Cycling through history: Hellweg-Weser Bike&Rail Route

The Hellweg-Weser Bike&Rail Route starts in the over 1,000-year-old town of Soest and runs all the way to Hamelin. It traces the same route as the railway so that you can switch between bike and train as you please.

In Bad Sassendorf, once the centre of Westphalian salt production, the salt water is now used for therapeutic purposes. From here, the tour continues into the Gütersloher Land region and historical Rietberg, the 'town of gables', so called because of the wealth of lovingly restored half-timbered buildings in its centre. Bielefeld has a much more urban feel, although it still has a medieval castle. After all this culture, you might want to cool off with a dip in Lake Schiedersee. The route ends in Hamelin – the town of the Pied Piper. Today it's more the tourists who come under his spell. Terrain: the route runs mainly on asphalt paths and quiet roads. Only certain sections of the route have steep gradients to tackle. Otherwise it runs predominantly on flat ground. Scenery: the route takes in the gently rolling hills of the Soest Börde, Gütersloher Land and Lippe regions with tree-lined avenues, moated palaces and sprawling meadows, as well as the Teutoburg Forest and Weserbergland hills.

• Length: 275 kilometres
• Starts: Soest
• Ends: Hamelin
• Route info: hilly in parts, easily managed with children