Ice, ice, ice – Icy landscape in Lippe: A hike to the Lippe and Prussian Velmerstot

We enjoyed a short but sweet hike to the Velmerstot, where we admired the beauty and challenges of winter. We crossed the Silberbach stream without a bridge, saw icy trees, and enjoyed a clear view from the Prussian Velmerstot. We had a great time, despite the Eggeturm tower being closed and in need of renovation, and a misleading hiking app. This hike was a real adventure!

It was Sunday, and we'd celebrated on Saturday – as is only right. Is there a better day than the day after a party to clear your head and go for a short but sweet hike? Absolutely. We set off anyway, because we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather! This time there were three of us.

We met at the hiking parking lot in the Silberbach valley at 11:00 and set off from there towards the Lippische Velmerstot. The path initially led us along easy trails, before we encountered our first incline after about a kilometer. Now the truly magical part began, because here the trees weren't just covered in snow, but actually encased in ice. You could clearly see on the individual branches which direction the wind had blown and how a combination of thawing and cold snaps had created distinct "ice crests" on the branches.

Our path then led us towards Lippische Velmerstot, where the weather meant we had to be a bit more careful where we placed our feet. After a brief, admiring glance at the surrounding Lippe region, we continued on to the Eggeturm tower. Here, a slight disappointment awaited us, as the Eggeturm was not only closed but also appeared to be in dire need of renovation. On our last visit, we had been able to watch the goats from the tower – now we were left with only the view of the structure itself. Of course, we weren't discouraged, as the Prussian Velmerstot still offered beautiful views of the surrounding countryside – and the visibility was exceptionally clear, the best we'd seen in a long time.

Our return journey was quite exciting, as our hiking app sent us more or less through the middle of nowhere. If it hadn't been for the snow everywhere, the trail would have been quite an adventure, but with the snow, it was a real little challenge. Even though we landed on our backsides a few times during the descent, we had a lot of fun. The sounds coming from the trees bending in the wind were also impressive (and slightly frightening) – so we picked up the pace a bit – you never know.

Back on level ground, we felt quite comfortable again. From here, there were no more challenges in terms of inclines or declines, although the Silberbach stream presented us with one last wet challenge. At one point on the path, the stream simply crossed the trail – without a bridge. This provided a truly amusing moment, as nobody wanted to get wet while crossing. With walking sticks, courage, and patience, we all made it safely to the other side. To be honest, the stream was perhaps only 20-30 cm deep at this point – which, of course, would have been extremely unpleasant if anyone had stepped in it…

From this point on our hike, things continued very smoothly. At the Waldhotel Silbermühle, we helped a hiker push his Mercedes out of the snow (it was incredibly slippery), but otherwise, after about 3 1/2 hours (including a break), we arrived back at the car and headed out for hot chocolate and mug cake. This hike offered everything you could want from a beautiful and moderately challenging hike.