Why this ride
A 351 km round trip from Moers - roughly 5 h 25 in the saddle. The stops in between: Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in, Krefeld-Gellep, Monheim-Haus Bürgel and Köln-Alteburg. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Moers-Asberg and Köln-Alteburg
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 351 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 25
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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.
Scenic road chapters
Monheim-Haus Bürgel → Köln-Alteburg
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 35 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 43 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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
Moers-Asberg is where the day begins. Next is Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
2. 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 comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Krefeld-Gellep.
3. Krefeld-Gellep
Most people pass Krefeld-Gellep without a second thought, because the view is dominated by the harbour of Uerdingen, chemical works and Rhine barges. Yet this is one of the most important Roman and early medieval sites on the Lower Rhine. The Roman fort here was called Gelduba, and it belongs to the Lower German Limes, the frontier along the river that UNESCO recognised in 2021. Tacitus mentions Gelduba in his account of the Batavian revolt of 69 and 70 AD, when legions and rebels fought around the camp, and archaeologists have found traces of that violence in the ground.
Read the complete Krefeld-Gellep write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 81 km into the recorded legs you reach Krefeld-Gellep. Next is Monheim-Haus Bürgel.
4. Monheim-Haus Bürgel
Haus Bürgel is a manor farm that sits on top of a Roman fort, quite literally. The walls of a late Roman fortification, built in the fourth century to guard the Rhine frontier, form part of the foundations and outer walls of the medieval and later farm buildings, and the site is part of the Lower German Limes World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2021. Between Monheim and Düsseldorf-Urdenbach, it lies in a broad meadow landscape on the right bank of the Rhine.
Read the complete Monheim-Haus Bürgel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monheim-Haus Bürgel, about halfway. Next is Köln-Alteburg.
5. Köln-Alteburg
The Roman navy is not the first thing most people associate with Cologne, but for almost two centuries the Rhine fleet, the Classis Germanica, had its main base here at Alteburg, just south of the Roman city. The fort sat on a terrace above the river in what is now the leafy district of Marienburg, near Bayenthal, and from here warships patrolled the Rhine, carried supplies and soldiers, and kept watch on the frontier. The site belongs to the Lower Germanic Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2021, though today it lies mostly under villas, streets and gardens, with only traces and information boards to show where it stood.
Read the complete Köln-Alteburg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Köln-Alteburg sits at 149 km, about halfway. Next is back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel.
6. back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Monheim-Haus Bürgel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel comes up about 221 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Krefeld-Gellep.
7. back through Krefeld-Gellep
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Krefeld-Gellep write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 270 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Krefeld-Gellep. Next is back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
8. back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in, late in the day. Next is Moers-Asberg.
9. 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
The route ends here after 351 km.
Leg by leg
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 Krefeld-Gellep
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → Krefeld-Gellep is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Krefeld-Gellep to Monheim-Haus Bürgel
Krefeld-Gellep → Monheim-Haus Bürgel is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Monheim-Haus Bürgel to Köln-Alteburg
Monheim-Haus Bürgel → Köln-Alteburg is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Köln-Alteburg to back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel
Köln-Alteburg → back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel to back through Krefeld-Gellep
back through Monheim-Haus Bürgel → back through Krefeld-Gellep is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Krefeld-Gellep to back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
back through Krefeld-Gellep → back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in to Moers-Asberg
back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → Moers-Asberg is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.