Golddörfer Route from Westfeld to Kahler Asten (Sauerland)

A great tour. Very varied. Narrow, narrow hiking trails - wide hiking trails - forest, fields, heath, valleys, heights - wide view, sometimes only 20 cm of view for all the bushes😁. Wild animals and not so wild. Just lovely. Fairly good signage. Except for some hustle and bustle on the Kahler Asten, lonely and quiet. Lots of benches and a Kneipp pool - the cool water was very refreshing🥰. The way here was worth it. I hope the pictures speak for themselves.

A wonderful hike along the Golddorf Route Westfeld and the Rothaarsteig Trail Kahler Asten, which curiously share both names and two trail markers – why remains a mystery to me. I started at the hiking car park in Westfeld, which also features the hiking portal for the tour. I particularly enjoyed the magnificent views in sunny weather, which was a nice contrast to my last visit to the Kahler Asten in December 2022 when I hiked the Rothaarsteig in deep snow. The trail itself is extremely pleasant and impresses with its varied landscape and tranquil atmosphere. Highly recommended!

A question in advance: why does komoot show significantly less "time in motion" for all my tours than Garmin? Komoot here 3.8, in Garmin 4.5. It's annoying and I always feel like the lamest crutch... I treated myself to a weekend in the Sauerland. Mainly to hike the Kahlen-Asten-Steig, which had been on my list for so long. However, I didn't start from the official starting point in Westfeld because I would have had to drive there first. The access path to the trail from my guesthouse, on the other hand, was less than a kilometer long. So I started walking from the accommodation and started tracking on the trail. First, it was also uphill for a good kilometer, but still quite moderate. Then I reached the summit with the Astenturm. According to the internet, the climb up the tower should cost €1.00, but I didn't find anyone at the hotel, just a few guests leaving. The hotel door was open, as were all the doors on the floors, so I just climbed up. I probably skipped out on paying, but there was absolutely no one from the hotel to be found. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with the inside of the tower. Unfortunately, it wasn't particularly clean or well-kept. And the view is only through plexiglass. I didn't see anyone on the way down either, so I cranked out the souvenir coin outside (I'm an enthusiastic collector) and then continued walking towards the weather station. So that's what it looks like. Interesting! The landscape on the Kahler Asten is reminiscent of a moor with gnarled trees. In the distance, sheep were busy tending the landscape. The route continued to Sahnehang, a ski slope, currently closed, of course. A good opportunity to take a closer look at such a facility. Also exciting! On the following section, I was very amazed by the fir trees. So slim and delicate, I had never seen them before. A stone clarifies it, they are Nobilis Sauerlandia. Oh, I see! Then it was time for the long descent to Westfeld, which is the ascent on the official route. I almost missed the Bärenschlucht, but the signs for the Kahlen-Asten-Steig prevented it. What a super cool little gorge! Not entirely easy on the path/surface, but great fun! It continued down to the Schwarzen-Siepen on a very narrow path between trees and bushes. I kept having some kind of flying creatures or cobwebs on my face. A brilliant section! Across a bridge and with a babbling brook and waterfalls next to you, you reach the Westfeld barbecue area a little later. There I had completed almost exactly half of the tour and there is always a break halfway through, as was the case here. I didn't understand the subsequent loop through a park, but it is short and after that it gets exciting again, because of course you can't avoid some steep climbs in this direction either. It starts with the ascent to the Hoher Knochen. At the end of the steep forest path, the hotel on the Hoher Knochen awaits, which you go around on a meadow path before the next, even more difficult climb. BUT the paths on the climbs are a dream throughout! That made up for it, no matter how much I struggled. Narrow paths, partly overgrown, gravelly, rooty and stumbling. Always watch how and where you step! The route finally led up a forest slope to the Vorderer Hoher Knochen, literally. How I panted and cursed. But a path is a path. And the view at the top makes up for everything anyway. After that, my legs were able to rest a little on a wide and, above all, flat hiking trail. The last 500 m of the route then gave it their all when it came to the climb! Even a group of men hiking behind me took a break every few meters. So I wasn't alone. That's a consolation. At the top, after a bend, my starting point was already in sight again. That was motivating and we happily headed back to our accommodation. The Kahle-Asten-Steig definitely deserves to be called a "steep"! And no matter which way you walk it, it goes steeply uphill. If you walk in the direction I'm going, it goes later, if you walk in the regular direction, right at the beginning and, above all, for longer. That's why I was quite happy with my route.

Beautiful circular hiking trail with a 536m ascent to the Kahler Asten.🥾⛰️,,Recommended route for hikers with a good basic level of fitness and surefootedness 👍😉

Today I finally tackled the Kahler Asten, which had been on my "I want to do" list for ages 😊 I decided to go counterclockwise, which was a good thing, because it starts right at the parking lot, uphill, some of it with quite steep gradients 🥵 The final descent with tired legs...🙈 It was great! Fantastic views, often narrow paths, sparse forest, and sometimes sunny open fields, plus a nice breeze today despite the 30°C.... I wouldn't want to experience the Kahler Asten when it's busy, but today it was possible, but you only have to stop by the tower, the restaurant, and so on...the heathland is truly beautiful up there. It must look fantastic in late summer, with the blueberries ripening now 😋 My highlight was the Bärenschlucht 😍😍 Small but lovely, it suddenly appears...I really liked it. The last 2 km were a gravel (bicycle) path to collect the kilometers and the detour through the spa gardens could have been omitted. But a great tour, thumbs up 👍😊

https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/tourendatenbank?tx_npt3alpstein_tour_id=6257082&cHash=cf213d3f59964cfbfa9d89e5499dc1aa

A fantastic Rothaarsteig track... my hiker's heart still beats when I think about this tour. It has everything a premium hike needs... panorama, variety and paths (many paths :-)) You can find all tips and experiences for the fantastic hike in my blog article: https://wanderfrei.de/kahler-asten-steig-ein-premiumweg-zum-verlieben/

https://www.wanderbares-deutschland.de/wege/alle-wege/rothaarsteig-spur-kahler-asten-steig-3029489be9