RUHR-LENNE-Achter—a long cycling loop between the Sauerland and the Ruhrgebiet

On the RUHR-LENNE-Achter RouteThe RUHR-LENNE-Achter can be started from any point along the route, since it’s a loop that naturally leads back to the starting point. There are train stations in Iserlohn, Menden, Fröndenberg, Hozwickede, Schwerte, Hohenlimburg, and Letmathe. For cyclists arriving by train, this naturally offers the advantage of being able to break up the tour at many points along the way. Here’s another tip: The RUHR-LENNE-Achter has only one significant climb—from Letmathe up to Iserlohn. So if you arrive by train in Iserlohn, ride the RUHR-LENNE-Achter, and board the train again in Letmathe, you’ll avoid this climb as well.Numerical order of the junctions:Long Loop: 55, 52, 49, 50, 48, 36, 34, 21, 37, 22, 25, 38, 63, 64, 72, 56, 55Short Loop: 55, 52, 49, 50, 48, 36, 34, 21, 37, 22, 29, 30, 32, 53, 52, 55The Long LoopStarting point in Iserlohn:I’ll begin the description of a loop ride on the RUHR-LENNE-Achter in Iserlohn at the city train station (KP 55). There’s also a parking garage and other parking options here. There’s a bakery inside the station, so you’re covered even on Sundays. On weekdays, of course, there are shops in many places, some right along the route.From the Iserlohn train station, we ride through the roundabout and directly onto the bike path, which follows the former railroad right-of-way. On this route, we enjoy a beautiful ride for the first few kilometers through the woods and past gardens toward Hemer.After 3.2 kilometers, the route ends at Hansbergstraße. We turn sharply to the left and, after 150 meters, reach Westfalenstraße, which we cross at the traffic lights (KP 52). (We’ll meet up here again if we’re doing just the short loop and choose the bike path through the Baarbachtal as our return route.)We now keep to the right and ride a short distance up Westfalenstraße on the shared pedestrian and bike path. Soon, the route takes us through the former Duloh military training area, and after 6 kilometers from the Iserlohn train station, we reach Hemer (KP 49, 50).Here you have the option to visit the Sauerlandpark (the former site of the State Garden Show) or an area with Heck cattle and a herd of wild horses.In Hemer, near a fast-food restaurant, we rejoin the former Iserlohn–Hemer–Menden railroad line, which has now been converted into a beautiful bike path. On wonderful asphalt, we ride slightly downhill (past KP 48) to Menden (KP 36), which we reach after a total of 12 kilometers. Keeping to the left, we ride partly along the small river Hönne. Near the old Menden train station is the best opportunity to visit downtown Menden. However, our route continues straight ahead along the Hönne, then crosses the railroad tracks on the large bridge over the B 7 and passes under the same bridge via a spiral-shaped path (KP 34).We pass the Bösperde train station via the narrow platform (caution) and continue toward Fröndenberg. After 17.5 kilometers, we meet the RuhrtalRadweg at a rest area (KP 21). From here, it’s only a few hundred meters to Fröndenberg. A visit to the Chain Smith Museum there is highly recommended. We could also take a nice loop on the 21-kilometer-long Zabelroute from Fröndenberg. However, we’re focusing on the RUHR-LENNE-Achter now, so we turn left onto the RuhrtalRadweg. After 22 kilometers, another rest area—the Halingen Rest Area—invites us to take a break.After 23 kilometers from Iserlohn, we cross the Ruhr at Langschede via the B 233 / B 515 bridge. This is the first time we see the Ruhr on this route, but now we follow it through the beautiful Ruhr floodplains. After a good 28 kilometers, we cross the Ruhr again on the Schoofs Bridge (just before KP 37; a little later, KP 22). Here we enjoy the art installation “7 Signs on the Ruhr” by Veronika Pögel from 1986.After 30.7 kilometers at the Lettehof, we must now decide whether to take the shorter route through the Baarbachtal back to Iserlohn or to complete the full loop. If you choose the shorter loop here, please follow the description below titled “The Short Loop.” The others should continue following this description.At kilometer 32 from Iserlohn, we reach the Ruhr Bridge near Geiseke (KP 25); after 38 kilometers, we pass the whitewater canoeing facility in Schwerte (just before KP 38). It’s fun to watch the canoeists training here.We continue along the beautiful RuhrtalRadweg, pass under the A45, and ride through a lovely wooded area. Shortly past the Westhofen sports field, we come back to the Ruhr River, and we ride along its banks for the next few meters. We pass under the L 673, and the bike path runs to the