RUHR-LENNE-Achter - great cycle tour between Sauerland and Ruhrgebiet

Out and about on the RUHR-LENNE-AchterThe RUHR-LENNE-Achter can be started from any point along the route, as it is a circular route that naturally leads back to the starting point. There are train stations in Iserlohn, Menden, Fröndenberg, Hozwickede, Schwerte, Hohenlimburg and Letmathe. For cyclists arriving by train, this naturally has the advantage that the tour can be interrupted at many points. Another tip is worth mentioning here. The RUHR-LENNE-Achter only has one significant ascent, from Letmathe up to Iserlohn. So if you arrive in Iserlohn by train, take the RUHR-LENNE-Achter and get back on the train in Letmathe, you will also save yourself this climb.Numerical order of the junctions:Large loop: 55, 52, 49, 50, 48, 36, 34, 21, 37, 22, 25, 38, 63, 64, 72, 56, 55Small round: 55, 52, 49, 50, 48, 36, 34, 21, 37, 22, 29, 30, 32, 53, 52, 55The big loopStarting point Iserlohn:I start the description of a round trip on the RUHR-LENNE-Achter in Iserlohn at the city train station (KP 55). There is also a parking garage and other parking facilities here. There is a bakery in the station, so you can also get something to eat on Sundays. On weekdays, there are of course stores in many places, some directly on the route.From Iserlohn station, we cycle through the traffic circle and reach the cycle path directly on the former railroad line. For the first few kilometers, we cycle along this route through woods and past gardens towards Hemer.After 3.2 kilometers, the route ends at Hansbergstraße. We turn sharp left and after 150 meters we reach Westfalenstraße, which we cross at the traffic lights (KP 52). (We arrive here again if we only cycle the short loop and choose the cycle path through the Baarbachtal valley as our way back).We now keep to the right and cycle a short distance up Westfalenstraße on the shared footpath and cycle path. The path soon takes us over the former Duloh military training area and after 6 kilometers from Iserlohn train station we reach Hemer (KP 49, 50).Here you have the opportunity to visit the Sauerland Park (former site of the State Garden Show) or an area with Heck cattle and a herd of wild horses.In Hemer, at a fast food restaurant, we rejoin the former Iserlohn - Hemer - Menden railroad line, which is now a beautiful cycle path. We cycle slightly downhill on wonderful asphalt (past KP 48) to Menden (KP 36), which we reach after a total of 12 kilometers. Keeping to the left, we cycle partly along the Hönne river. The old Menden railroad station is the best place to pay a visit to Menden town center. However, our route continues straight ahead along the Hönne, then crosses the railroad line on the large B 7 bridge and passes under the same bridge using a spiral path (KP 34).We pass Bösperde station via the narrow platform (take care) and continue towards Fröndenberg. After 17.5 kilometers we meet the RuhrtalRadweg at a rest area (KP 21). From here it is only a few hundred meters to Fröndenberg. A visit to the chainsmith museum there is highly recommended. We could also do a nice loop from Fröndenberg on the 21-kilometer Zabelroute. However, we are now concentrating on the RUHR-LENNE-Achter and therefore turn left onto the RuhrtalRadweg. After 22 kilometers, another rest area, the Halingen rest area, invites you to take a break.After 23 kilometers from Iserlohn, we cross the Ruhr at Langschede on the B 233 / B 515 bridge. This is the first time we see the Ruhr on this route, but now we follow it through the beautiful Ruhrauen. After a good 28 kilometers, the Ruhr is crossed again on the Schoofsbrücke (shortly before KP 37; a little later KP 22). Here we enjoy the art installation: "7 signs on the Ruhr" by Veronika Pögel from 1986.After 30.7 kilometers at Lettehof, we now have to decide whether to take the shortened route through the Baarbachtal valley back to Iserlohn or whether to do the full loop. If you decide to take the shorter route, please follow the description "The short route" below. The others continue to follow this description.At kilometer 32 from Iserlohn we reach the Ruhr bridge at Geiseke (KP 25), after 38 kilometers we pass the whitewater canoeing facility in Schwerte (shortly before KP 38). It's fun to watch the canoeists training here.We continue along the beautiful RuhrtalRadweg, pass under the A45 and cross a beautiful wooded area. Shortly after the Westhofen sports field, we meet the Ruhr again and cycle along its banks for the next few meters. The L 673 is crossed underneath and the cycle path