The first thing I notice on the way through the Sauerland to Brilon are the fascinating houses that are artfully clad with lots of slate. I've never seen anything like this before on such a scale. There are also lots of horses and cows, rolling hills, large lakes, green forests - it’s really idyllic. Many people think of party and mass tourism when they think of the Sauerland, but that's not the case here. And Brilon, as a small town, offers many other leisure activities. Especially for us cyclists - whether on an e-bike, trekking bike, gravel bike, mountain bike or racing bike - there is a lot to discover.
Even though there are already wonderful cycle paths from Brilon, we have planned our ride to the Diemelsee and through the Diemelsee Nature Park ourselves. We can therefore offer you a great tour that is only available at VICTORIA. You can even make it shorter or longer according to your needs.
From Brilon to Diemelsee through the Diemelsee Nature Park
State: North Rhine-Westphalia. Start and finish: Brilon town train station
• Duration and elevation gain: 53.4 km and 1070 meters
• If you just want to go around the Diemelsee and skip the Diemelsee Nature Park, that's 14.5 kilometers and 350 meters less elevation gain
• Please note: As we do not take the direct route to the Diemelsee, we do not follow many of the signs in the direction of the lake
A cycle path through fields, forests and meadows - perfect!
After we leave the Brilon train station, houses with lots of gray slate and pastures with the aforementioned cows and horses dominate the picture. The slate tells of the history of mining in the region, the animals of important agriculture.
For cyclists, however, the lush greenery and pleasant paths through the hills are particularly desirable. We pass a whole series of mountains of just over 500 meters, which provide plenty of variety with winding asphalt paths. We take a short break at the Wieden refuge and curiously compare the charge levels of our e-bikes. One thing is clear: the more than one thousand meters of climb will get the VICTORIA MANOC 3 and eUrban 13.9 pedelecs working overtime.
The Hanseatic city in the forest
• Hanseatic cities are usually associated with places by the sea or large rivers. But there were also towns that were not on the water but still belonged to the Hanseatic League. One of them was Brilon
• The landscape around Brilon and the neighbouring town of Olsberg has the most differences in altitude in the Sauerland. This is a challenge for legs and e-bike batteries alike
• Brilon is located in the second largest natural park in Germany, the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge Nature Park. From Brilon, you can quickly reach hiking trails such as the Rothaarsteig (154 km) and the Sauerland-Waldroute (243 km). The Briloner Kammweg (49 km) is shorter
To the Diemel dam
In Messinghausen, we cross our return bike path to Brilon, but set off in the direction of Helminghausen. We should not be confused by the many signs directing motorists to Diemelsee, as we want to continue enjoying the narrower paths through the mountainous landscape.
In Helminghausen, there is an opportunity for a fun break during the summer season: you can play a game of pit-pat, a combination of mini golf and pool in the "Alter Gutsgarten" park. This type of "obstacle billiard" is a fun activity and not found everywhere.
Close by is the spectacular view of the more than 100-year-old dam on Lake Diemelsee. For us, the dam marks the start of the 13 kilometers around the lake. The Diemel dam holds an impressive 19.9 cubic meters of water. Both sides of the wall offer great views - a deep valley to the left and the lake on the right, which invites you to take a boat trip, go fishing, diving or simply go for a swim.
The MS Diemelsee remains on land
The Diemelsee is considered a warm lake. There is a diving bay as well as beaches for bathing. You can rent a pedal boat, grill some sausages in the barbecue areas and let your kids run around on the playgrounds. The "MS Diemelsee" in Heringhausen, which we ventured on board, is also one of these playgrounds. We're too old for playtime, but we still take some pictures and goof around. The Diemelsee tourist information office is also located in Heringhausen. If you want to pick up brochures or information about the Diemelsee vacation region, this is the place to go.
Late season end for bikers in summer
After Heringhausen, the route continues around the lake through lush nature. The smooth asphalt path allows us to make excellent progress. The late summer sun glistens through the leaves and onto the water. There is not much going on in the second half of September. Not all restaurants and snack bars are open - it's definitely different during the main season.
After almost completely circumnavigating the lake, we look for somewhere to get a snack and find the ferry house & biker café. The biker café, with its motorcycle decorations and heavy bikes in front, doesn't really appeal to us as cyclists, but we still feel very welcome. After all, we also want to enjoy the beautiful weather on two wheels. The end of the season is in the air, so it's time for a hearty currywurst with fries. We have a cold drink on the terrace of the ferry house with the best view of the lake, before riding past the dam once again whilst completing our tour of the lake.
Worth seeing in and around Brilon
• You can obtain the SauerlandCard from your hotel or host. This allows you to use local trains and buses in the Sauerland region free of charge. Discounts and free admissions to most places are included with the SauerlandCard.
