Willingen – Winterberg – Ruhrquelle hiking parking lot: Our odyssey to the best breakfast at the Ruhrquelle spring
24 hours in the Sauerland region with a campervan – rain, searching for a pitch, breakfast in nature – an adventure that makes you want more.
The two of us set off for Willingen on a beautifully rainy Saturday, looking for a campsite – naively assuming we'd surely find a free spot by 4 pm. Spoiler alert: That wasn't the case. So what to do? We decided to drive to Winterberg; we'd been there before and knew where to find certain things. We headed for a campsite there that also offered pitches for motorhomes and whose reception didn't close until 6 pm – so off we went!
We actually arrived back in the dark. So far, we've gone on three trips with the camper and haven't yet managed to reach a campsite in daylight – but we're always learning.
In Winterberg we ate at the restaurant Heimatliebe (which we walked to in the pouring rain and darkness) and really enjoyed ourselves there – a review of the restaurant/food will follow!
After schnitzel, pinsa, Kaiserschmarrn, beer, and wine, we headed back to our campsite. At least we were parked on gravel, so there was no risk of getting stuck. The night was restless, as we still haven't really gotten used to the mattress… A mattress topper for the camper is coming soon.
The highlight of our less than 24-hour trip to the Sauerland region was our breakfast. In Winterberg, we bought some bread rolls and drove to the hiking parking lot at the source of the Ruhr River – where we were almost completely alone. We made coffee, scrambled eggs, and ate breakfast in the rain (dry inside the camper, of course). We reflected on the hours we had spent in the Sauerland and realized that we were self-sufficient at the campsite – well, almost. But it worked.
That was our first breakfast with a view of nature, and to be honest, we really enjoyed it!
We're looking forward to our normal bed for now, but at least as much to the next little adventure, where we might use services like Park4Night or VanSite – because now we know that the camper's battery is enough for at least two phone charges and lights…