Teutoburg Forest

Relaxed meandering through the ''Teuto''

Germany has several low mountain ranges. The Teutoburger Wald(=Forest) is one of them. It is not far from the Dutch border and is, in one word, beautiful. An area to explore at your leisure by motorbike. The roads twist and turn through the attractive hilly landscape and that's a wonderful ride. Do you normally ride with a sight ''inside a box''? Well, time to open up. The wind in your face and the vastness of the landscape will give you an enormous sense of freedom.

The routes are fun and show you nature in all its forms. The wide vistas of hills and forests make riding here great. The villages and towns you drive through are worth seeing. They reflect the rich history of this region. The many half-timbered houses are a good example. By the way, the history here goes back much further than the Middle Ages. Special sandstone formations near Dermold date back to the early Cretaceous period. That's 120 million years ago!

The outward journey (first day) and return journey (last day) you will drive on your own initiative.

Today's route takes you to the region of Osnabrück. You start the route immediately with a few hairpin bends. The route is quiet, in this area there are few or no street numbers and also few traffic signs. The route continues to Bad Essen, this village is officially a health resort due to the presence of healing springs. It is highly recommended to make a stop here, the centre is very cosy and the village has an old characteristic water mill. The long version of the day route has an extra loop through the area where you pass several characteristic villages.

The long and short versions of the route come together again just before you reach the city limits of Melle, this city has an important woodworking industry and there are several castles in the area. After a few kilometres you will pass the old wall of Schloss Gesmold, a beautiful place to visit.

Today's route is full of tourist attractions, and you will literally visit the Teutoburger Wald. You will start again with the famous hairpin bends of Bad Iburg.
Like yesterday, the route brings you to the city of Melle, where you can choose to visit the Auto Museum. After about 60km you will arrive in the city of Löhne, which is a great place to take a coffee break. You continue the route which becomes more and more beautiful and curvy. Through a few nice hairpin bends, you drive towards Altenbeken, this place is known for the large and impressive railway viaduct, this is definitely worth a photo opportunity! After the railway viaduct, you continue towards Horn-Bad Meinberg. The last tourist highlight is the Sparrenburg around Bielefeld, a special place that has the most beautiful and highest hiking trails in Germany called the Hermanssweg. You can visit the highest point of the tower and have a wonderful view of the wide surroundings of the Teutoburger Wald.  The last kilometres you will explore the region of Landkreis Osnabrück with the cities: Halle, Bad Laer and Lienen. 

You drive through the village of Bad Iburg along a road with wide views, after a few kilometres you enter the atmospheric village of Borgholdhausen, which leads into the Ravensberg hill country. In Vlotho, the short and long routes split up. The long route then gets a nice winding stretch over the hills. This is worthwhile for the curve lover. You continue to Minden, this city has a beautiful cathedral with a long history. After the hustle and bustle of Minden you continue on the country roads through the villages, you pass the village of Bad Essen and you slowly make your way back to the hotel. 

This day route is only for the 5-day trip.