Circular hiking trail around the storage reservoir

Start the circular path around the reservoir best at the hiking car park on Eichenstraße. Follow the path in a southern direction, and after a loop through the forest, you will pass by the so-called "Devil's Pulpit".

This rock was once used as a natural stone pillar during the extraction of Ruhr sandstone. From here, you have a beautiful view of Lake Hengstey. Legend has it that once a Saxon knight, fleeing from his Frankish pursuers, managed to escape them by jumping from this rock. Horse and rider broke through the branches of the trees, and at the foot of the 20-meter deep abyss, a dull thud was heard. However, the Franks quickly realized that the Saxon must have been in league with the devil. Despite the immediate pursuit, not a single trace of him was found. The trees and the forest floor were unharmed and showed no signs of damage. Only in full moon nights, horse and rider are said to occasionally still appear on the Devil's Pulpit.

On the Ruhrhöhenweg, heading north, you pass by the forest cemetery at Herrentisch. At the end of a fenced area on the eastern side, turn right into the forest. After about 150 meters, there is a small, slightly steeper passage uphill, which is close to the edge. Sure-footedness is required here.

At the top, you reach the reservoir of the Koepchen Power Plant, which holds about 1.5 million cubic meters of water. Named after its planner, Arthur Koepchen, it was put into operation in 1930 by Rheinisch-Westfälische Elektrizitätswerk-AG (RWE). In times of excess electricity, water was pumped from Lake Hengstey at the foot of the mountain into the reservoir, to let it flow back into the lake through turbines when electricity was needed, thus generating power. In 1994, the plant was shut down after several incidents, and the Herdecke Pumped Storage Power Plant, working on the same principle, was built.
Plans to demolish the old plant were abandoned, and in 2017, it was declared an industrial monument, with regular guided tours taking place. Since 2021, a group led by Elias Sturm, the great-grandson of the former head of the Koepchen Power Plant, has been growing wine on the slopes of the mountain around the plant.

During the walk around the reservoir, you will have a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Turn left on "Im Kleff" street, after 400 meters turn left again onto "Wittbräucker Waldweg", and after another 700 meters, you will reach a nicely located residential area at Herrentisch.
In 1908, Mr. Paschedag, Graw, Flasshoff, and Möller erected a stone tabletop in the forest. They let a birch grow through a hole in the middle of it. The resting place of the gentlemen became so famous that the table gave its name to the area. The stone tabletop was dismantled in later years and used in the foundation of an extension of the Paschedag family.

After a stroll through Ahornstraße, Siedlerstraße, and Buchenstraße, you will reach the starting point at the hiking car park on Eichenstraße.
The path only has 80 meters of elevation gain but has many natural passages with partially loose ground, so sturdy footwear and sure-footedness are advisable.