Climbing the Langenberg in Sauerland

Micro adventure in Germany: climbing the Langenberg in Sauerland

Looking for an original micro adventure in Germany? Then climb the Langenberg, the highest mountain in Sauerland and also the state of North Rhine Westphalia, the state that borders the central and southern Netherlands. It’s an original idea for a short weekend trip and something different than the well known hikes in Sauerland.
 
Also read: climbing Hohe Acht, the highest peak in the Eifel
 

 

Hiking trip to Sauerland in Germany

For me, Sauerland is one of the nicest places for hiking in Germany. But to be honest, tourist places like Willingen and Winterberg can sometimes be incredibly busy with fellow Dutch people. That is why I regularly look for hiking trails away from the crowds. This is how I came up with the idea to climb the highest mountain in Sauerland: the Langenberg last year.
 
The Langenberg measures 843 meters and a bit and is located between Niedersfeld and Willingen. This makes it slightly higher than the famous Kahler Asten, which attracts many more visitors each year. There are countless trails that take you to the top of the Langenberg and I advise you to buy a hiking map so that you can plan the desired route in terms of length and starting point.
 

 

Sauerland hiking map

We bought the regional hiking map “Wandern im Ruhr- und Hilletal Hochsauerland” for a few euros on the spot. This includes in particular the area south of the Langenberg including Winterberg. When you spend the night in Willingen it is best to buy another map of the more northern region.
 
As we were not in the mood for crowds, we decided to pitch our tent at Camping Vosmecke, a simple but neat campsite between Niedersfeld and Winterberg. We started our hike from Niedersfeld and walked up to the Langenberg along the N2 hiking route. From here we followed a small part of Rothaarsteig and via the Medebachquelle we descended again. Unfortunately we went wrong somewhere (something that we thought is actually impossible in Germany) so the number of kilometers was higher than planned, in the end we arrived at about 21 kilometers. If you want to make a shorter hike, you will find a nice 14-kilometer route from Bruchhausen here.
 

 

On the Langenberg

Note: it is not a mountain with a great view. In fact, the highest point is in the middle of the forest and is marked by a large wooden cross. So you don’t really have the idea that you have climbed so much. Luckily along the way you do have occasional views of the surroundings through the trees so that still makes it worth the walk.
 
Then why climb the Langenberg? Because it shows a quiet side of Sauerland, away from the crowds. Because it is wonderful to walk on the relatively quiet trails and just because it is something different than usual. If you are tired of the silence of this area after the day, you will be back in Willingen or Winterberg within no time.
 

What does this micro adventure cost?

On Saturday afternoon we drove from Arnhem to Sauerland and arrived there by the end of the afternoon. We spent the evening at the campsite while enjoying our own food we brought from home. The next day we climbed the Langenberg, ate a delicious schnitzel at the restaurant of the campsite (cash only!) and drove back home, where we arrived halfway through the evening. We traveled with two people and the cost per person were about 60 euros per person including gasoline, accommodation at the campsite, a hiking map, self-brought dinner and breakfast and a late schnitzel lunch at the campsite including two beers.
 
If you rather don’t want to camp, then check out these hotels in Winterberg or Willingen. Landal Winterberg is also a great alternative if you would like to cook yourself (and therefore want to save costs) but you can only book here for a whole weekend (3 nights) or longer.
 

Conclusion and disclaimer

I hope I have given you a nice idea for your next micro adventure. Also make sure to check out our previous micro adventure blogs. During these micro-adventures we share our tips for the best adventures in the Netherlands or just outside for 1, 2 or 3 days. After all, you don’t have to go far to do cool things!
 
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