Rothaarsteig Hochsauerland

Rothaarsteig is the long-distance path along the crest of the Rothaar mountains, and this is the northern half: three days from Brilon to the Kahler Asten, with every highlight of the 154-kilometre route inside one weekend.

The first day is the heaviest and the finest. From Brilon you climb into the forest to the Bruchhauser Steine, four quartz crags standing clear of the beech wood, ringed by a rampart since the Bronze Age. Then you stay on the crest: the Langenberg at 843 metres is the highest point in North Rhine-Westphalia, and a little further on lies the Ruhrquelle, where the river of the Ruhr region rises. You sleep in Willingen, with the 665-metre Skywalk and the Mühlenkopfschanze within walking distance.

Day two is short and stays high: over the heath of the Neuer Clemensberg to Winterberg, the Kahler Asten already in sight. Day three closes the crest past the Kahler Asten at 841 metres and the St. Georg-Schanze, whose jump hangs above the valley. From there it is two kilometres to Winterberg station.

Practical. Brilon Stadt and Winterberg both have a station, changing at Brilon Wald and Bestwig. The route is waymarked throughout with a white R on red and needs no technique, but the long first day asks for fitness. You can stay in Brilon, Willingen and Winterberg; book early at weekends, especially in summer and around Advent. Water is scarce on the crest, so fill up at every spring you pass.