Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1 and Kleve-Keeken

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1

   Hochwald is a ridge of woods, which is a surprising thing to find in the flat country of the Lower Rhine. The ground here was pushed up by the glaciers of the Ice Age, which shoved sand and gravel into long, low ridges known as push moraines, and the woods that cover the ridge near Uedem have been left in peace for generations. Beech and oak form a canopy over the old lanes, and in autumn the leaf litter is deep and the air smells of mushrooms. For a rider used to the endless flatness of the Niederrhein, even a modest hill feels like an event.

   Read the complete Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1 is where the day begins. Next is Till.

2. 2. Till

   The Lower Rhine around Kalkar and Kleve is wide, flat country: green polders, willows along drainage ditches, brick farmhouses and church spires visible for miles. Till is a small village here, part of Bedburg-Hau, just off the Rhine embankments between Kalkar and Kleve, with Emmerich across the river. It lies close to the line of the Roman frontier, the Lower German Limes, which followed the Rhine to the North Sea.

   Read the complete Till write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Till comes up about 15 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kleve-Keeken.

3. 3. Kleve-Keeken

   Here the Rhine stops being a German river. Just downstream of the village of Keeken, the great river crosses the border into the Netherlands, and a few kilometres further on it divides, with the Waal carrying most of the water west and the Pannerdens Canal leading to the Nederrijn and the IJssel. In Roman times, this was the northern frontier of the empire, the Lower German Limes, and Keeken is one of the sites listed as part of the UNESCO frontier, with traces of Roman military installations along the old river course.

   Read the complete Kleve-Keeken write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 30 km into the recorded legs you reach Kleve-Keeken. Next is back through Till.

4. 4. back through Till

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Till write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Till, late in the day. Next is Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1.

5. 5. Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1 write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 1. That is the ride.