Out and about on the Bergische Heideterrasse - Solingen hiking paradise

I had to take advantage of these mild temperatures to go hiking.

Yo Servus, after I was out and about with the 🚴‍♂️ for the last two days, without sharing the tour, today I wanted to spare my ass but put more strain on my body. But I didn't want to ride far with the 🚐 either. So I headed towards Hilden (Rhineland) near Düsseldorf... a nice ride with little public traffic... From Hilden to Langenfeld... Haus Graven moated castle and back...👍👍👍👍😎🤘

In the best hiking weather, a change between heath and forest... The moated castle is quite nice, otherwise a bit boring. The main thing is to get your dose of nature 🌳🌲☀️

Today I was out and about in the Ohligs Heath with @Rosi and @Elke. We started at the hiking car park at Engelsberger Hof. A beautiful park with the largest adventure playground in Solingen makes the Engelsberger Hof, south of the Ohligs Heath, a popular spot for families. You can get some refreshments at the Schlesische Schänke (a pub) when it's open. From there, we hiked through part of the Ohligs Heath, past the Heide Sofa (Heath Sofa). Elke surprised us with sparkling wine and strawberries on the nature trail. This made the walk fun and easy 🤣☺️😉 The Ohligs Heath in the east of Solingen offers space to breathe and unwind. You hike through heathland, moorland, and forest. Since 2014, the Ohligs Heath has been looked after by very special gardeners: sheep and goats ensure perfect ground cover and are a highlight of the landscape. The Heideweiher, or Three Island Pond, was redesigned several times from around 1920 to 1990. It has natural banks and three naturally overgrown islands, which give the pond its name. Birdlife has good opportunities to breed undisturbed in the reeds, rushes, and other plants. With a little patience, you can observe mallards, little grebes, grey herons, and kingfishers. The Schwanenmühle, an early/high medieval fortification, was located in Langenfeld Wiescheid in the Krüdersheide on a marshy area. It was also popularly known as Schwanenburg. The motte is surrounded by a wide ditch, still visible today, as well as the Viehbach stream flowing along it to the north. Our route passed through Feldhausen, and in Wiescheid we treated ourselves to a cappuccino. Then we reached Haus Graven. In the courtyard of the moated castle, which we were able to see today by chance because the gate was opened for us, the newly renovated Haus Graven Castle Cafe awaits all visitors with many delicious delicacies. The Haus Graven Castle features a newly designed permanent exhibition and, with many historical exhibits and pictures, provides a fascinating insight into the history of the castle from its origins in the 13th century to the present day. In addition to the permanent exhibition, visitors can experience alternating cultural and art exhibitions in the moated castle. After Haus Graven, we encountered two familiar faces from the Muppet Show, @Keith (a.k.a. "Statler") (Stadtler) and @PeterH65 (a.k.a. "Waldorf") (Waldorf). In the show, they are not lacking in cynicism, sarcasm, and constant nagging. Their comments are often pointed, ironic, or completely disrespectful – but always entertaining. In real life, they are two friendly journeymen who enjoy hiking together and, of course, greeted us three girls warmly. It's nice that our paths crossed today.👍🏻👍🏻 Shortly before the end of our tour, we reached the Krüdersheide, which is part of the Bergische Heideterrasse. It encompasses the "Krüdersheide and Götsche" nature reserve with an area of approximately 55 hectares, as well as the surrounding forests, meadows, and fields. The special value of this protected area, which has existed since 2005, lies in the birch moor forests located in a shallow depression of the central terrace, as well as the birch and alder swamp forests, some of which have a species-rich sphagnum flora. They are home to rare plants such as the stiff sedge, bog myrtle, the royal fern, and the marsh sedge. In the east of the area, valuable beech and oak stands also grow, providing a habitat primarily for rare bird species such as the black woodpecker, but also for the greater noctule, a bat species that is extremely rare in North Rhine-Westphalia. We also passed by the Hackhausen Forest House. A gem in the Ohligs Heath in Solingen The Hackhausen Forest House in Solingen Ohligs, built between 1910 and 1912, is a remarkable example of early 20th-century architecture. The architect Paul Schultze-Naumburg (PSN), born on June 10, 1869, near Naumburg an der Saale and died on May 19, 1949, in Jena, was known for his neoclassical style with neo-baroque elements. It was a very nice day of hiking with pleasant conversations and great hiking weather in a beautiful nature reserve. Thank you @Rosi and @Elke for this wonderful day together.

Had a lovely Sunday walk under a bright blue sky and spring-like temperatures. 😁