Leichlingen (Rhld.): Orchard Trail, Badger Duo Tour and Sensory Forest

The Orchard Trail, Badger Duo Tour and Sensory Forest reveal different sides of Leichlingen (Rhld.): Here, you can explore hiking routes with distinct focuses and discover art in the settings of the Murbach Valley. The town is also home to the Protestant church, its oldest sacred architectural monument, and the Wipperkotten in the nearby area. If you are planning a trip together, consider whether your days should focus mainly on trails and nature or also include art and regional history.

Hiking routes with different focuses

The Leichlingen Orchard Trail is a circular route of about 9 kilometers through the town’s countryside. The 8.1-kilometer Badger Duo Tour is a little shorter and is aimed at visitors interested in exploring Leichlingen’s natural areas and their distinctive animals and plants. The routes therefore differ not only in their approximate length: the nature theme is also a particular focus of the Badger Duo Tour.

The Badger Duo Tour initially follows the banks of the Wupper for a short stretch, then heads upstream into the Weltersbach Valley and through the Murbach Valley back to the Wupper. At 24 stops, signs and QR codes link to information pages. As well as determining the route, this gives the tour a clear thematic structure. The town reports a local detour on the Orchard Trail due to storm damage; check the current route before setting out.

A longer hike in the wider area

The Wupper Trail in the wider region offers a different scale of hike. The entire route is 125 kilometers long and can be hiked in stages. The Wupperverband and the Sauerländischer Gebirgsverein (SGV) recommend ten sections, each about 10 to 20 kilometers long. This is a regional option for a hike spread across several stages and differs considerably from the shorter Leichlingen trails.

Art and architectural history

In Leichlingen’s Murbach Valley, the Sensory Forest presents sculptures by artists from the region on the grounds of a historic spinning mill. Exhibitions have been held there since 1993, each year with a different theme. Artworks can be discovered around an old millpond, on paths through quarries and woods, and along a stream. The changing settings give the works a variety of landscapes as their backdrop.

The Protestant church in Leichlingen is the town’s oldest sacred architectural monument. Nearby, between Leichlingen and Solingen on the Wupper, is the Wipperkotten. Built around 1600 as a grinding mill, it is the last double mill complex of its kind on the lower Wupper. The mill also houses a collection of historic, handmade tools and equipment from mills in the Bergisches Land. If you would like to see the collection, check the current visitor information before your trip.

Leichlingen in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis

The Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis lies at the meeting point of the greater Cologne area and the scenic Bergisches Land. Rail-based public transport is available in the district in Leichlingen, Bergisch Gladbach, Rösrath and Overath, with connections towards Cologne. If you plan to use these connections during your trip, check the timetables for your travel dates.

Cultural destinations in Bergisch Gladbach can also broaden your perspective on the wider area. At the LVR Industrial Museum Alte Dombach Paper Mill, visitors can see historic paper-making machines, make a sheet of paper themselves and watch a laboratory paper machine in operation. The Villa Zanders Art Museum has around 1,000 square meters of exhibition space across three floors. Its collection includes around 500 paper artworks by some 150 international artists. A paper festival is held at the paper mill every year in May or June; check the dates for your travel year.

When looking for accommodation, it makes a difference whether you are planning to focus mainly on Leichlingen’s trails and cultural sites or also include the museums in Bergisch Gladbach. You can first decide whether to focus on Leichlingen itself or on a broader stay in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.

Discover more destinations: Kürten, Rösrath, Odenthal, Bergisch Gladbach, Overath, Wermelskirchen, Burscheid.

Back to the main travel overview: Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.