The precinct
The Weserbergland, Kaufunger Wald and Hoher Meißner low mountain ranges are located in the north-east of the federal state of Hesse. Relatively small-scale mountain ranges that all belong to the East Hessian Highlands. The highest point is the Hoher Meißner at 753 metres. Towards the end, the Frau Holle Trail runs south into the so-called Kuppenrhön.
The tour
The Frau Holle Trail is a long-distance hiking trail marked with the X4 sign, which runs from Bad Karlshafen on the Weser to Schenklengsfeld. The official distance is around 185 kilometres. You pass the legendary Frau Holle pond on the Hoher Meißner about halfway along the trail. Our data determined with the help of GPS are: 177 kilometres and 3950 metres in altitude, whereby we have rescheduled some short sections due to poor path conditions. The official route direction is from north to south, which also makes sense in terms of cycleability. During our tour on the Whitsun holidays, there were only a few encounters with hikers in the Bilstein and Hoher Meißner area (stage 2). Appropriate consideration should be a matter of course on the trails. If you can, you should use weekdays and the off-season.
You can download the complete travel article "Germany: Frau-Holle-Pfad" from BIKE 10/2020 as a PDF in the download area below.
The area guide costs 1.99 euros. Inside you will find the BIKE web code, which will take you to the download of the free GPS data.
- Stage 1: From Bard Karlshafen to Hannoversch Münden (57 km | 1250 m elevation gain | 5 hours)
- Stage 2: From Hannoversch Münden to Waldkappel (52 km | 1400 m elevation gain | 5 hours)
- Stage 3: From Waldkappel to Schenklengsfeld (68 km | 1300 m elevation gain | 6 hours)
Overnight stay
It makes sense to split the Frau Holle Trail into three stages. We enjoyed the luxury of a camper van as a support vehicle, so we didn't have to worry about accommodation. Pitches are available in Hann. Münden centre (chargeable) and in Waldkappel at the sports grounds (free). Hotels/inns: While Hann. Münden offers a solid selection of accommodation (info: www.hann.muenden.de), the only accommodation in Waldkappel is in the district of Burghofen, around four kilometres southwest of the main town (information: www.erlebnishotel.de). Tip: fit bikers can extend the second stage to Sontra (plus 15 kilometres), where the choice is greater (info: www.sontra.de).
Journey
By trainBad Karlshafen is connected to the railway network via Göttingen and Northeim.
Car: From the north and south: Bad Karlshafen is around 25 kilometres west of the north-south motorway A7 (Würzburg, Kassel, Hanover), approximately at the level of Göttingen. Connection from the east via the A38 (Leipzig), from the west via the A44 (Dortmund/Ruhr area). Distance from Cologne 250 km, from Frankfurt/M. 250 km, from Leipzig 270 km.
Return transfer
Unfortunately, there is no direct connection between the start and finish points, so a return journey by train is somewhat inconvenient. The nearest railway station to Schenklengsfeld is Bad Hersfeld (14 km). The train connection to Bad Karlshafen runs via Fulda, Kassel and Göttingen and takes around three to four hours including two to three changes depending on the connection.
Maps
Compass map 3065 "Kassel, Göttingen, Eichsfeld", scale 1:70000 and no. 3067 "Bad Hersfeld, Eisenach, Kuppenrhön" 1:70000.
