Bergischer Fuhrmannsweg (Ramble #9) - Bergisches Land Nature Park

The 9th Bergische Streifzug is dedicated to the Bergische carters and leads from Marienheide around the Brucher dam. "On a hundred streets he was one at home, in wind and weather he drove through the country" says one of the many information boards, on which you can find exciting information and lots of pictures from back then. The route starts at Marienheide train station, I parked at the Hit supermarket. On the outskirts one encounters the old monastery, which was built here at the intersection of two medieval long-distance trade routes in the village of "Auf der Heide". A portrait of Mary was venerated in the monastery, which also attracted numerous pilgrims - to the image of Mary on the heath. From the outskirts it is quick to go into the countryside and over the Ellberg down to the books dam. Here you have to remember that you came across the Brucher on the circular path at the Waldhotel in order to find the ascent directly on the way back. ;-) To the left you follow the circular path around the Brucher and quickly reach the dam,

The hike started at Marienheide train station, where parking was free. It was a lovely, varied walk, and even our granddaughter wasn't bored, as she enthusiastically activated the audio stations. The sun even came out for the second half of the hike.

And today, just before New Year's Eve, my last tour of the year was on the list: The Bergische Fuhrmannsweg. 🎆 The path led from Marienheide to the idyllic Brucher dam and back, a distance of around 7 km in a circular route, each with a pleasant 3 km in and out. Most of the paths are wide and well developed, but the rainy days had left their mark - in some places they were well soaked or flooded. 🌧️👟 Overall, the tour was not very physically challenging, perfect for a relaxed trip into nature after Christmas feasting. Sometimes the path also leads through one or two residential areas and to be honest, there was no real highlight. In summer you could certainly go swimming in the dam to cool off after the hike. So I'll still try the route again in the warm season! 💦☀️

As a New Year's hike, we hiked Bergischer Streifzug 9, the Fuhrmannsweg. Neither of us liked the path very much. Lots of cleared former forests, views that are reminiscent of an end-of-time film, muddy sections of the path, as not much that belongs to a beautiful hike. In fact not a recommendation to hike this trail .. But the weather was OK and the year started with movement, just like the previous year ended.

The Bergische Streifzug Fuhrmannsweg starts in Marienheide. Unfortunately, the first part has to be gone twice. Especially in this part, some passages are not accessible because they are completely overgrown. In addition, the entire route runs over asphalt and gravel. Unfortunately, the extremely beautiful bathing lake can only make up for the negative overall result. But the lake is really worth it 🙂🏞🥾🌞

https://www.bergisches-wanderland.de/bergische-streifzuege/alle-streifzuege/9-bergischer-fuhrmannsweg-marienheide-135-km My starting point: car park at Marienheide cemetery (Klosterstrasse 5)

Personally, I didn't find this Bergisches Streifzug all that great. It covers about 1.5-2 km of the same route (from Marienheide to the Bruchertalsperre and back). Then there's too much boring dam hiking trail for me, and I even took a shortcut in Müllenbach because it was a residential area. So boring. But in between, there are always some great (single) trails that I found appealing, and on which I didn't encounter anyone, despite the perfect weather. Of course, there were a lot of walkers at the dam. So it's worth doing once, and if you want to hike all the Bergisches Streifzug trails, like me, it's a must, but I wouldn't repeat this tour.

Now that the regional train RB25 🚂 is running continuously from Cologne to Marienheide again after a long closure, I had the opportunity to hike the Fuhrmannsweg there and test the rail connection. Today, the hiking trails are fortunately in better condition than they probably were at the time of the Bergische Fuhrleute. As with other Bergische forays, there are a few asphalt sections on the circular route, but this is always compensated for by great views of the landscape and quiet sections of the route. In the center of Marienheide, several small cafés and restaurants invite you to end the tour appropriately. 😋 The foray provides a lot of interesting information about the Bergische Fuhrleute via information boards. And a circular route around the Brucher Talsperre is worth a trip there at any time of year! 👍 +++ 🐻 +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ https://www.bergisches-wanderland.de/de/bergische-streifzuege/portrait/index.html https://www.bergisches-wanderland.de/bergische-streifzuege/alle-streifzuege/9-bergischer-fuhrmannsweg-marienheide-135-km ON THE TRAIL OF THE CARRIER IN THE BERGISCHES LAND "He was once at home on a hundred roads, he drove through the country in all weathers," says an obituary for a "Bergische carter". The carters who were still traveling on the then largely bumpy roads in the Bergisches Land around a hundred years ago and transported numerous goods must have been tough: from crops to pig iron to dangerous gunpowder. The stories that carters liked to tell in the numerous carter's pubs are just as much a topic on the information boards along the way as the dangerous job of transporting highly explosive black powder over bumpy paths. Almost incidentally, there is also a popular recreational area to discover between the dam, the pilgrimage site and a "Bonten Kerke". At two audio stations you can listen to various episodes about the life and work of the carters." Flyer in .pdf format: https://www.bergisches-wanderland.de/fileadmin/Microsites/Broschueren_Bergisches_Wanderland/Flyer_Bergischer_Fuhrmannsweg_2023_neu.pdf 🐻****************************************🐻 Arrival and departure by 🚌 public transport 🚂/🚃 on this tour: + Marienheide Bf, Marienheide 🚂