Wispertalsteig

The hike starts directly at the village lime tree. At the square with the fountain, we find the blue curved W of the Wispertalsteig, which accompanies us around the village. A short steep ascent on Kirchweg leads past the Catholic Church of St. Nikolaus out of the village onto the open fields on the plateau. A few meters later, the route turns left and leads to a water reservoir. Here at the very beginning, we have reached the highest point of the entire trail. The magnificent panoramic view presents, in clear weather, the Großer Feldberg in the Taunus, the Hallgartener Zange, and the Kalte Herberge (at 619 meters the highest mountain of the Rheingau) as well as the Franzosenkopf, Salzkopf, and Kandrich in the Soonwald on the opposite side of the Rhine valley.

After enjoying the view, the Wispertalsteig remains on the plateau and leads past the Rudolf-Korn sports ground (now a dog training area) to the next viewpoint (bench). From the forest far below the large meadow, the ruin of Rheinberg rises, one of the "forgotten" castles of the Rheingau, away from the Rhine. From the manor house of the Rhine counts built in 1170, the moat, several wall remains, and part of the keep are preserved. The other two high-altitude communities of Lorch, Wollmerschied and Ransel, lie a bit closer to the viewer.

The route turns slightly left at a distinctive cherry tree and now runs along the edge of the meadow in a large arc to the left. It accompanies the forest edge past a hunting stand to a telephone line. Here the markings point sharply right into the forest. From now on, the path steadily descends on a wide forest trail. At the next right turn, caution is advised: Those who walk straight for about 100 meters will reach the so-called Dinosaur Rock. With a bit of imagination, one can see the prehistoric animal in the rock formation.

Back on the main path, the descent continues leisurely. After about 500 meters, the Wispertalsteig briefly turns right and leads to a former slate cave. It reminds us that not only in the Rhine valley but also in the side valleys, slate was mined for centuries. The brave can walk a little way into the cave with a flashlight.

Back in daylight, it is only a few meters to the Sauerbornbach. The route turns left and follows the stream valley, which also marks the border between Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, downwards. After about a kilometer, two more cave openings can be seen on the left at the foot of the slope where slate was also extracted. Today, bats nest in the dark tunnels. Not even 500 meters later, the Sauerbornbach flows into the Werkerbach valley at the Forsthaus Werkerbrunnen. Here we have reached the lowest point of the tour and earned a break. The hardy may sample the iron- and carbonic acid-rich water bubbling in the covered fountain.

A narrow path branches off the narrow valley to the left and leads steeply uphill in the hillside forest. On the ascent, it passes a small flat clearing where a charcoal kiln once stood to produce charcoal. The steep climb out of the Werkerbach valley takes less than ten minutes. The path leads to a wide forest trail, which the Wispertalsteig follows to the right. The route leans slightly upward on the hillside, passes an interesting slate rock outcrop, runs through a small side valley, and finally climbs in a wide arc to the Mehrholzer Höhe plateau. There it meets the road that leads from Espenschied over the Kuppel to the Pathfesterhof, an agricultural operation with a horse farm. Those who like can interrupt the route here and get back to the village in 20 minutes.

At the road, the route jumps a few meters towards Espenschied, then heads right over the meadow down to a crossing dirt road. It follows this right into the nearby forest and runs slightly downhill below the Mehrholzer Höhe. In a sharp left bend, a detour 100 meters straight ahead is worthwhile to a rock ledge in the forest (with bench) from which there is a magnificent view over the Wisper valley.

Now back briefly on the main path and then down for about a kilometer to a T-junction. Here the Wispertalsteig turns left and leads – again past an interesting slate outcrop – slightly uphill for just under a kilometer. At the next fork, the route turns right and follows a small ridge downwards. After a sharp left turn, you reach a meadow in the forest where an overgrown wide staircase and wall remains attract attention. Houses of the Reich Labour Service once stood here. The men living there had the task of repairing the road in the Wisper valley.

At the meadow, the route bends right downhill and finally reaches, after a left bend, a masonry gate in the Wisper valley. A few meters up in the forest stands a memorial commemorating the fallen. Opposite rise the remains of Lauksburg ruin on a rock ridge. It appears as a fief of the Brömser family of Rüdesheim as early as 1390. It fell into disrepair from the 16th century and was finally destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. At its foot stands a half-timbered building of the former Laukenmühle.

Now begins the ascent to Espenschied. At first, it goes steeply uphill in the narrow stream valley before the path flattens out higher up and only climbs gently. At a bench, the Wispertalsteig leaves the narrow stream valley and turns left into the slope in a bend. Initially steep, later almost parallel to the slope, it reaches a wide forestry track, which the Wispertalsteig joins to the right. The path leads gently uphill through the forest to the field edges of Espenschied before reaching the first houses of the village at the end of Gartenfeldstraße. About 200 meters later, a meadow path branches half-left from the road and leads back through houses to the village center.