Art, knights & forests – #NatureInspiresUs

You probably already know that hiking just a few steps in a forest calms your mind. With your everyday life at home and your mobile phone sleeping in flight mode at the bottom of your rucksack, you head out into the countryside. Out in the middle of nature, your ideas suddenly start to come to the surface. Out here, beside a stream or forest lake, you find solutions to the little stress triggers and problems of your daily life. Between the towering trees, you develop a plan for the coming year. At the sight of a wide view, you flick a switch and come up with an idea. Clearly, nature inspires us time and time again. Whether you prefer to hike alone or with your family or friends, you’ve probably experienced that you get the very best ideas while hiking. Without everyday thoughts consuming your thoughts, your mind finally has the space to unwind.

So that you can also experience some headspace, we take you on our favourite inspiring hikes in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located between the two big cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf, in the Ruhr area on the Belgian and Dutch border, in the forests of the Sauerland and the Teutoburg Forest, the hikes reveal wonderful nature and a lot of peace. Breathtaking views, tranquil babbling rivers, streams and magical forests await. By now, you’ve probably realised – this is where inspiration is born.

Following in the footsteps of historic knights, we send you up to the Löwenburg castle ruins near Bad Honnef. A panorama like this always inspires us the most. Meanwhile, the Art Trail near Nieheim and the Forest Sculpture Trail near Bad Berleburg are brimming with art. Perhaps these Tours will fill you with the same inspiration as the international artists whose work is on display here. On your walk through the Industriepark Nord (North Industry Park) near Duisburg, you’ll find out what else human hands can create. You can also travel further back in human history by following in the footsteps of the neanderthals on the Evolution Discovery Trail near Mettmann. On the Border Trail near Aachen, you can explore the neighbouring countries and escape hectic city life for a while on the Cologne green belt (and perhaps find a few ideas). If all this hasn’t given you enough inspiration, you’ll find even more under the incredible lamp on the Rheinpreußen slag heap.

What can we say? We take inspiration pretty seriously. But a cool beer and a tasty bite to eat are still part of every successful hike. At least, if it's up to us. So, discover NRW, hike out into wonderfully green expanses and let nature inspire you.