Villas in Bergisches Land

Hückeswagen suits lake swimming, Remscheid suits the Müngsten bridge, and Eitorf suits Sieg valley walks, all within an hour of Cologne. The Bergisches Land is a hilly, wooded upland east of the Rhine, full of reservoirs and slate-hung towns. Homes are holiday flats and houses, not villas, and many are good value. The weather is wet, so it suits walkers more than sunbathers.

Where

Villas: 22
From, per week: £321
Cheapest month: December
Nearest airports: Düsseldorf and Cologne Bonn are both close, with flights from London taking around an hour and a quarter. Düsseldorf suits Leichlingen, Wermelskirchen and Remscheid; Cologne Bonn suits Siegburg, Eitorf and Bergneustadt. By train, take the Eurostar to Brussels and change for Cologne.

Where to stay in Bergisches Land

Wermelskirchen and Hückeswagen (reservoir country)

This is the heart of the Bergisches Land, with dams in almost every valley. The Bever reservoir near Hückeswagen has marked swimming spots, sailing and campsites, and the larger Große Dhünn reservoir supplies drinking water, so it is for walks only. Hückeswagen's old town climbs to a small castle. The Balkantrasse, a cycle path on an old railway line, runs through Wermelskirchen. Düsseldorf airport is around 45 minutes away.

Best for: Swimming, sailing and cycling round the reservoirs

Not for you if: You want a lively town: both are small, and evenings are quiet.

Eitorf and Siegburg (the Sieg valley)

Eitorf is a small town in a wooded bend of the Sieg, on the Natursteig Sieg hiking trail and the riverside cycle path, with canoe trips on the river in summer. Siegburg, about 25 minutes downstream, has a Benedictine abbey on the Michaelsberg above the town and an ICE station with fast trains to Cologne and Frankfurt. Cologne Bonn airport is around 20 minutes from Siegburg and 40 from Eitorf.

Best for: River walks, canoeing and quick trains to Cologne and Bonn

Not for you if: You want the classic Bergisches Land of slate houses and dams: the Sieg valley is on its southern edge.

Leichlingen (the lower Wupper)

Leichlingen calls itself the Blütenstadt for the fruit orchards around it, which flower in April and May. The Wupper runs through the town, with a cycle path along it. Schloss Burg, a rebuilt hilltop castle above the Wupper near Solingen, is around 20 minutes away. Trains reach Cologne in under half an hour, and Düsseldorf airport is about 30 minutes by car.

Best for: Orchard walks and day trips to Cologne and Düsseldorf

Not for you if: You want hills and forest at the door: Leichlingen is on the edge of the Rhine plain.

Remscheid (Müngsten and Lennep)

The Müngsten bridge, at 107 metres the highest railway bridge in Germany, crosses the Wupper gorge between Remscheid and Solingen. You can walk the Brückenpark below it or join a guided climb up the steel arches. Lennep, Remscheid's old quarter of slate-clad houses, is where Wilhelm Röntgen was born, and the German Röntgen Museum is there. Wuppertal and its suspended railway are around 20 minutes away.

Best for: Industrial history, museums and the Müngsten bridge

Not for you if: You want countryside rather than a town: Remscheid is a sizeable hillside city.

Bergneustadt (the Oberbergisches Land)

Bergneustadt sits in the eastern Oberbergisches Land, where the hills climb towards the Sauerland. Its old town has black slate and white timber houses on a ridge above the newer town. The Aggertalsperre, a reservoir with paths around it, is close by, and the Wiehl stalactite cave and the Aggertal cave at Ründeroth are each around 20 minutes away. Cologne Bonn airport is roughly an hour by car.

Best for: Quiet woods, caves and a small old town

Not for you if: You want an easy run to Cologne: it is around an hour's drive.

When to go to Bergisches Land

May to September is best for walking, cycling and swimming in the reservoirs. The Bergisches Land is one of the wettest parts of western Germany, so even summer brings showery days, and the woods stay green for it. July and August are the main holiday months, but the region rarely feels crowded. Autumn colour in the beech woods peaks in October. Winters are grey and damp rather than snowy, though the Christmas markets in Cologne and the old towns make a short break worthwhile.