In May / June 2022 I spent a week cycling (on my human-powered bike, not an e-bike ;-)) and seeing surprising sights in the former industrial area Ruhrgebiet in Germany. Most of the city centers in that area are quite ugly but there are cool industrial sites all over the place. Many former mines and factories are open for visits. The whole region is very green, has picturesque villages with half-timbered houses and some excellent bike paths. For example there are long stretches of wide, smooth cycle paths on former railway ramps. Nice views and no traffic lights!
There are so many things to see in this area that I only needed to cycle between 35 and 70 kilometers per day. A lot of cyclists are into camping but I’m not 🙂 so I enjoyed the comfy beds and central locations that hotels offer.
All in all a week well spent!
Click on the map to see the routes in detail:
Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul
Day 1 – Venlo to Duisburg
Not wanting to figure out the rules for bringing a bike on a train in Germany, I took a train to border town Venlo and then cycled into Germany and ended my day in Duisburg. A total of 56 kilometers that day. Along the way I passed through a nice, quiet forest and farmlands. I was planning to look for a place for lunch in the medieval town of Kempen, but just before it I got caught in a heavy shower and took shelter and had lunch in a farm cafe. Kempen was very pretty. I rode on and saw more and more industry, which I always find fascinating. The ride then took me through bleak suburbs of Duisburg, and across a cool railway bridge and through Rheinpark full of graffiti.
You are one ride away from a good mood
My hotel was convenient and nice enough but the city center of Duisburg turned out to be as bleak as its suburbs. The next day I visited a really cool part though!
Day 2 – Duisburg to Kettwig
I took a detour to see the former industrial site Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. Luckily a friend had told me that you can easily spend 2 hours there, this proved to be true. You can freely enter the gigantic site by bicycle or on foot. And you’re allowed to climb into the former furnace structures, all the way up to about 70 meters (the height is marked on signs). Apart from an adrenaline rush from the vertigo on these half-open stairs, this also gives you stunning views all around. Here’s my video from the top:
After spending several hours in this ‘playground’ I followed the river Ruhr by bike, visited a nice park and had lunch in Mülheim an der Ruhr, a small city with some beautiful parts in the center. Then continued along the lovely cycle paths beside the river to end in Kettwig (officially part of Essen), a cute historical town bordering the river, full of pretty half-timbered houses. Including lots of to and fro in the Landschaftspark I had ridden 42 kilometers today.
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like – Freddie Mercury
I stayed in a hotel that had been a hunting lodge centuries ago, it was a bit old-fashioned because of that but also cheap and charming, and had a very friendly owner.
Day 3 – Kettwig
Yay for barefoot shoes which are very lightweight and easy to bring. So on my rest day in Kettwig I had comfortable shoes for my 13 kilometer hike in the hills across the river and up to a viewpoint.
Day 4 – Kettwig to Essen
Onward alongside the river Ruhr. Online I had found a really nice hotel in a former factory building in eastern Essen. This was also close to UNESCO World Heritage site Zeche Zollverein, a former coal mine and cokes factory, a large site now home to various museums and cafes. A ride of 46 kilometers total today, ending with some steep uphill parts that nearly did me in! 🙂
It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels — Heinz Stücke, German long-distance touring cyclist
Day 5 – Bochum daytrip
From my base in Essen I did a daytrip by bike to various places in Bochum, 40 kilometers in total. I visited the Bergbau-museum (mining museum) which allows you to walk down in some mine shafts and try out a drilling machine. I went to a cute ‘grandma-themed’ cafe called Omi Backt!, apparently based on very forward grandmas who have tattoo sleeves, offer vegan icecream and oat milk cappuccinos, and are looking for new staff of “all genders”. Very friendly people, and I had 2 pieces of very tasty quiche. On the way back I included the Jahrhunderthalle, yet another former factory that got a new use, namely as a congress / events hall and theater.
Life is like riding a bicycle. In order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. — Albert Einstein
After cycling and hiking for days I ‘deserved’ a dinner of fries and beer in the beer garden next to my hotel. 🙂
Day 6 – Essen to Kempen
So much more to see, for example I had not even made it to Dortmund yet. But it was time to go back in the direction of the Netherlands. Using the amazing raised cycle paths and via another route I came back to Mülheim an der Ruhr again and had a really good lunch at the same place as before, this time not Flammkuchen, but warm veggies and potatoes. Then rode through very green countryside before ending up in ugly Duisburg again. This time I skipped the bleak suburbs but rode through the interesting harbor area, and rough but nice harbor town Uerdingen, and in pretty pastures after that.
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realise fishing is stupid and boring.” — Desmond Tutu, South African cleric
After riding 69 kilometers and scaling quite some altitude meters with my luggage and all, I reached beautiful medieval town Kempen. An overpriced hotel was the only place that did not look horrible, for this first night of a long bank holiday weekend. After a shower I walked around in the beautiful cobblestone streets and had drinks and dinner on a sunny terrace.
Day 7 – Kempen to Venlo and train home
Back to Venlo via another route than day 1, and with a bit of a detour through a heathland area. 35 kilometers total, with a short stop on the terrace of an appealing farm cafe along the way. Then back home with my bike in the nice and quiet train for 2 hours. Will have to come back to the Ruhr area to see all the other industrial sights and green countryside!
Google map
I gathered all the nice places I found online as pins in a Google Map to make it easy to combine visits to places that are near one another.
I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days.
Cecilia 