopf ski jump where we cross the ski jump outrun and then follow the idyllic course of the Itter stream. At the end of the Stryck valley, the route continues with signs for the black hare.Here, black not only stands for effort but also for technical passages. Experience has shown that mountain bike kids usually have no problems here, but some parents who don't ride mountain bikes may have difficulties.From the Strycktal valley, it's a long uphill ride to the Hillekopf (800 m), where a beautiful trail area begins from the Hildfelder Höhe. For the most part, the route follows the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, awakening a sense of adventure in the children in the rough terrain. Even the most beautiful trails come and go, but the tour has even more to offer. After the panoramic view from the Krutenberg, a very steep descent follows. In the middle of the descent, the route turns left back into the forest, where a natural path leads to the next decision point. If the kids are now tired, they should follow the blue rabbit to Willingen. We have not provided a separate tour description for the blue hare andour black hare tour now continues on the red hare tour. We follow the red hare flat uphill. We pass a refuge "Zur schönen Aussicht" with a great panoramic view over the Sauerland and into the deep valleys. Without much effort, we reach the Graf Stollberg Hütte, which invites us to stop for a bite to eat with its spectacular view of the Sauerland. Behind the hut, we take a natural path to the source of the Diemel. A little "fighting" with the water, as the Willingen locals say, and our tour continues.Behind the "Das orange Schaf" guesthouse in Usseln, the red hare tour climbs very, very steeply for around 200m. Follow the blue hare tour as an alternative, but you would miss a beautiful single trail. The next and final highlight is the EWF biathlon facility, where, with a bit of luck, you can watch the youngsters run and shoot. Now it's almost done. One more steep climb to get out of the stadium area and it's an easy ride back to Willingen. However, you have to be prepared for car traffic from the Stryck entrance.
We recommend a helmet, functional cycling clothing suitable for the weather, a rucksack with food and drink, sufficient fluids (water, tea), an air pump, a repair kit and a multi-tool.
RaderlebnisPark Diemelsee & Bikewelt Willingen, scale 1:38,000, mr-kartographie, Gotha, ISBN 978-3-86636-937-5
Bus/train to Willingen station, continue by shared cab (AST) to the visitor center stop or a 10-minute walk to the starting point at the visitor center
Free parking at the visitor center/lagoon pool