Kellerwald, August 2023

Kellerwald is situated in a very rural, bucolic area set against gently undulating hills around 90 minutes by bus and / or train to the west of Kassel, the transportation hub on the main north-south German ICE line.

The northern, more accessible part snugs gently against Edersee, a sinuous dammed lake dotted with many sailing boots on sunny week ends. The southern part of the core zone is more difficult to reach and would take more time to explore than I had.

I overnighted in Korbach, a Holzfachwerk-picture-perfect little town on the northern side of the forest, easily reachable by hourly train from Kassel. The recent influx of refugees has visibly augmented the local shopping and food options. Public transport in the area is excellent, and I was presently surprised to see that the town offers a bus as early as 05:30 on a Sunday morning to Harbshausen village on the north-western end of Kellerwald forest (call ahead for prebooking a day prior). It turned out the bus was actually a taxi (local bus fare rates still apply, though), and for a small tip the friendly cabby agreed to drive me right up to Wanderparkplatz “Himmelsbreite” at the very edge of the forest.

Shortly after the parking lot the core zone starts, and I proceeded to walk up to Ringelsberg which rewards with a scenic view onto the hilly forested landscape against the backdrop of Edersee in the valley below (see picture). From there, I continued my hike eastwards, down to the shores of Edersee, from where you can either continue along the lakeside (sharing your path with quite a few cyclists already early in the morning), or proceed back up into the forest following the “Urwaldsteig” (jungle path), so named by the local tourist board, although, to be fair, Kellerwald is no jungle, and the little plaque warning to be “extra vigilant” against falling trees etc. seems a bit over-dramatic. Still, the forest is beautiful, mostly beech, some oak, growing on top of shale and greywacke rocks.

On the Ringelsberg viewpoint, on the edge of a small clearing, I spotted a deer breakfasting, and in the vicinity I heard what must have been foxes growling. Somewhat annoyingly, I also heard regular sounds of jet engines in the sky, possibly the German Air Force on early morning training missions. Later on, I saw a dead wood mouse on the trail – not sure what killed it.

After some four hours of hiking (and some more climbing up and down the hilly landscape) I ended up in Bringhausen village, from where regular buses bring you back to Kassel. On the way there, there’s the option of visiting impressive Edertalsperre, the historic dam cum electric station that keeps Edersee in place and which is a major local sightseeing destination.

Would I visit again? – Absolutely; then focusing maybe on the less visited (I think) and more remote southern parts.