Why this ride
A 174 km round trip from Kalkar - roughly 2 h 41 in the saddle. It goes by way of Alpen-Drüpt, Moers-Asberg, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in and back through Moers-Asberg.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kalkar-Bornsches Feld and Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 174 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 41
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Kalkar-Bornsches Feld
Kalkar sits on a low terrace a few kilometres from the Rhine, close to the Dutch border, and everything about the landscape here is flat, wide and bright. The label points to the Bornsches Feld, a field on the edge of town that belongs to the Roman Lower Germanic Limes, the frontier that followed the Rhine itself rather than a wall or a palisade. UNESCO added the whole line to its list in 2021. Here, as elsewhere along the lower river, the Roman forts and camps stood on the river bank, the water served as the barrier, and what remains today is mostly in the ground and in the museums of Xanten, a little way up the Rhine.
Read the complete Kalkar-Bornsches Feld write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kalkar-Bornsches Feld is where the day begins. Next is Alpen-Drüpt.
2. Alpen-Drüpt
On the flat farmland of the Lower Rhine, between Alpen and Rheinberg, there is little to catch the eye: fields of maize and potatoes, poplars along ditches, brick farmhouses and the occasional windmill. Yet this was once the edge of the Roman world. The Rhine formed the frontier of the empire, and along its banks the Romans built legionary fortresses, forts, watchtowers and temporary camps. Alpen-Drüpt is one of the sites included in the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Lower German Limes, inscribed by UNESCO in 2021; like many on the list, it survives mainly below ground, known from aerial photographs and excavations rather than standing ruins.
Read the complete Alpen-Drüpt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Alpen-Drüpt comes up 30 km in. Next is Moers-Asberg.
3. Moers-Asberg
Asberg is a quiet district on the southern edge of Moers, on the left bank of the Lower Rhine, and beneath its houses and fields lies the Roman fort of Asciburgium, one of the earliest military bases on the Rhine frontier. It was founded around the time of the emperor Augustus or soon after, garrisoned by cavalry and auxiliary troops, and abandoned toward the end of the first century, when the Rhine shifted its course and moved away from the fort. The site is now part of the Lower German Limes UNESCO site, and although there is little to see above ground, information boards and outlines help you imagine the scene.
Read the complete Moers-Asberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
61 km in you reach Moers-Asberg. Next is Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
4. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
The headframe of Shaft XII at Zollverein, with its red steel lattice and double wheels, is the Eiffel Tower of the Ruhr, and it is easy to see why. Designed by the architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer and opened in 1932, the shaft and its surrounding buildings were built in a clean, functional style influenced by the Bauhaus, and it was hailed as the most beautiful coal mine in the world. At its peak, Zollverein was one of the largest and most productive mines in Europe, and the adjacent coking plant processed coal into coke for the steel industry. The mine closed in 1986, the coking plant in 1993, and UNESCO listed the complex in 2001.
Read the complete Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in, about halfway. Next is back through Moers-Asberg.
5. back through Moers-Asberg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Moers-Asberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Moers-Asberg sits at 121 km, about halfway. Next is back through Alpen-Drüpt.
6. back through Alpen-Drüpt
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Alpen-Drüpt write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Alpen-Drüpt comes up 152 km in. Next is Kalkar-Bornsches Feld.
7. Kalkar-Bornsches Feld
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kalkar-Bornsches Feld write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kalkar-Bornsches Feld closes the day.
Leg by leg
Kalkar-Bornsches Feld to Alpen-Drüpt
Kalkar-Bornsches Feld → Alpen-Drüpt is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Alpen-Drüpt to Moers-Asberg
Alpen-Drüpt → Moers-Asberg is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Moers-Asberg to Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
Moers-Asberg → Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in to back through Moers-Asberg
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → back through Moers-Asberg is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Moers-Asberg to back through Alpen-Drüpt
back through Moers-Asberg → back through Alpen-Drüpt is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Alpen-Drüpt to Kalkar-Bornsches Feld
back through Alpen-Drüpt → Kalkar-Bornsches Feld is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.