Villas in Hunsrück

Morbach and Thalfang suit national park walks, Kastellaun suits the Geierlay bridge, and Idar-Oberstein suits a gemstone day. The Hunsrück is the high, wooded plateau between the Mosel, Rhine and Nahe, quieter and cheaper than the river valleys below. Homes are holiday houses and flats in small villages rather than villas, so plan on driving everywhere.

Where

Villas: 52
From, per week: £254
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Hahn is in the middle of the Hunsrück and has Ryanair flights from London Stansted, taking around an hour and a half. Frankfurt has the most UK flights and is an hour to an hour and a half away. Luxembourg suits Hermeskeil and the western Hochwald.

Where to stay in Hunsrück

Morbach, Thalfang and the Hochwald (Hermeskeil, Holzerath)

Morbach has the most of our Hunsrück homes, and Thalfang sits below the Erbeskopf, at 816 metres the highest point in Rhineland-Palatinate, with a few ski lifts in snowy winters. Both border the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, set up in 2015, with long beech and spruce forests. Hermeskeil, to the west, has a large aircraft museum and the Celtic ring fort at Otzenhausen nearby. Hahn airport is around 30 minutes from Morbach.

Best for: Walkers who want the national park and the highest hills

Not for you if: You want wine villages on the doorstep: the Mosel is a 25-minute drive down.

Kastellaun and the central plateau (Beltheim, Bell, Halsenbach, Reckershausen)

Kastellaun is a small town under a castle ruin, and the Geierlay suspension bridge, 360 metres long and up to 100 metres above the valley floor, is about 15 minutes west at Mörsdorf. The Schinderhannes cycle path follows an old railway line across the plateau near Halsenbach. Beltheim, Bell and Reckershausen are farming villages. Boppard on the Rhine is around 25 minutes away, and Hahn airport about 25 minutes.

Best for: Families who want the Geierlay bridge and easy cycling

Not for you if: You want dramatic scenery from the house: the plateau is open farmland between the forests.

Blankenrath, Mastershausen and Irmenach (above the Mosel)

These villages are on the northern edge of the plateau, where side valleys drop sharply to the Mosel. Mastershausen and Blankenrath are around ten minutes from the Geierlay bridge. Irmenach is a short drive above Traben-Trarbach, so a day of wine tasting and a river boat is easy. The woods round here have marked loop walks, many of them signed as Traumschleifen. Hahn airport is about 20 minutes away.

Best for: Couples who want quiet villages with the Mosel close by

Not for you if: You want to walk to a wine bar: these villages sit on the plateau, and the river is a steep drive below.

Simmern, Kirchberg and the Soonwald (Dickenschied, Schöneberg)

The Soonwald is a long, unbroken forest ridge on the southern side of the Hunsrück, crossed by the Soonwaldsteig trail. Schöneberg lies on its eastern edge. Dickenschied is a quiet village a few minutes from Kirchberg, one of the oldest towns in the Hunsrück. Simmern, the main shopping town, has the Hunsrück Museum in its palace and the Schinderhannes tower, named after an outlaw who was held there. Frankfurt airport is around an hour and a quarter from Schöneberg.

Best for: Long forest walks and small-town shopping

Not for you if: You want lakes or swimming: this side has woods and streams rather than water to swim in.

The Idar-Oberstein side (Mörschied, Siesbach, Leisel, Schauren)

Idar-Oberstein has worked agate and gemstones for centuries. The Felsenkirche is built into a cliff above the town, the German Gemstone Museum is in Idar, and the Steinkaulenberg mine runs tours underground. Mörschied is about ten minutes north, near the half-timbered old town of Herrstein. Siesbach, Leisel and Schauren are small villages towards Birkenfeld, on the southern slopes of the national park. Hahn airport is around 45 minutes away.

Best for: Gemstones, a church built into a cliff and the national park's southern trails

Not for you if: You want a pretty town base: central Idar-Oberstein is squeezed into a narrow, busy valley.

When to go to Hunsrück

May to October is the main season for walking and cycling, with the beech woods colouring from early October. The plateau sits at 400 to 600 metres, so it is cooler and windier than the Mosel and Rhine below, and evenings can be fresh even in summer. July and August are the busiest months but rarely crowded. Winters are long and grey. In snowy years there is a little skiing at the Erbeskopf, but snow is unreliable and this is not a ski region.