• The Museum Haus Hövener on the market square allows visitors to immerse themselves in the history of the region in several exhibitions - from the time of the dinosaurs with corresponding finds to the rich mining heritage of the region. At the rooftop is a garden that is definitely worth seeing
• In summer, the Gudenhagen outdoor forest pool is the largest outdoor forest pool in North Rhine-Westphalia and it offers family-friendly fun on 6500 meters of water. The AquaOlsberg is available as a covered alternative at any time of year
An extra loop through the Diemelsee Nature Park
We have covered just under 30 kilometers so far and could make our way back to Brilon town on 17.8 kilometers (with 400 meters of elevation gain). However, the e-bike batteries are still good enough for a detour through the Diemelsee Nature Park. That's an additional 14.5 kilometers and 350 meters of altitude. If you don't have enough juice left in your battery at this point, take the way back. If you have enough power left in your battery and want to experience more nature, follow the cycle path first towards Padberg and then to Messinghausen.
At the start of this extra loop, we discover a small wellness facility at the edge of the path, where the cold water gives cyclists' legs new freshness. This is followed by gently sweeping bends, past fields, meadows and through lush green forests. After passing Beringhausen to the west, however, the route leads through SUV terrain. Here, caution is advised on gravel roads with narrow tires. Thanks to our VICTORIAs with their wide tires, we are on the safe side and travel through the nature park with its climbs and descents in a relaxed manner.
A fresh bike path back to Brilon
In Messinghausen, we stop at a monument about the town's mining history. Ore mining has dominated life here for centuries, and the stone industry is still an important employer with the extraction of limestone, for example.
A sculpture of a woman from the "Everyday People" series by Laura & Christel Lechner sits on one of the benches around the monument. This is not the first time we have come across these sculptures on our tours for VICTORIA and they are always a pleasant surprise that remind us of our parents' and grandparents' time.
After Brilon, we don't follow our outward route, but take a different cycle path towards the village of Hoppecke. The little river that accompanies us is also called Hoppecke. We could cycle along this well-maintained cycle path forever - we only have to take the road once, but quickly change sides for more pleasant cycling away from traffic. A final steep climb awaits us at the 545-metre-high Hängeberg, before we reach the outskirts of the town and then Brilon itself.
More tours for cyclists and e-bikers around Brilon
• In the Sauerland, a comprehensive bike sign system is in place for cyclists. Depending on where you want to go, you follow the red and white signposted numbers. This means you can cycle without a map - you just need to know the number of the desired destination
• If desired, you can also cover less meters in altitude: River cycle paths with less inclines are a dream for leisure cyclists. The Möhnetalradweg, Ruhrtalradweg, Almeradweg and Diemelradweg cycle paths in the region are waiting to be discovered
• Brilon is part of the Bike-Arena-Sauerland. Mountain bikers and racing cyclists get their money's worth here. Appropriate tours with varying degrees of difficulty are marked with yellow-black signs
Battery report after the tour
In view of the more than one thousand meters of altitude, we mostly rode in "Tour" mode - so the reserves of the Bosch PowerTube battery with 625 watt hours were sufficient for the entire tour. However, I shouldn't have ridden in turbo mode all the time. My fellow rider Sebastian's eUrban 13.8 with a Powertube 500 and Powerpack 500 battery, with a total of 1000 watt hours, wasn’t pushed beyond its limits. For extended e-bike tours like with a lot of elevation gain - just like this one - nothing beats battery power.
Delicious end to the tour - let´s eat like the chancellor
Officially, our tour ends at Brilon train station, but if you leave the town by train straight away, you will miss out on an interesting place. After the tour, we are drawn to the Jägerhof restaurant on the market square. A great find: The owner and chef, "Pio," is truly authentic and has crafted an exciting menu: from ginger poultry steak in a sesame coating on chili noodles to roulade stuffed with prune and apple. Chancellor Angela Merkel has even been a guest here.
So this day in the Sauerland ends with one last highlight, for which we won’t need any more power from our e-bikes. Instead, our own batteries are miraculously back to one hundred percent at the end of the day! We wish you lots of fun riding in this area.
“Very varied, lush and full of possibilities - that's how the region around Brilon presented itself to me. Perfect for a good time on the e-bike. Just be sure to charge your battery beforehand for extended tours in the Sauerland."
The MANOC is always ready for rides like these. But our e-bikes in the Trekking & Tour category have much more to offer. Find out which VICTORIA suits you best.
Another recommended tour from Brilon
We also cycled a second tour from Brilon, the Möhne Valley cycle path. We followed the course of the renaturalised River Möhne for a good 70 kilometres, mostly downhill, and can say that this cycle path feels "like flying on an e-bike". A clear recommendation in NRW.
More articles in VICTORIA magazine
Planning the right bike tour - what type of tourer are you?
A battery powered ski tour - taking the e-bike on a winter mountain adventure
E-bike adventure: cycle tour to Sector F in the Bavarian Forest