When TOUR reader Hardy Strickstrock sets off on his favourite tour through the Eifel, he embarks on a little journey through time. The route takes him past the Kakus Cave near Eiserfey, which dates back to the time of the Neanderthals. Steinfeld Abbey, famous for its magnificent König organ, takes cyclists back to the year 1070, while medieval jousting can be seen at Satzvey Castle. The 14th century fortress attracts visitors twice a year with historical knights' games, while a traditional Christmas market is held in the castle courtyard during Advent. On the Mühlenberg, very close to the resort of Marmagen, the prefabricated building of the renowned Eifelhöhenklinik rehabilitation centre exudes brittle 70s charm. But beware: between the medieval and modern fortress, there are around 2,600 metres of elevation gain in the form of climbs and steep sections of seven to nine percent. "It's exhausting, but it's worth the effort," enthuses Hardy Strickstrock. The route then leads for kilometres along quiet side roads, past fertile farmland, dense forests and extensive pastures on which huge wind generators turn their blades, before the ride ends at the gates of the medieval town wall of Euskirchen.
INFO
The route
128 kilometres, approx. 2,600 vertical metres
Start and finish: Euskirchen - Billig - Antweiler - Burg Zievel - past Satzvey Castle - Satzvey - Mechernich - Breitenbenden - Vussem - Eiserfey - Vollem - Kallmuth - Dottel - Keldenich - Urft - Steinfeld - Benenberg - Wiesen - Reifferscheid - Rescheid - Schmidtheim - Marmagen - Nettersheim - Zingsheim - Harzheim - Holzheim - Weiler am Berge - Eschweiler - Ischweiler - Ischgl. Rescheid - Schmidtheim - Marmagen - Nettersheim - Zingsheim - Harzheim - Holzheim - Weiler am Berge - Eschweiler - Iversheim - Bad Münstereifel - Bollscheider Kopf - Scheuren - Loch - Niederkastenholz - Stotzheim - Euskirchen
Excursion time
The route runs exclusively on paved tarred roads and is therefore theoretically passable all year round. However, it can start to snow early at higher altitudes. It is therefore advisable to plan your cycle tour between March and October.
Bicycle shops
HAPE's Sporthandel, H.P. Schumacher, Georgstraße 2, 53879 Euskirchen, phone 02251/2127;
L. Hockelmann, Rüdesheimer Ring 176 a, 53879 Euskirchen, phone 02251/53251;
Schmiko Sport, Turmhofstraße 37-41, 53894 Mechernich, phone 02443/8679
Restaurants
Klosterschänke Steinfeld, Hermann-Josef-Straße, 53925 Kall-Steinfeld, telephone 02441/770625;
Zu den vier Winden, Kurtenberg 2, 53359 Rheinbach, telephone 02226/6034
Overnight stays
Eifel-Touristik Agentur NRW, P.O. Box 1346, 53897 Bad Münstereifel, phone 02253/922222, fax 02253/922223, e-mail: info@eifel-tourismus.de
Maps
German cycle tour map no. 26, scale 1:10,000, Haupka-Verlag, ISBN 3-89513-276-4
The entire article is available as a free PDF download.
(Text: Hardy Strickstrock)
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