Siebengebirge Loop via Löwenburg and Drachenfels

....today the first major tour outside of Nideggen. To the Drachenfels. In glorious weather after fog in the morning.👌 A perfect tour through the Siebengebirge.

Another nice round today through the Siebengebirge, which I found on the internet (see below). It's really a worthwhile tour, but next time I'd add the summit of the big Breiberg, it's on the way and the view is totally worth it. Was probably too late this morning. However, I still took the Löwenburg with me, which the original route only leads past. There was definitely a view! Source: https://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/wandern-radfahren/13-wandern/80-die-rundesieben

It goes over Drachenfels, the Großer and Kleiner Breiberg, the Löwenburg, the Jungfernhardt, the Geisberg, and the Schallenberg. Even though these seven hills in the Siebengebirge aren't the namesakes of the Siebengebirge, they can still be combined into a great tour. There's a similar tour, including one by Kommot, called "Die Runde Sieben" (The Seven Rounds), but this tour doesn't actually go over the peaks of the Breiberge and the Löwenburg, but only past them. These highlights shouldn't be missed, especially the ascent to the Großer Breiberg from Rhöndorf and the view of the Drachenfels from up there are unique. And of course, the Löwenburg and its view aren't worth skipping past, in my opinion. Therefore, I recommend this variant instead. Even at 33°C, it's fun, as long as you cool off in between, which is possible at the Löwenburger Hof and the Milchhäuschen, both of which are along the way. So, I definitely recommend it.

Today, I had some athletic company on my hike in the Siebengebirge Nature Park. We started at the free parking lot by the train station north of Bad Honnef / Rhöndorf and decided to take the suggested route in the opposite direction. With temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius, a climb of around 25% awaited us right at the start. The first views along the serpentine path motivated us to continue climbing to the Drachenfels plateau. After just 1.3 km, we were able to enjoy the breathtaking view over the Rhine Valley. Despite the beautiful weather, the large plateau with its café, shop, hotel, and cog railway was relatively quiet. We continued along a natural forest path below the Drachenfels and along the Eselsweg (donkey path) to Drachenburg Castle – although closed, a true gem of the romantic Rhine landscape, even from the outside. Along the Drachenfels road, we passed the Hirschberghütte (Hirschberg Hut) and the Milchhäuschen (Milk House). Time and again, narrow, root-filled paths led us uphill, which not only added variety to the hike but also freed us from the whirlwind of everyday thoughts – every step demanded our full attention. Below the Jungfernhardt, at about 6.6 km, we stopped for our first snack and found a wonderful spot with a view of the Ölender. The next highlight was the Three Lakes View viewpoint. Although it was a bit crowded, the view stretching all the way to Cologne Cathedral and the Eifel Mountains was simply magnificent in this glorious weather. I found the signposts along the trail particularly impressive: stone slabs embedded in the rocks with directions – sustainable and a real eye-catcher. At the Löwenburgerhof farm, we also discovered numerous fruit trees that were planted years ago by elementary school children and now bear fruit every year. The last three kilometers led us again along narrow paths, this time steadily downhill, with the slope sloping down to the left. Finally, there was another 25% gradient over scree and roots before we stopped at the Konrad Adenauer House. There, we took a short tour and learned fascinating details about the life of the first German Chancellor. This was already my third route in the Rhein-Sieg district. While the Lower Rhine region, with its Maasduinen (meaning "dune dunes") in the Netherlands, has its own beautiful side, the landscape here particularly fascinates me. It's the heights, the varied paths, and the fantastic views that make the Siebengebirge, among other things, the perfect preparation for future Alpine adventures.

It was a great hike... often on narrow paths and mostly following the Rheinsteig! Again and again there were beautiful vantage points, e.g. on the large Breiberg and the Löwenburg! The Three Lakes View and the view from the Walter Guillaume Hütte on the Geisberg were my absolute favourites! Simply terrific!

Very nice tour from Rhöndorf. First steeply up the mountain to the Drachenfels. There are always beautiful views along the way, especially from the platform above. The view over the Rhine and into the Eifel is fantastic. The path takes us further to the Löwenburg. After a short rest, we start the descent to Rhöndorf again. Café Profittlich is a small but very cozy café. The house specialty is the best men's cake of all time 😋.

Today a tour to the Siebengebirge🥾☀️💁‍♀️ From Rhöndorf to the Löwenburg and with beautiful views further to the Drachenburg and the Drachenfels with a view of the Rhine. At the beginning crisp climbs and then nice and relaxed at the end 😉 Most of the route sections pass the Rheinsteig and Bergischer Weg. The tour has many benches and huts that invite you to rest👍👍

A small round from Königswinter to the Drachenfels and the Löwenburg to end the year. It was nice and mild and in between even the sun showed up.