Rothaarsteig Trail - Grönebacher Dorfpfad

From the hiking sign at the Küstelberg Street parking lot, we hike to the right and climb uphill on a grassy path to the country road. About 100 m we go left along the road and then uphill to the recreational area "Schlade". An old royal road led along here.Old King's RoadThe Alte Königsstraße leading from Frankfurt to Soest crossed the Heidenstraße in Winterberg. Its oldest course led via Grönebach up to the Alter Hagen and further north. Later it was transferred to the Ruhrtal as the so-called Alte Landstraße or Sauerländer Weg. Two hollow way-like driving terraces are preserved here on a length of about 200 meters.We follow the old royal road uphill to a bench with a beautiful view into the valley of the Westernau. Along the edge of the forest we continue to the right and then straight ahead with a great view of the "valley landscape" Hildfeld-Grönebach-Küstelberg. Through the picturesque Hachmecke valley we hike, always along the stream, down into the Hilletal valley to the former knitting mill. Passing a tree nursery we reach the country road Grönebach-Niedersfeld. We keep to the left for about 50 m and meet the old railroad embankment of the former Steinhelle-Medebach narrow-gauge railroad at Haus Sander. Small railroad Steinhelle-MedebachFrom 1902 to 1953 a narrow-gauge railroad ran from Steinhelle to Medebach. The increasing road traffic and the decreasing freight volume led to the "end" after a good 50 years of operation. The railroad embankment is well preserved in the Hilletal.Now we follow the tracks of the narrow-gauge railroad on the old railroad embankment to the right - past the sports field - to the Hille bridge with its offset round arches. First to the right, then steeply uphill to the left we reach the traces of the old "Iäselpoad". IäselpoadThis old path led from Küstelberg to the former knitting mill. On donkey backs the grain was transported from Küstelberg to the mill and ground. Friends of local history have cut about 150 m of the Iäselpoad free and made it accessible.So we walk to the right along the Iäselpoad, cross an asphalted field path and reach the Grönebacher Steinacker on a beautiful grassy path. Always in sight of the village with its church tower, we walk uphill through an old hollow way and continue to the right along the slope of the Mosenberg until we reach the Antonius stone. Antonius stone from 1731The Grönebach Antonius stone dates from 1731, the Hildfeld one from 1704. Antonius of Padua is especially venerated in the Sauerland. Candles burn day and night in front of the wayside shrine, which has been protected by a small stone chapel since 1958. We follow the signs to the right downhill into the Springetal to the country road and then up to the viewpoint on the Egge (680 m). Here we reach the highest point of the Grönebacher Dorfpfad. On the other side of the mountain we go downhill into the valley of the Westernau and to the left to the "Ruipes-Ropes-Hütte" with a large rest area at the Entenwiese . A beautiful path brings us back to Grönebach - past the football field and the village fountain.