Touring - Touring Eastern Netherlands - North Rhine-Westphalia

Hi all,
I've tried posting this in the regional forums, without much success. I don't think they have enough traffic (so to speak).

This spring (late April/early May) I'll be biking in Netherlands and Germany. I'm planning to start near the German border and go into the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

I know that Netherlands is very bike friendly, complete with an infrastructure of paths , lanes and trails because I've toured there before. How about that part of Germany? Are there any canals or rail trails that I can follow? I prefer off-road as much as possible. I also stealth camp along the way so I prefer less densely populated areas.

As neat as on-line maps are, I really need to able to the big picture. Are there maps of bicycle routes in this area? By maps I mean OS type - 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 maps, rather than the free ones you get from the tourist office.

I am looking for some low traffic recommended routes. I've got 2-3 weeks.

Danke schon!

Oh, by the way...will I need to speak German?

You're Canadian, right? Then I recommend putting Canadian flags on your panniers or bike. It always helps. :D

There are lots of beautiful bike paths around there. Do you know more specifically where you want to go? Do you have to get to a specific destination?

This is a map of German long-distance routes. I would suggest riding to the Rhine, then down the Rhine to Koblenz, then up the Moselle. Gorgeous riding! http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l249/becnal/?action=view&current=deutschlandradwege.gif

Here are 8 links to bike touring sites in Germany (http://www.biketouringtips.com/searchTips.html?country=Germany&state=&place=&id=&subtopic=). It has some sites listed that I think will help you.

For instance, this site (http://www.biketouringtips.com/showTipComments.php?tipID=170) offers a graphical routing tool in Westphalia.

Ray

Hi,
Germany is very bike friendly and their cycling routes are well marked and easy to follow.
As for maps you can pick up any maps you might need at any tourist office, and if they don't have them they'll tell you where you can find them, they are helpfull and all the staff speak English.
You can check out some of the routes at http://www.germany-tourism.de/cycling/order_brochure.htm, just downlaod the PDF files.
But for low trafic routes it will be very difficult especially if the weather in nice, there are many other cyclists out :)
My wife and I cycled through there a in Oct., very nice cycling.
cheers

"Edit" raybo, thnx for the link on for the route planer we will be checking it out also.

You're Canadian, right? Then I recommend putting Canadian flags on your panniers or bike. It always helps. :D

There are lots of beautiful bike paths around there. Do you know more specifically where you want to go? Do you have to get to a specific destination?

This is a map of German long-distance routes. I would suggest riding to the Rhine, then down the Rhine to Koblenz, then up the Moselle. Gorgeous riding! http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l249/becnal/?action=view&current=deutschlandradwege.gif

Although I try to be low key, I always have a small Canadian flag somewhere. We have a strong connection with Europe dating back to being both a British and French colony, but mostly I find that respect for each countries culture is what separates me from other NA tourist. That and the fact I'm on a bike really seems to make a difference. Other than once in Kent, I can't remember when I haven't felt comfortable.

I see a number of possible tours around Nordrhein-Westfalen at the bikely.com site. Have you checked out this resource?
http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/country/91/region/1918

Most of them are commuting routes, but I do see a number of longer touring routes. I looked at the 206km route listed there. I did not notice a whole bunch of forested areas, but there are some.

I flip the map to "hybrid" to see if I see any trees. Looks like some wild camping might be possible.

This 91 km route takes you through Cologne to a larger forested area just east of the city.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/RTF-K-ln-D-nnwald-14-10-Luschenrunde-mit-An-abfahrt

Naturlich!
Natuurlijk!
It never hurts to speak a few well chosen words in the language of the countries you are visiting, especially please and thank you!