Berlar has the charm of a genuine farming village. Concrete starting points for planning your trip include the Berlar BL9 circular trail and a nationally renowned Icelandic horse riding school with a riding stable. This makes it easy to choose what to focus on in the village based on your interest in hiking, horses and rural character.

Hiking around Berlar

The Berlar BL9 circular trail is rated moderate, is 6.5 km long and leads through the forests around Berlar. The ascent is listed as 180 metres and the descent as 183 metres. Its length, rating and elevation profile give you concrete points of reference for deciding whether the loop suits your stay.

Another hiking route to Berlar is the Bestwig Panorama Trail (B), which runs via Raviele and Ostfeld. In the wider Bestwig destination, the Bestwig Panorama Trail follows the ridges of the municipality and is around 60 km long in total. It has been awarded the German Hiking Association’s “Quality Trail Wanderbares Deutschland” distinction four times in a row. The two trails differ in scale: the BL9 focuses on a single moderately difficult loop and its elevation gain, while the Panorama Trail is a longer route through Bestwig.

Icelandic horses, farming and village history

Berlar is home to a nationally renowned Icelandic horse riding school with a riding stable. Agriculture is also part of the village’s character: Berlar has five full-time farms, including three dairy farms, as well as a chicken farm and a horse boarding stable. So a stay here combines hiking trails and horse riding with a distinctly rural setting.

A recurring link to farming life is bread baking in the old bakehouse at Hof Stehling-Witthöfer: bread is baked there several times a year. St Peter and Paul Chapel in Berlar adds a historical touch. Its foundation stone was laid in 1882. The farms, bakehouse and chapel represent different facets of the village, without requiring the same travel interests.

Practical information

The public, free car park for hikers in Bestwig-Berlar is located in front of the riding stables. As local conditions can change, check them before your visit. This gives you a specific starting point for planning without assuming a particular walking time for the BL9.

More destinations in the wider Bestwig destination

In the wider Bestwig destination, the Plästerlegge near Bestwig-Wasserfall offers a different natural highlight. It is the only natural waterfall in North Rhine-Westphalia. The water falls around 20 m almost vertically over a rock ledge and then continues for about 500 m as a torrent. From the car park in the centre of the village on Aurorastraße, the Plästerlegge is about a 20-minute walk away; trail conditions may vary.

The Sauerland Visitor Mine in Ramsbeck offers a different experience. The electric mine train travels about 1.5 km through the dark Eickhoff tunnel. Bus route R72 runs regularly from Bestwig station to the visitor mine; the “Ramsbeck-Ziegelwiese” stop is right outside. Check the timetable before travelling. The waterfall and the mine complement the wider Bestwig destination with two different highlights.

Discover more destinations: Valme, Andreasberg, Wasserfall

Back to the wider travel overview: Bestwig.