When the weather lures you outside, your new hiking boots are waiting to be worn in and you can take a long weekend, we've got one simple suggestion for you: head to Northern Hesse and get on the Ederhöhenpfad! Here, on its way to Fulda, the Eder winds leisurely through the Rhenish-Westphalian slate mountains and through the wooded Ederbergland as one of the last unspoilt rivers of Germany. One of the most beautiful sections of the 176-kilometer-long (109-mile) river is the valley landscape before it flows into the Ederstausee. The river meanders peacefully for about 60 kilometers (37 miles) through wide meadows and along wooded mountain slopes.

In three daily stages, the officially signposted Ederhöhenpfad leads you along the course of the river and over the densely wooded mountain ranges. The starting point is the small village of Hatzfeld near the border between Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. In three days, you will conquer over 1,400 meters (4,500 feet) over a distance of 63 kilometers (39 miles). Thanks to well-developed hiking trails, the Tour is also perfectly suited for sporty casual hikers, although as the trail tracks through predominantly wild country, you're going to need to take your own provisions. To make it a little more practical, however, we have ensured that each of our routes starts and ends in a town or village where you'll find ample accommodation options.

The stage destinations Hatzfeld, Battenberg, Frankenberg and Schmittlotheim are all connected to the bus and train network. On weekdays, the buses run regularly, on weekends taxis replace most regular buses. If you arrive by car, it is best to park at the last stop in Schmittlotheim and then take the bus and train to the starting point of the Ederhöhenpfad.

Timetable information for your arrival and for local bus connections is available at nvv.de

If you fall in love with the idyllic landscape while you hike, then you can join the Ederhöhenpfad and the Urwaldsteig Edersee at the end of your hike. It starts at the National Park Centre in Kirchlotheim and runs once around Germany's second largest reservoir in three to six daily stages.

Here you can find the collection of the Urwaldsteig Edersee: komoot.de/collection/495/urwaldsteig-edersee-uralte-baeume-und-glitzerndes-wasser