D3 Kirchweg

The Dahl hiking parking area above Kleinklev is the starting point for the 8,7 km long circular hike D3 - Kirchweg (Church Path), which begins with a descent to the dam of the Kleine Dhünn reservoir. Before ascending the opposite wooded ridge, the trail first leads into the Ledderbach valley. It then continues through meadows and forests into the Kleine Dhünn valley, where the river flows into the reservoir. From Pilghausen, the trail climbs steadily to Kreckersweg. Here, the L101 state road guides hikers towards the village of Stumpf, where they turn off towards the Große Ledder estate. The trail then continues along the K16 district road via Grunewald and Frenkhausen back to the parking area.
From the hiking parking lot, follow the hiking sign D3 uphill along the road for a short distance, then turn right downhill onto the reservoir trail, which will accompany you for a while on your route. Soon you will cross a small wooded area where the hamlet of Dahl once stood. It had to make way for the construction of the Dhünn Dam in 1980. Hidden behind bushes, the attentive hiker can still find the old spring, and on the left side of the path are hidden some steps that served the inhabitants as access to the farm garden above. Follow the path downhill through the meadows until you reach the dam of the Kleine Dhünn reservoir. Here you can enjoy a picturesque view across the water. Route D3 now diverges from the dam path again. They follow the markers upstream along the Ledderbach stream. After a short time, the Ledderbach stream is crossed, and then the eastern ridge is climbed. Across meadows, past bushes and hedges you will reach Pilghausen in the valley of the Kleine Dhünn. Here you follow the paved road, where attentive hikers can still spot remnants of the former Pilghauser mill at the hiking parking lot (upper millrace, millpond, lower millrace). The route continues to the Aue pumping station on county road 14, which you follow to the left. The next turn on the left leads uphill through the forest towards Kreckersweg. The route across the ridge showcases the Dhünn plateau with its harmonious alternation between forest and grassland and the scattered settlements embedded within it. In Kreckersweg, turn left and follow the state road 101. The half-timbered house with house number 15 was the seat of the municipal administration of Dhünn, Dabringhausen and Niederwermelskirchen from 1853 onwards. At the entrance to Stumpf, turn left; at the end of the road you will reach the Böttinger House. Built in 1912 as a convalescent home, it now serves as a conference center. A path branching off to the right into the forest then leads you across a ravine. After a short climb, the Große Ledder estate appears, which was acquired by Bayer AG in 1908 and is now widely known as a hotel with restaurant and café - a short stop for refreshment and sustenance is recommended here. The path leads uphill through the park and then turns right towards county road 16. On a clear day, you can let your gaze wander towards Cologne in the west or towards the Ebbe Mountains to the east. Keeping to the left, you now cross the village of Grunewald, where you will find the Catholic Church of St. Turn left at Apollinaris. This was built here in the second half of the 19th century. Century A chapel was first built in the Protestant-dominated area north of the Dhünn river. Follow the road eastwards over the ridge and turn right behind Kleineledder onto the paved path, which later becomes a dirt track. Enjoy the panoramic view over the Dhünn valley and the hills of the Bergisches Land region to the east. The path now descends through the small wood until you reach your starting point again after a short time.