Ramsbeck, Hochsauerlandkreis

Ramsbeck Miners' Round

Distance9.4 km
Elevation gain434 m
DifficultyModerate
Estimated time2 h 36 min
Chains: NoTechnical: NoWaymarked: B in a white diamond (SGV)

Overview

Ramsbeck lies in a narrow Sauerland valley worked for lead and zinc, and the B loop walks the ground the mines left behind. From the village at 390 m the trail climbs to 529 m inside two kilometres, then gives every metre of it back: the lowest point of the walk, 365 m, is the show mine itself. A war memorial stands on the slope above the village, 125 m off the path at 0.7 km and about where the first climb begins — near the line rather than on it.

The mine sits at 4.5 km, almost exactly halfway. A winding tower and a preserved steam engine are mapped as separate monuments outside it, and the restaurant Zur Lore is a few paces further on. The second climb starts here and is the longer of the two, topping out at 542 m after seven kilometres; between 5.1 and 5.7 km the path passes eight numbered stations of a Way of the Cross.

Underfoot it is forest track for nearly six of the nine kilometres, with about two kilometres of village street at the start and the finish. Nothing is exposed and nothing needs hands. The work is the gradient: a third of the distance is steeper than one in ten.

Points of interest

  • Besucherbergwerk Ramsbeck — The show mine and mining museum at 4.5 km, 45 m off the path and, at 365 m, the lowest point of the walk. A winding tower and a preserved steam engine stand outside it and the restaurant Zur Lore is next door. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00; admission is charged.
  • alter Kamin am Bastenberg — An old mine chimney standing alone in the forest at 8 km, 10 m from the path on the final descent.

Trail alerts

  • Road walking: 2.1 km of the 9.4 - a quarter of the loop - is on lanes and streets open to cars, 1.56 km of it village street in Ramsbeck at the start and the finish. 134 m has no pavement of its own: that stretch is the Valmestraße, the K 19, and it is shared with traffic.
  • Closed on Mondays: the show mine at the halfway point opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00, and charges admission. If it is the reason for the walk, check the day before setting out, and count a tour underground as time on top of the 2h36 the walking takes.

Trail character

  • Surface: 5.8 km forest track, 2.1 km sealed, 0.45 km gravel, 0.4 km footpath, the rest grass and bare ground.
  • Height range: 365 m at the mine to 542 m at 7.2 km, in two separate climbs with a full descent between them. A third of the distance is steeper than 10%.
  • Waymarking: the letter B in a white diamond, Sauerländischer Gebirgsverein. The published line is the relation's own, unchanged, so the signs hold the whole way round.

Access & rules

  • Parking: a car park 34 m from the start of the loop in Ramsbeck.
  • By bus: the Werdern stop is 56 m from the route; Ärztehaus at 312 m and Post at 773 m are also within reach of it.
  • Dogs: nothing in the trail data sets a route-wide restriction. The museum sets its own rules.

More routes nearby

  • Around the Hennesee by the hillside
  • Vom Hennesee über den Lannenberg
  • Around the Northern Diemelsee

Browse all ready-made routes