Trekking the Westweg

This guide covers the Westweg, or Westway, one of Germany's classic long-distance routes. Starting in Pforzheim on the northern edge of the Black Forest, it runs south for 285km to Basel in Switzerland. Along the way it passes the region's highlighs such as the source of the Danube, LakeTitisee and Feldberg, the Black Forest's highest peak.

The waymarked route is presented here in 13 or 14 stages of between 16km and 28km, perfect for a fortnight's walking. The terrain is easy but some of the ascents are steep and the total route notches up about 8000m of cumulative altitude.  There are plenty of opportunities to shorten the route by taking public transport, and luggage forwarding services are widely available. Anyone with a good level of endurance and some hill walking experience would be able to enjoy this long distance trail.

The Westway splits into two at the popular tourist destination of Titisee. The western route traces the edge of the massif, taking in some of the highest peaks – Feldberg, Belchen and Hochblauen – before descending through the rolling vineyards and orchards of Markgräflerland. The eastern route goes via Herzogenhorn and Blößling to Todtmoos and the open farmland of Dinkelberg, to reach Basel. Both routes are described in full in this guidebook.

The guidebook includes accommodation listings, a German-English glossary and a host of useful practical information for planning a trek.

Kat Morgenstern

Born and raised in Berlin, Kat Morgenstern is a grassroots herbalist, ethnobotanist, writer and ecotravel professional. She has spent most of her adult life in the UK, US and France but currently lives in Germany's southern Black Forest, where she loves to roam the hills and forests.