Why this ride
A 242 km round trip from Uedem - roughly 3 h 04 in the saddle. The stops in between: Krefeld-Gellep, Cologne Cathedral and back through Krefeld-Gellep. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 and Cologne Cathedral
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 242 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 04
- 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
Krefeld-Gellep → Cologne Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 64 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 61 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11
Lower Rhine forests do not announce themselves, and the Hochwald between Uedem, Xanten and Kalkar is no exception: a dark block of beech, oak and pine on a low ridge, with flat farmland on every side. Point 11 is a spot somewhere inside that woodland, about six kilometres from Uedem, so think of it as a way into the forest rather than a particular junction or bench.
Read the complete Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 is where the day begins. Next is Krefeld-Gellep.
2. 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
Krefeld-Gellep comes up about 60 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cologne Cathedral.
3. Cologne Cathedral
Six hundred and thirty-two years. That is how long it took to finish Cologne Cathedral, from the laying of the foundation stone in 1248 to the completion of the spires in 1880, and when you stand at its foot by the main station it feels as though the building is still growing. The twin towers climb to around 157 metres, black with soot and weather, and for a few years after completion they made it the tallest building in the world.
Read the complete Cologne Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 121 km into the recorded legs you reach Cologne Cathedral. Next is back through Krefeld-Gellep.
4. 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
back through Krefeld-Gellep, late in the day. Next is Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11.
5. Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 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 11. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 to Krefeld-Gellep
Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 → Krefeld-Gellep is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Krefeld-Gellep to Cologne Cathedral
Krefeld-Gellep → Cologne Cathedral is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cologne Cathedral to back through Krefeld-Gellep
Cologne Cathedral → back through Krefeld-Gellep is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Krefeld-Gellep to Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11
back through Krefeld-Gellep → Uedem-Hochwald | Hochwald 11 is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.