Eder Bike Trail ****

Signage: The bike path is signposted throughout with the Eder Bike Path logo. The directional arrows are red in North Rhine-Westphalia and green in Hesse.The route starts behind the train station in Erndtebrück at the Park & Ride lot. This is also where you’ll find the first information sign forthe Eder Cycle Route. After leaving Erndtebrück and the beautiful birch-lined avenue toward Womelsdorf behind you, you’ll enter the somewhat rugged landscape of Bad Berleburg. In Raumland, there’s a slate exhibition mine.After crossing the North Rhine-Westphalia/Hesse border between Beddelhausen and Hatzfeld, the route follows the old paved railway line at a leisurely pace over historic railway bridges.Between Reddighausen and Dodenau, you’ll pass through a 350-meter-long tunnel, though only during the warmer months. In cold weather, the tunnel is closed to allow the barbastelle bats to hibernate. There is an alternative route here that runs along the Eder River, bypassing the tunnel. The route continues toward Frankenberg, where you’ll find a bird-watching platform with a rest area just past Rennertehausen.In Frankenberg, you’ll first cycle through an industrial area but will then arrive at the new Eder Riverside Park, which invites you to linger. Here, near the water park, you’ll also find a bike rack, a repair station, and a battery charging cabinet.Then the route continues toward Lake Eder; on this stretch, there is a hairpin turn in the forest between Ederbringhausen and Schmittlotheim,which is a short stretch where you’ll need to push your bike; be sure not to miss the sign. The route then descends slightly through a small stream. You’ll continue on to Herzhausen, where you’ll find the National Park Station (with a battery charging station).From here, at the western tip of Lake Eder, you’ll cycle along the south side of the lake first to Asel-Süd and then continue on a somewhat bumpy path along the edge of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Lake Eder is worth a longer stop.After passing through the Edersee region with its treetop walk and wildlife park, the route continues through the half-timbered villages of Fritzlar and Felsberg to the confluence of the Eder and Fulda rivers. You should definitely stop at the confluence. From there, it’s not far to the end point at the beautiful railway viaduct in Baunatal-Guntershausen.Here, you can either continue by train or keep cycling along the R1/Fulda Cycle Route.You can cycle all the way to Kassel and take the train back from there, e.g., via Marburg to Erndtebrück. That way, you only have to change trains once.