Idyllic streams, romantic ponds, lush pastures, rustic forest, shy red deer and lazy cattle.

This is the world of the wisper trails.

A network of 15 circular hiking trails of different lengths and a 44-kilometer long-distance hiking trail, which a new image film stages.

A film that makes you want to lace up your hiking boots.

But actually the Wispertrails do not need such advertising, because since the opening of the "Dickschieder Wildwechsel" in spring 2018 and the entire network of trails a good year later, many thousands of hikers have explored the region to the left and right of the little Wisper.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus district and for Wiesbaden.

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The success has exceeded the wildest expectations. The network of paths came at just the right time to give the citizens a wild, romantic experience of nature without corona risks during the two-time lockdown. In Lorch, people hardly knew how to fight off the onslaught, and local streets parked up by day trippers caused a lot of trouble. "We have established an exceptionally good hiking product," says initiator Robert Carrera.

The overcrowded parking spaces for hikers at the starting points of the trails, the large amount of feedback from almost all enthusiastic hikers and the dispatch of more than 20,000 hiking trail brochures are clear evidence for Carrera that he and his colleagues hit the bull's eye with the Wispertrails.

Two of the trails were nominated by a hiking magazine for the competition "Germany's most beautiful hiking trail".

Carrera's personal favorite, the Wispertaunussteig, won third place.

Gastronomic supply can be expanded

Most popular, however, is the 9.3 kilometer long “Rhein-Wisper-Glück” near Lorchhausen because - measured against the 94 points of the Premium Trail certification - it is Hesse's most beautiful hiking trail. How is the success of the Wispertrails explained? For Carrera it is clear that in view of the great variety and competition only a whole network of routes with a “branded character” can succeed today. Individual routes such as the traditional Rheinhöhenweg fall behind despite their long tradition. What matters are premium certifications and top ratings. The name of the Wispertrails already expresses the focus on a younger hiking audience. According to Carrera, it worked out. The path supervisors, who often check that everything is in order on their patrols and add markings if necessary,report on many families and young hikers on the trails. For Carrera, the dialogue with users and their response are proof that the Wispertrails have acquired a kind of “personality”.

With the opening of the Bad Schwalbach “Kurschatten” trail last autumn, the system of Wispertrails was completed. Now it is important to keep the standard high and ensure continuous maintenance. Carrera is therefore happy about the necessary recertification of all premium routes. It is an impulse to think about further improvements. For example, the “Dickschieder Wildwechsel” has been rated several points higher than before, thanks to the addition of the signage and the inclusion of an additional vantage point. Carrera hopes to be able to improve on all routes in one way or another, including the eight-kilometer “Wollmerschieder Grenzgang”, which despite its charms is initially rated the weakest with 52 points - together with the promising “Via Monte Preso” near Presberg became.But it is still “particularly pretty and varied”, says Carrera. The tastes of the hikers are also very different. But nothing is so good that it cannot be improved. There are many ways in which it is advisable to fill the rucksack with suitable food, because the catering could be significantly better. Carrera cautiously estimates that at least 15,000 hikers use the Wispertrails every year.that every year at least 15,000 hikers are out and about on the Wispertrails.that every year at least 15,000 hikers are out and about on the Wispertrails.

The project aims to promote the tourism of Untertaunus

His commitment paved the way for Carrera to be appointed full-time tourism coordinator for the western Lower Taunus a year ago.

He is the manager of an initially two-year project that aims to promote tourism in this part of the Taunus.

There is also the Taunus Touristik Service, which is responsible for the entire 2700 square kilometer low mountain range.

But a small sub-region like the western Untertaunus runs the risk of "sinking a bit" in view of the Feldberg and Hochtaunus, as Carrera puts it.

This is all the more true as this sub-region with its hodgepodge of small attractions has so far hardly been marketable for tourism. Carrera has presented an inventory and developed a concept that focuses entirely on profiling the region as a local recreation area in the Rhine-Main region, with four main focuses: hiking, cycling, horse riding, trail running.

There is now a concept for ten “Aarschleife” hiking trails with a total length of 112 kilometers.

13 Taunus laps with a length of 334 kilometers are intended for cyclists.

In Heidenrod there will be a flow trail descent for mountain bikers and a network of riding trails around Hohenstein.

There are also swallow hiking tours in Bad Schwalbach and trail running routes in Schlangenbad.

In addition, the Limes adventure trail is to be upgraded.

There is already a new, much more attractive route for the Aartal cycle path.

The concept is in place, says Carrera, and it will not fail because of the money.

In the second year of the project, he will primarily take care of the implementation of the plans that are already well advanced and the concretization of the vague plans.