runs to the left of the tracks. We cycle through a small wood again and on the right we see the nature reserve "Ruhrsteilhänge Hohensyburg". Back on the riverbank, we can see the mouth of the Lenne on the other side of the river. This river will soon accompany us, but we first have to cross the Ruhr. So we continue a few meters downstream.Right at the beginning of the Hengsteysee, we use the Dortmunder Str. bridge (KP 63) to get to the other bank. Just after the bridge, we turn left, unless we want to pay a visit to the mobile ice cream parlor on the opposite side of the road. Now we follow the Lenneradweg upstream through small woods and floodplains. If we look around, we can see Hohensyburg Castle up on the hills.Due to the construction of the A 45 highway bridge, seasonal detour are possible in this area, but these are always signposted. We pass KP 64 on the Lenneradweg and reach Hohenlimburg. We can already see the castle of the same name in the mountain from afar. Down by the river, we pass the Hagen Hohenlimburg white water park. International competitions are also held on this 270-metre course. At weekends or in the evenings, you can watch the whitewater canoeists training here.The route continues up the Lenne (KP 72) to Letmathe. The R-Café, which is spectacularly built on stilts halfway across the Lenne, has installed an exemplary battery charging station for our e-bike riders to use free of charge! Great! Coming from Hohenlimburg, the Lenne promenade begins behind the R-Café. It's a great place to relax and in hot weather we can cool our feet in the Lenne water. Letmathe railroad station on the opposite bank is beautifully restored and is also well worth a stop for a quick snack at "Bahnsteig 42".From Letmathe, we follow the Lenneradweg to the imposing rocks "Pater und Nonne" (KP 56) where we turn left onto Untergrüner Straße. Attention, there is no cycle path here. Although the footpath here is wide enough, I do not recommend using it as the road traffic regulations do not permit this. However, if you are a little apprehensive and find the road too dangerous, you might want to reconsider. If you still have some time, we recommend a visit to the Dechenhöhle at this point.We now turn right into Grüner Talstraße. Follow this road until you reach the former Iserlohn brewery. Here we turn left and after a few hundred meters we reach a forest path (Brandkopfweg). This meets our little road at an acute Winkeln. We turn right here and reach the heights of Iserlohn on a moderate incline through a beautiful forest. This is the only climb worth mentioning on the entire RUHR-LENNE-Achter. On quiet roads (Grüner Weg, Alexanderstraße) we now reach Iserlohn station (KP 55) after approx. 70 kilometers.The short loop We leave the RuhrtalRadweg to the left, pass a riding stable and take the Letteweg uphill for a short distance. It leads into Hennener Straße (KP 29), which we follow to the left through the village of Hennen. Shortly after the 2nd traffic circle in the direction of Iserlohn, we turn into the quiet Eichelberger Straße, which we follow to the end of the built-up area (KP 30). Directly behind the last garden fence, a cycle path begins on the right. We follow this in a beautiful sweep through the meadows, cross Drüpplingsen Straße and reach the Baarbach cycle path. A short steep hill teases us. We have a conservationist to thank for this, who didn't want the path to run alongside the stream. Annoying!The Baarbach cycle path leads along the quiet Mühlenstraße road for a short distance, then it's back onto a separate, wonderful cycle path through meadows and fields, always along the stream towards Iserlohn (past KP 32). The historic Barendorf factory complex with its needle museum, artists' workshops and apartments as well as a lovely café invite you to take a break. An unfortunately unsecured charging station for batteries can be used free of charge. This historic building complex with its works of art scattered across the landscape is a highlight of Iserlohn and a must-see!After an appropriate break, we continue via Franzberg and Düingser Mühle to Seilerseestrasse, which we follow to the left on a good cycle path. We leave Seilersee (KP 53) on the left, cross Mendener Straße on a pedestrian bridge and cycle up Schlesische Straße to Westfalenstraße, which we cross to Hansbergstraße (KP 52). Here we return to the start of our beautiful tour. We use the former railroad line again and reach Iserlohn railroad station after approx. 45 kilometers (KP 55).Tour descriptions by the ADFC Märkischer Kreis, Ulrich Pagenstecher