recommended route
Stage 7
Rheinsteig Stage 7: Rengsdorf–Sayn (north–south)
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VölkerwiesenbachPhoto: Dominik Ketz, Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH
The spa town of Rengsdorf is off the beaten track, nestled in the Rhenish Westerwald, the region between the romantic Middle Rhine Valley and the high ridge of the Westerwald. The forest air rich in oxygen, coupled with the mild climes of the Rhine, makes for a healthy environment here which has helped earn Rengsdorf its status of climatic health resort.
This shady section of the Rheinsteig leads us back down to the Middle Rhine Valley, with woodland clearings and field tracks enabling us to catch frequent glimpses of the valley below. About three kilometres before the end of this leg of the trail Neuwied Zoo awaits with the largest herd of kangaroos outside Australia.
Bendorf itself has a number of treats in store: a butterfly garden, museum of ornamental cast iron, the industrial monument of the Sayn Ironworks, Sayn Abbey and Sayn Palace with its wonderful gardens. The palace is inhabited by Prince and Princess Alexander and Gabriele von Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. You can climb to the tops of the trees on the climbing course behind the abbey.
Author’s recommendation
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Neues Museum Schloss SaynSafety information
Health and safety
- Wear suitable weatherproof clothing that will protect you from cold, wet, heat and sunshine.
- Make sure you take regular breaks and don't overexert yourself.
- Take enough fluids with you as there are sections without rest stops.
- Wear suitable hiking boots/shoes which give you enough grip on slippery, steep, rocky and uneven surfaces.
- Avoid any sections of the route which you feel are too difficult for you. Natural trails can quickly become wet and slippery in adverse weather conditions.
- Particularly in autumn, you should be careful of uneven ground, roots, stones or holes that have been covered by leaves.
- You need to take these kinds of adverse conditions into account every time you go on a hike.
- Particularly steep and dangerous places are made safer with handrails or ropes. Please use these as safety aids. Handrails are not to be climbed on or used to get a better view!
Tips and hints
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
Our tour today starts on a narrow path that turns right into the woods, past the Jonas Hut and on up through pine forest to the eastern slope of the Wingertsberg. Here, you can still find traces of the ancient Roman Limes ditch. The frontier was fortified with towers erected at regular intervals, with one of these very close to here. Only the foundations are now still visible. A reconstruction of the defensive structure with its Roman tower takes us back in time.
From the Roman tower you follow the Wingertsberg nature trail down into the Aubach Valley to the Schwanenteich lake. We hike past the Rhineland-Palatinate riding centre in Oberbieber, soon turning off uphill towards the Haus am Pilz. On the far side of the Heimbach we reach Schnepfenteich Lake and bird nature trail (with a hut) on the way to Heimbach-Weis. The nature trail ends on the Kuckuckberg. On a narrow path that takes us through fields and wild orchards we approach Neuwied Zoo, the largest zoo in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before we then reach the Bismarckhöhe with its hut, we can admire the views out over the Neuwied Basin as we wander through farmland. This depression between Koblenz and Neuwied divides the narrow valley of the Upper from that of the Lower Middle Rhine along a length of 22 river kilometres. From the Bismarckhöhe you hike to the Friedrichsberg and then down into the Saynbach Valley where you soon catch sight of your final destination for today: Sayn Palace.
Note
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
There is a station in Neuwied where regional stopping and regional express trains stop between Koblenz and Cologne/Bonn. Bus number 101 regularly runs from the train station to Rengsdorf.
You return by bus (there are several possible routes) from Sayn Palace to the station in Neuwied.
Alternatively, you can park your car in Bendorf-Sayn in the morning and take the bus to Rengsdorf, changing in Neuwied. This saves you having to catch a bus at the end of your hike.
Getting there
Follow the B42 to Neuwied-Heddesdorf and then take the B256 north to Rengsdorf. Here, turn onto the K104 towards Hardert and park at the church at the end of the village.
Serviced by bus 101 to and from Neuwied (trains in Neuwied).
From the B42 you take the B413 to Sayn. There is a bus from Bendorf.
Parking
Parking at the Chapel of St. Kastor in Rengsdorf.Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
Literatur zum Rheinsteig ist im Online-Shop erhältlich.
Author’s map recommendations
Rheinsteig-Wanderkarten sind im Online-Shop erhältlich.
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Recommended maps for this region:
Equipment
Statistics
- 11 Waypoints
- 11 Waypoints
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