Bad Marienberg and Kirburg (the Hoher Westerwald)
Bad Marienberg has the most of our homes here. It is a small Kneipp spa town with a wildlife park and the Basaltpark, an old quarry with paths and a viewing platform. The Westerwaldsteig long-distance trail passes nearby, and the Fuchskaute, the highest point of the Westerwald at 657 metres, is around ten minutes away. Kirburg is a village a few minutes north. Hachenburg's market square is about 15 minutes by car.
Best for: Walkers who want spa-town comforts on the high plateau
Not for you if: You want warm summer evenings: at over 500 metres, the high Westerwald is cool and often windy.
Enspel, Steinen and Dreisbach (the Westerwald lakes)
The Westerwälder Seenplatte is a group of old fish ponds in the woods near Westerburg. The Dreifelder Weiher, the largest, has a circular path of around six kilometres from Steinen, with grebes and herons on the water. At Enspel, the Stöffel-Park turns a basalt quarry into an industrial museum, with fossils found on the site. Westerburg has a castle above its old town. Frankfurt airport is about an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Birdwatching, lakeside walks and a fossil museum
Not for you if: You want a big lake for swimming and boating: these are shallow ponds, mostly kept for wildlife and walking.
Waldbreitbach and Oberlahr (the Wied valley)
Waldbreitbach is a village on the lower Wied, with a car-free riverside promenade of nearly four kilometres. In Advent it becomes a Christmas village, with nativity scenes across town, including a huge crib built from tree roots. Oberlahr is a smaller village upstream. The Westerwaldsteig runs through the valley, and the Rhine at Neuwied is around 25 minutes away. Cologne Bonn airport is about 45 minutes by car.
Best for: River walks, Advent visits and quick trips to the Rhine
Not for you if: You want open views: the Wied runs through a narrow, wooded valley.
Dillenburg and Eschenburg (the Dill valley)
Dillenburg is where William of Orange, founder of the Dutch royal house, was born. The castle is gone, but the Wilhelmsturm tower and the underground casemates on the Schlossberg can be visited, and the Hessian state stud farm is in the town. Eschenburg is a few minutes up the valley. Herborn, around 10 minutes south, has a half-timbered old town and is the start of the Westerwaldsteig. Frankfurt airport is about an hour by the A45.
Best for: Castle history, horses and trains along the valley
Not for you if: You want a remote village: the Dill valley is busy with traffic and industry along the A45.
Driedorf and Greifenstein (the Hessian Westerwald)
Driedorf sits on the open uplands west of the Dill. The Krombachtalsperre, a reservoir on its edge, has a lifeguarded bathing beach and a campsite in summer. Greifenstein, about 15 minutes east, is a hilltop village under a large castle ruin that holds a museum of church bells. Wetzlar, with its cathedral and the Leica museum, is around 25 minutes south. Frankfurt airport is about an hour away.
Best for: Families who want a swimming lake and a castle with a bell museum
Not for you if: You want restaurants and shops nearby: these are farming villages, and the nearest town is Herborn.
