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The Ruhr region is an Eldorado for cyclists! Whether touring bike, mountain bike, racing bike or velomobile … everyone gets their money’s worth here!
Since the structural change, there are countless industrial and cultural monuments that should be seen, and at the same time many new cycle paths have been created to get there away from the traffic … and there are more every day. and there are more every day. Today, more than 1,200 kilometres of cycle paths criss-cross the Ruhr region! For all those who have not yet discovered the Ruhr as a cycling region, I would like to present a first taster tour.
Tip for route planning and orientation:
The Metropole Ruhr and the radrevier.ruhr recently introduced a new concept for the cycle path network to improve orientation: With “cycling by numbers” you can now easily orientate yourself at the so-called nodes [KP xy]. Cool thing!
Touren-Tipp #1: Google Maps:
Here we go
The start and finish of this tour is the Zollverein Coal Mine World Heritage Site; here the tour starts in a westerly direction (junction [KP 60]) along the Zollverein Trail, past the Phänomania experience field. After approx. 6 km, the “Kray-Wanner-Bahn” [KP 49], another former railway line, follows seamlessly. After approx. 1 km, the Rheinelbe slag heap with the Himmelstreppe (Stairway to Heaven) is on the right-hand side; a detour and climb that is well worth it!
Back on the track, after another 3 km you reach Holger’s Erzbahnbude [KP 46]. This is the place to be at weekends and when the weather is nice, because people like to stop here to quench their thirst and hunger, to catch their breath or just to chat.
Heading south, the Erzbahntrasse continues to Bochum with the Mining Museum, the Century Hall and other highlights; today, however, we continue north on the Erzbahntrasse, towards Zoom-Gelsenkirchen [KP 45], where after 5km we reach the Grimberger Sichel and the Rhine-Herne Canal [KP 44].
If you like, you can extend the tour at this point and take a detour to the Hoheward slag heap [KP 42, 43]. The Dragon Bridge, the observatory, the sundial and, of course, the view over large parts of the Ruhr area are worth seeing.
The route continues along the canal towards Nordsternpark [KP 63, 90], which is only a few metres away from the actual route and has a lot to offer culturally.
The tour continues to the Schurenbachhalde [KP 61], whose lunar landscape, including a slab and an equally great view, is simply a must-see. The last part of the tour leads along the Nordsternweg back to the starting point, the Zollverein colliery.
Key data:
– Route length: 31.1km
– Ascent: 160m
– Road surface: 25km asphalt, pavement / approx. 5km solid gravel / 1km loose surface
And here is the GPX file for download:
Have fun with the tour!
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