Why this ride
345 km from Xanten to Xanten, about 4 h 47 of riding. The stops in between: Moers-Asberg, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in, Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm and Cologne Cathedral. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Xanten-Fürstenberg and Cologne Cathedral
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 345 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 47
- 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
Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm → Cologne Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 40 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 35 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Xanten-Fürstenberg
The Fürstenberg is a low hill on the edge of the Lower Rhine plain, just south of Xanten, and two thousand years ago it was one of the most important military bases in the Roman Empire. Here the Romans built Vetera, a legionary fortress that housed up to two legions and served as a springboard for campaigns into Germania under Augustus. In AD 69 and 70, during the Batavian revolt, Vetera was besieged, starved into surrender and destroyed, and a new fortress was built nearby. The site on the Fürstenberg is part of the Lower German Limes, the Roman frontier along the Rhine from the Alps to the North Sea, which was added to the World Heritage list in 2021. On the ground there is little to see, mostly fields and woods, but the elevated position, with views over the river plain, explains why the Romans chose it.
Read the complete Xanten-Fürstenberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Xanten-Fürstenberg is where the day begins. Next is Moers-Asberg.
2. 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 comes up about 39 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
3. 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
about 78 km into the recorded legs you reach Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in. Next is Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm.
4. Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm
Neuss has been a garrison town for two thousand years, and it still carries the Roman name in a shortened form: Novaesium, the legionary fortress that stood on the Rhine near the mouth of the Erft, was one of the oldest Roman military sites in Germany, founded in the days of Augustus. The Rhine was the frontier here, the Lower Germanic Limes, with no wall but a river, fortresses and watchtowers like the one at Reckberg, and the whole line was added to the UNESCO list in 2021.
Read the complete Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm, about halfway. Next is Cologne Cathedral.
5. 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
Cologne Cathedral sits at 167 km, about halfway. Next is back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm.
6. back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm comes up about 210 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
7. 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
about 271 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in. Next is back through Moers-Asberg.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Xanten-Fürstenberg.
9. Xanten-Fürstenberg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Xanten-Fürstenberg 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 345 km.
Leg by leg
Xanten-Fürstenberg to Moers-Asberg
Xanten-Fürstenberg → Moers-Asberg is 39 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 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in to Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm to Cologne Cathedral
Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm → Cologne Cathedral is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cologne Cathedral to back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm
Cologne Cathedral → back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm to back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
back through Neuss-Reckberg | Wachtturm → back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in to back through Moers-Asberg
back through Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → back through Moers-Asberg is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Moers-Asberg to Xanten-Fürstenberg
back through Moers-Asberg → Xanten-Fürstenberg is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.