Short Route 2 (14 km) | Fürstin-Margaretha-Weg (Wershofen–Eichenbach–Wershofen)

Right at the start of this enchanting short hike, hikers are greeted by the Hocheifel viewpoint Kottenborner Kreuz near Wershofen, the hilly Hocheifel landscape lies at your feet, offering an unobstructed view of the striking Aremberg, which towers imposingly as a Tertiary volcano and the highest peak in the Ahr Mountains.
Comfortable hiking loungers along the trail invite you to unwind and simply lose yourself in the idyllic landscape. The hike continues at a leisurely pace through picturesque mixed forests, which owe their existence to the sustainable promotion of agriculture and forestry in the Duchy of Arenberg. Princess Margaretha, who ruled here in the 16th century, was a very forward-thinking and wise woman in her time. She also promoted mining and the smelting of ores, took great care of her subjects’ well-being, and advocated for the education of all children in the Duchy.
Click here for the entire route >>Princess Margaretha Trail

Highlights along the trail:

We start in Wershofen at the intersection of Dreisbachstraße and Südstraße, above the St. Pitte rest area, and follow Südstraße to the main road at the Hotel Kastenholz, where you can visit a large wildlife enclosure. Here, the trail crosses the L74 via Kottenbornerstraße to the Kottenborner Chapel. From here, we have a fantastic view of the striking Aremberg. A seating area is perfect for a picnic. Passing the chapel, the trail leads across meadows and through the forest downhill toward Laufenbacher Hof. Once at the bottom, the route crosses the L73 and the Dreisbach River until just before the tunnel. From here, we turn right and head uphill; to the left, we can see the village of Fuchshofen. The trail continues to the meadows of Eichenbach. To the right, we can see Wershofen and Ohlenhard; after a few hundred meters, we reach a lovely open hiking shelter. There are information boards there showing the native animals of the region. After about 400 m, we reach the Chapel of the 14 Holy Helpers and can already see Eichenbach.
At the fork, we take the shorter route toward Wershofen to return to our starting point after about 3 km.

Wershofen – 10.5 km Eichenbach – 3.5 km Wershofen

The route is marked throughout with the “Princess Margaretha Trail” logo featuring a medlar. The shortcut between Eichenbach and Wershofen is additionally marked separately as such.