Nature, art & culture - 5 stages on the Vechtetal Route

Over the 140 miles (223 kilometers) that make up the Vechetal Route, you'll encounter a wonderfully diverse range of landscapes: Idyllic floodplains, dead straight canals, picturesque villages, windmills, moated castles and shady forests. Following the river from which it takes its name to its mouth in the historic trading town of Zwolle in the Netherlands, the Vechetal Route will let you experience this region like never before.

Over five stages, you'll cycle mainly along quiet roads and on excellent cycle paths. Both the Münsterland and the Netherlands are known for their almost perfect bicycle infrastructure, which you can fully enjoy on the way — one of many reasons that led the ADFC to award the Vechtetal route as a three-star quality cycle route. The route is flat throughout, making it ideal for occasional cyclists and families with children. There are also plenty of opportunities to take a break along the way. You'll cycle through numerous authentic villages and past farm cafés, shelters and small sights that invite you in to take a rest.

If you are traveling by train, the train station in Billerbeck is a good starting point for the route, as Darfeld itself has no railway connection. It's then about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Billerbeck to the Vechte spring. From Zwolle, you can easily take the train home or back to Billerbeck. Not all stages have a train station, however. If you would like to travel on individual stages or stop the ride along the way, the following places with railway stations are ideal: Metelen, Ochtrup, Schüttorf and Bad Bentheim on the German side, and Gramsbergen, Hardenberg, Marienberg, Ommen and Dalfsen on the Dutch side. You can find more information at bahn.de or ns.nl. In the stage towns, you will usually find a good selection of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, some of which have even been accoladed by the ADFC as "Bed and Bike Hotels" due to being particularly well adapted to the needs of cyclists.