Ruhr Valley Cycle Path: 7 days

Look forward to Winterberg, the well-known holiday resort in the Hochsauerland near the source of the Ruhr, because Winterberg is not only beautiful in winter! Here you can start your active holiday right away, be it with Nordic walking, on the barefoot path or in the swimming pool. An excursion to the observation tower and the fascinating high heath on the Kahler Asten is also possible. 

At the source of the Ruhr near Winterberg, at an altitude of 654 m, you start your varied journey along the Ruhr. From there it’s mostly cycling downhill through light forests with wonderful views to the award-winning rose village of Assinghausen. This place has been a officially recognized rose village since 2007 and on a worthwhile tour you will discover beautiful gardens and houses that are decorated with over 150 different types of roses.
At lunchtime, you can take a delightful break in the freshly selected Kneipp spa in Olsberg with its charming cafes and historic restaurants. Also worth seeing is the herb garden and orchard garden in the renatured Ruhr meadows. Finally, via Bestwig, it goes to Meschede with  the pretty pedestrian zone. Here you can take a nice excursion to the Hennesee. The park-like Henne-Boulevard leads directly to the "Himmelstreppe", which leads up to the dam with 333 steps.

Today the Ruhr is framed by the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park. Right in the beginning the beautiful park of the Laer water castle offers a first photo stop. After a excursion to the Hünenburg you will reach the old town of Arnsberg, which is almost completely surrounded by the deeply cut Ruhr. Counts, electors, Hesse and Prussia have left their mark on this historic city with the imposing castle ruins, the Landsberger Hof with the Sauerland Museum and the classicism quarter in the well-preserved medieval timber-framed town. Many cafés and restaurants entice you to take a break. In the afternoon you continue following the Ruhr valley to Neheim with its neat half-timbered houses, the typical Burgmannshöfen and the striking “Sauerland Cathedral”. You can enjoy the end of the day in the spacious pedestrian zone or have a sporty tour around the Möhnesee.

Today you leave the Hochsauerland, the surrounding hills become gentler and the valley floodplain becomes wider and forms a scenic new section of the Ruhr valley cycle path. Small towns like Wickede or Fröndenberg invite for a break from the saddle. The route leads leisurely through wide meadows and fields to the old Hanseatic city of Schwerte, with lovingly tended half-timbered houses and the last historic mustard mill in Westphalia (tastings possible). In the afternoon, the Ruhr valley becomes narrower again and a sporty excursion up to the viewpoint of the Hohensyburg ruins is possible. However, the bike path leads flat directly along the banks of the Hengsteysee, a popular local recreation area, and on to the idyllic Herdecke with its new promenade on the Ruhr bank.

In the morning, the cycle path leads to the “cradle of Ruhr mining” and to the first foothills of the classic Ruhr area. But the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path mostly runs in the countryside and leads over long distances through popular local recreation areas directly on the old towpath on the river bank. First you cycle next to the Harkortsee, one of a total of six Ruhr reservoirs. Later you cycle via Wengern with the historic town center to Muttental, the cradle of Ruhr mining. Here the first chunks of black gold were brought to light almost 200 years ago. In the “Zeche Nachtigall” industrial museum, which is well worth seeing, it goes back to the time when horizontal tunnels were driven into the slopes for coal mining and the first shafts were dug into the depths later. Then you reach the Kemnader reservoir and from there it is not far to Hattingen, where a stroll through the historic old town is worthwhile. An ascent to the beautiful hotel in Burgaltendorf awaits you at the end of the stage.

In the morning, the cycle path leads idyllically along the river bank. It allows an excursion to the Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum with its more than 180 old steam locomotives, wagons and rail buses. You can comfortably cycle along the Baldeneysee with its many refreshment stops and there you can take a tour of the Villa Hügel, found in 1873 by Alfred Krupp. A break in the half-timbered old town of Kettwig refreshes you for the next stage directly on the river bank to Mülheim to the award-winning Aquarius water tower with its multimedia museum on 14 levels. At the end the route continues on beautiful cycle paths to where the Ruhr flows into the Rhine. Here, at the end of the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path, stands the fascinating Rhine Orange, a luminous 25 m high landmark in the middle of the impressive panorama of the Duisburg harbor. In the evening you can end the beautiful trip in the renovated inner harbor in one of the numerous restaurants or bars.

The impressive tour on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path with its diverse scenic and cultural impressions will certainly remain in your memory for a long time!

Book an extra night for Duisburg! On this extra day you can, for example, take a cycle tour (25 km) to the Duisburg Nord Landscape Park, take part in a public guided tour of the huts there and also enjoy a harbor tour in the afternoon. Or you can set off on a day trip to Düsseldorf (50 km) and take the train back to Duisburg at the end.   
Either way, you can enjoy an active extra day and then use the return transfer to Winterberg on Sunday if you wish.