Bilstein: Veischede Sun Trail - North-West Loop

The north-west loop of the VSP begins in Bilstein (S). First you climb up to the castle (1). From there, take A23 left uphill through mixed forest. After a meadow, turn right and walk uphill on a flatter path. A great view soon opens up on the right at a Weide. A little later, a rest area (2) in a clearing invites you to take a break. Flanked by young spruce-birch forest, you continue the tour and separate from A23 at the transition into the high spruce forest. Now turn left unmarked onto a forest path. Continue straight ahead along this path, ignoring any side paths that branch off, until a path with the L, A and R markings joins the VSP later on from the diagonal right. Continue straight ahead together, following the A. With beautiful views, you reach the hamlet of Jäckelchen (3) and continue straight ahead on A. A short section of path follows before descending to the L880 on paved paths. Cross this and head towards the edge of the forest. There you separate from A. The VSP turns left and follows the asphalt path through open meadows. Beautiful views accompany the hiker to the Oberveischede parking lot (4), where the A markings are rejoined at the refuge. You walk through a varied forest to Tecklinghausen and cross the small settlement. Then you climb the hilltops of the high forest and can catch great views to the south over old windbreak areas. In one of the windbreak fields, change to the X24 markings and follow the path to the left towards Neuenwald. In the coniferous high forest, you can hike on a soft nature trail that leads down into the Veischedebachtal valley, where gurgling water accompanies the path. After crossing the stream, you climb up the edge of the forest to Neuenwald and carefully cross (5) the busy B55. The VSP leads along forest paths through open terrain in spruce forest and steadily uphill to Fahlenscheid. The few houses are quickly passed and you Wenden towards the K18 in an open field. At the Fahlenscheid hikers' parking lot (6), turn left at marker X8 and head for the hermitage (7) as your next destination. Pass the Arnscheider Berg and hike up and down to the Benolpe Kreuz (8), where a refuge invites you to take a break. The X8 then leads steadily uphill to the foot of the Buscheid. There you briefly separate from the X8, which runs over the summit. Choose the easier option here on the L-path and walk around the summit on the left. On the other side, X8 joins you again and together you continue to Hohe Bracht (9), where you can enjoy the view and stop for refreshments. Refreshed, you continue the tour and hike downhill on the X8 path. You soon follow a wide forest path below the ski slope, where you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view. After 24.6 km (10), you separate from the X8 and the VSP and follow the X6 markings to the left towards Bilstein. After a continuous descent, you arrive back at the Amtshausplatz in Bilstein (S) after a total of 26.7 km.