Paderborner Land Route: A circular route of distinction

The Paderborner Land Route runs for around 250 kilometres connecting a number of natural, historical and cultural destinations around the region – with plenty of time to stop off for refreshment at the cafés and beer gardens along the way.

You can start your tour in Hövelhof, for example. The town nestles in the Senne heathland and woods, home to numerous conservation areas and the sources of the Ems river. In Paderborn you can visit the cathedral and the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum, the world's largest computer museum. The former abbey at Dalheim has been completely preserved and is well worth seeing. The Aatal is popular for days out with its canoeing lake, 'barefoot walking trail' and wildlife enclosure. Wewelsburg Castle sits in majestic splendour overlooking Büren and boasts an unusual triangular arrangement. The salt-evaporation works in Salzkotten rounds off this delightful tour. Terrain: the long-distance cycle route is mostly on asphalt, with occasional gravel paths and sections through unspoilt nature. Predominantly traffic-free, the route has occasional steep gradients. Scenery: Senne heathland with the sources of the Ems river, forests in the Egge hills, karst landscape on the Paderborn plateau, foothills in the northern Sauerland with the Aabach reservoir, Lippe marshes with canals typical of the region.

• Length: 253 kilometres, circular route
• Route info: Hilly in parts