Over hill and daleGravel tours to get you started

Families get to know the home of beavers and eagle owls on their tour through the rugged beauty of the Rureifel. Don't forget to pack a picnic basket filled with goodies. Both the Rurufer cycle path and the Zerkall National Park information point have beautiful rest and adventure spots as well as picnic areas that invite you to linger and make you curious about the special features and exciting stories of the region. By the way: the German constitution was printed on Zerkall paper in 1949. But that's just by the way.

Suddenly it appears: Cologne Cathedral. Somewhere in the distance, yet close enough to touch. The fantastic Rhine panorama with Cologne 's landmark is one of the highlights of the gravel tour through the densely wooded region between Cologne, Leverkusen and Bergisch-Gladbach. Time and again, the view sweeps over the surrounding countryside and the small villages that lie along the route. Accompanied by the gentle babbling of the River Dhünn, the route sometimes runs along wide gravel paths and sometimes along narrow forest tracks. And much more idyllically situated than Cologne Cathedral is its "little sister": Altenberg Cathedral. Make sure you stop here!

The suspension railway runs in the city, while gravel bikers make their way through the picturesque landscape along the Wupper in the countryside. They cross pretty little villages that are known for their Bergisch triad of white half-timbered houses, black slate and green windows. The first stage destination, which offers a magnificent view of the landscape, is Burg Castle. After a tour of the medieval complex, a "Bergische Kaffeetafel" (Bergisch coffee table) with waffles, liver sausage, brown bread and coffee from the Dröppelminna is an essential part of the excursion. The route is not too strenuous overall, thanks to the fact that parts of it run along disused Railway lines.

Blooming heather moors and dunes, marshes, ponds and pools: The rugged beauty of the Wahner Heide and idyllic river landscapes make a tour on the "Heide-Rider" near Troisdorf a varied nature experience. Water birds can be observed and water lilies admired along the way. And with so much water along the route, there are of course one or two opportunities to take a dip on hot summer days.

The unbridled power of nature is your constant companion on this gravel tour near Brilon. Cyclists have hurricane Kyrill to "thank" for the expansive views on this route, which cut large swathes through the Sauerland forests in January 2007. As the route is quite short at around 19 kilometres, it is worth taking a detour to the beginnings of ski jumping. You can still easily recognise the natural ski jump built in 1965 at Helle, complete with take-off table and take-off beam. Ziieehh!!!

This fairly easy but varied tour between Herten and Gelsenkirchen is pure Ruhr Area. It combines everything that characterises the region today: almost forgotten places of industrial history, where nature has long since reclaimed its place, as well as urban flair, art and culture. Relics of the steel industry, such as the former winding towers of the Ewald colliery and the scaffolding of the former Consol colliery, alternate with magnificent works of street art, daring bridge constructions and modern vantage points on former slag heaps. Whoever climbs these hills of the Ruhr Area has already won the mountain ranking.