Chapel Path Reiste - Main Route

You can walk the way in two stages if you choose. The recommendation of the SGV-Reiste department is to start with the longer southern route, and then hike the northern route afterwards.
Chapels and wayside crosses are common companions in the municipality of Reiste. They bear witness to a deep religiosity that the people here practiced for centuries. Faith and prayer have always been part of everyday life. The bells of the houses of worship marked the day, religious festivals marked the year. Often shrines or wayside crosses were erected out of gratitude or as a reminder of special events and have been cherished and maintained by local families to this day. Of course, every village has its own chapel, each dedicated to a different patron saint.
The 22.6 km (25.7 km) long Chapel Trail invites you to discover this tradition and the many beautiful chapels in the chapel villages around Reiste. Hike on secluded forest paths and discover the stories of the small houses of worship. Along the way, impressive views will interrupt your hike, as well as the many treasures along the wayside, framed by nature.
The Chapel Trail offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rural structure of an old-established Sauerland community. You get a sense of what it was like to live "in the village", in reliable structures, but also with some challenges. It was an everyday occurrence to tackle the school route "over the mountain" in deep snow in winter, or to walk to the nearest larger town, Reiste, for Sunday church service in wind and weather. People maintained contact between the larger and smaller villages. Footpaths were not shied away from on various occasions, at parties and celebrations. Whether at a shooting festival, harvest festival, or at the traditional Reiste market: People went to Reiste, celebrated together, and enjoyed cozy hours. These encounters still happen today. However, on such occasions, many residents nowadays prefer to walk back to their home village on foot. Partly because of the beautiful nature, and partly probably also because a beer or two is easier to digest while walking...
Reiste and its chapel villages have preserved their active club life to this day. Hike the Chapel Trail and encounter a true piece of Sauerland with its traditions. Let yourself be inspired by nature between the chapels and find peace. Enter one chapel or another along the way and hold a silent devotion. Or sit down on a bench, enjoy nature, or admire one of the small artworks along the wayside.