Open-air museums and Teutoberg forest — cycle Germany’s Mill Route

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘Mill Route’ is perhaps a hike, because after all, ‘hiking is the miller's delight’. But the Mill Route I want to tell you about is a cycle Tour from mill to mill along the Weser River and through the Wiehengebirge mountains in Germany. And after the five daily stages, it’ll be clear to you why the district of Minden-Lübbecke bears the nickname ‘Mühlenkreis’ (mill circle). More than 40 of these buildings line your 300-kilometre (190 mi) route and show you the diverse world of mill culture.

So that you can also take time to explore and admire the mills, I’ve divided the route into five, bite-sized stages. The routes are relatively flat, so you’ll have no problem arriving at your destination each evening if you’re relatively fit. You can even ride one of the stages without any bags at all as it’s a loop, so you stay in the same accommodation for two nights. The individual stages are between 47 and 70 kilometres (29–44 mi) long, and only the fourth day is a little more strenuous, with almost 400 metres (1,312 ft) of altitude gain.

As it’s an official route of the Teutoburg Forest cycling region, the Mill Route is very well signposted. The sign is obvious: a mill on a green background. However, you’ll leave the route sometimes if you follow my Tour suggestions, as some highlights are a little off the beaten track or the accommodation options aren’t directly on the route.

The start of the first stage and the finish of the last stage is at Minden (Westphalia) railway station so, as with all my expeditions, you can arrive by train. You don't need any particular bike, a good trekking or touring bike is perfectly adequate, even if you're not riding 100% on asphalt.

The first 180 kilometres (112 mi) are almost completely flat. There’s only one longer climb on the first day, and only gets hillier after about 200 kilometres (124 mi, where the majority of the 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) in altitude add up. If your bike has decent gears and your legs aren’t afraid of a challenge, these climbs shouldn't be a problem. On the altitude profile it also looks worse than it is in reality – after all, you’re riding in a relatively flat region and the longest climb measures just over 100 metres (330 ft) in altitude at a stretch so you'll rarely arrive at the many sights along the way out of breath. You can still treat yourself to a slice or two of cake in one of the lovely cafés. Have fun on the Mill Route!