left of the railroad tracks. We ride through another small forest, and on the right we see the “Ruhrsteilhänge Hohensyburg” nature reserve. Back at the riverbank, we can see the mouth of the Lenne on the opposite side of the river. This river will soon accompany us, but first we must cross the Ruhr. So we continue a few meters downstream.Right at the start of Hengsteysee, we use the bridge on Dortmunder Str. (KP 63) to reach the other bank. Immediately after the bridge, we turn left—unless we want to stop by the mobile ice cream shop on the opposite side of the street. Now we follow the Lenneradweg upstream through small woods and river meadows. If we look around, we can see Hohensyburg Castle perched atop the mountains.Due to construction of the A 45 highway bridge, seasonal detours are possible in this area, but they are always clearly signposted. On the Lenneradweg, we pass KP 64 and reach Hohenlimburg. We can already see the castle of the same name perched on the hill from a distance. Down by the river, we pass the Hagen Hohenlimburg Whitewater Park. International competitions are also held on this 270-meter-long course. On weekends or in the evenings, you can watch whitewater canoeists training here.We continue upstream along the Lenne (KP 72) to Letmathe. The R-Café, which is spectacularly built on stilts halfway over the Lenne, has installed an exemplary battery charging station for us e-bike riders—free of charge! Great! Coming from Hohenlimburg, the Lenne Promenade begins just past the R-Café. It’s a great place to relax, and on hot days, we can even dip our feet in the Lenne to cool off. The Letmathe train station on the opposite bank has been beautifully restored and is definitely worth a stop for a quick bite at “Bahnsteig 42.”From Letmathe, we follow the Lenne Bike Path to the imposing “Pater und Nonne” rocks (KP 56), where we turn left onto Untergrüner Straße. Please note: there is no bike path here. Although the sidewalk is wide enough, I cannot recommend using it, as traffic regulations do not permit it. However, anyone who’s a bit nervous or finds the road too dangerous will likely reconsider. If you have some time to spare, I recommend visiting the Dechenhöhle at this point.We now turn right onto Grüner Talstraße. We follow this road to the former Iserlohn brewery. Here we turn left and, after a few hundred meters, reach a forest path (Brandkopfweg). This path intersects our little road at an acute angle. We turn onto it here and, following a moderate climb through beautiful woods, reach the heights of Iserlohn. This is the only significant climb on the entire RUHR-LENNE-Achter route. On quiet streets (Grüner Weg, Alexanderstraße), we now reach the Iserlohn train station (KP 55) after about 70 kilometers.The Short Loop We leave the RuhrtalRadweg to the left, pass a horse farm, and ride a short, steep uphill stretch along Letteweg. It joins Hennener Straße (KP 29), which we follow to the left through the town of Hennen. Shortly past the second roundabout heading toward Iserlohn, we turn onto the quiet Eichelberger Straße, which we follow until the end of the residential area (KP 30). Immediately past the last garden fence, a bike path begins on the right. We follow this path in a nice, sweeping curve through the meadows, cross Drüpplingsen Straße, and reach the Baarbach bike path. A short, steep hill is a bit of a nuisance. We have a conservationist to thank for this—he didn’t want the path to run along the stream. Annoying!For a short stretch, the Baarbach Bike Path runs along the quiet Mühlenstraße, then we’re back on a separate, magnificent bike path through meadows and fields, always following the stream toward Iserlohn (passing KP 32). The historic Barendorf factory complex, featuring a needle museum, artists’ studios and apartments, as well as a lovely café, invites you to take a break. A battery charging station—unfortunately unsecured—can be used free of charge. This historic building complex, with works of art scattered throughout the landscape, is a highlight of Iserlohn; stopping here is a must!After a well-deserved break, we continue over the Franzberg and past Düingser Mühle to Seilerseestrasse, which we follow to the left along a good bike path. We pass the Seilersee (KP 53) on our left, cross Mendener Straße via a pedestrian bridge, and ride up Schlesische Straße to Westfalenstraße, which we cross to reach Hansbergstraße (KP 52). Here we return to the starting point of our beautiful loop. We take the former railroad right-of-way again and, after about 45 kilometers, reach the Iserlohn train station (KP 55).Tour descriptions by the ADFC Märkischer Kreis, Ulrich Pagenstecher