100 Schlösser Route means the 100 castles/palaces route, which if you know me, is right up my alley. I love cycling (most days) and am in love with visiting castles, so I knew that this is how I wanted to start my summer. The route is divided up into 4 separate trails: north, south, east, and west, each one starting (roughly) in Münster and making a circle in it’s general cardinal direction. And presumably along the way, you come across 100 castles. Now that I’ve completed all 4 of the routes, you can read an overview of them here.
Because of Corona, I was not sure if campgrounds would be open or accepting cycle tourists. Because this route does not go in a straight line from one end point to another, but in circles from Münster, I decided to rent a room in a WG there for the month (A WG (“vay gay”) is a Wohngemeinschaft, or flat share). Each day I take the train out to where I left off, ride my bike further along the route and then take the train back to Münster.
Arriving in Münster
When I arrived here I couldn’t believe the amount of bicycles! They’re everywhere! It’s like being in Amsterdam without the canals. All over the place there are bike racks and bike parking for a hundred bikes or more. Then I saw the bike garage at the main train station and again could not believe my eyes. It starts outside with rows upon rows of double-decker bike racks. Then there’s a glass building next to these racks with a large ramp going into a basement under the street with the same double-decker racks as far as you can see. Just filled with bikes. Does each one really belong to someone? How many are abandoned?
The other thing I noticed was that construction is everywhere! As bad as Berlin or worse. Across the street from where I’m staying is an enormous construction site. I can see the crane working from outside my window, which is kinda cool. Next to this construction site is a park, which is also under construction. Across from the train station two hotels are being put up.
On the first day when I arrived, I accidentally went to the wrong number house. I locked my bike to a street lamp and walked the other direction to find the apartment. An old man hanging out the window, having seen me pass by twice, ominously called out “that bike will get stolen immediately, yes it will!” Which totally freaked me out since my touring bike, MJ, was just stolen on Friday before I left, and now I’m here in Münster with my everyday bike, Mischi (who will never get stolen).
The second day I had an appointment to meet with someone from Ebay Kleinanzeigen (the German equivalent of Craigslist) about purchasing a new bike. I had searched for hours on the website hoping that I would find a deal for the perfect bike. I didn’t exactly budget having to find a new bike into this trip and I was looking for a fancy expensive one without the price tag. Luckily, I was able to find something and, as if meant to be, the seller was not too far from Münster. Since the meeting was at 5pm, I basically spent the whole day waiting.
But I did get some important business accomplished in the meanwhile at the train station, I bought my month-long train ticket. Which was nearly disastrous. I knew I would have to spend some money to take the train out and back every day, but I was not expecting 300 euros! After my first visit to the train station, I went back to my room and did some number crunching to see if the ticket would be worth it or if it would be better to just buy a ticket each day when I needed it. Turns out there wasn’t a whole lot of difference. So I shuffled back to the station to make the purchase. The second time around, the lady asked about the 9 o’clock ticket, which means you can only start taking the train at 9am. This turned out to be over 100 euros cheaper, and although I don’t like to start “so late” on the bike I decided this might be the better option.
Then it was nearly time to go to Coesfeld to check out the bike. The seller was going to pick me up at the train station since he lived further away than walking distance. Having had so much time to wait, I had turned this whole meeting into a CSI/Tatort case in my head. I added C on the “Find Friends” app so he could watch the whole time. As soon as I met the guy at the train station, I no longer had any worries. He was really nice and we talked the whole way about cycling, as he was an experienced racing biker. The bike was perfect for me and in perfect shape! Bing, bang, boom the deal was done. I rode it the 45 km back to Münster that evening! On the way I saw several storks in a field together. Once I was in Billerbeck, I followed the 100 Schlösser Route back to Münster, already completing a section of the south route.
SOUTH ROUTE
Despite a lot of rain and wind on this section, I had a fantastic time getting back into cycling on this route. This trail also goes by some of Münsterland’s most important and impressive castles. With my new train ticket, I can take the bike or an adult after 7pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. Armed with this new information, I decided to change from my original plan of completing the tours in the order they appear in the guide book. Instead of beginning with the north route, I started with the south route with the leg from Münster to Drensteinfurt.
Day 1: Münster to Drensteinfurt – 62 km plus getting lost a lot
It felt like forever to get out of Münster; I was constantly checking the map. When I finally did get out of the city, I missed a sign and its corresponding turn, causing me to make quite a detour. Finally back on track again at the Pleistermühle, I cycled down the Werse on some beautiful dirt paths next to the river. Woods and fields passed by interchangeably on either side. Rabbits darted away from the path as I rode past. Eventually, it was so many I had to stop counting. Some of them were really tiny and one even was half white!
I took another wrong turn and was fortunate enough to get the help of a jogger before I found the way to Angelmodde and onto Wolbeck. In Wolbeck I followed a sign for a bike detour, and ended up back on the trail in a spot previous to where the detour had started. After a short gummibear in a park to keep from screaming, I carried on a bit further. It began to rain lightly. Then I missed another sign or misinterpreted it and found myself at a farm selling fresh milk and eggs. There were a few people there to purchase their dairy and they all gave me a strange look, which made sense to me once I realized it was a dead end and not the bike path. But the cows looked really cute sticking their heads out the door of the barn at me, so I snapped their picture.
Wind, rain, and more wrong turns
In Alverskirchen, what had been light rain the whole day was getting so bad that I stopped for a while at a gas station to take refuge under the overhang. The water resistant pages of my guide book were starting to soak in the rain around the edges. While I was waiting, an Imbiss opened up and a few people stopped to get a bite to eat. Realizing it was already noon and my stomach was growling, I ordered a huge pile of fries for just 1.50€.
When the rain let up, I got moving again. I was disappointed that I had been on the road for nearly three hours and had hardly made it 25 kilometers of marked trail. Already tired, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into this summer. The wind was trying to bore holes through me. For now, the route was through the countryside, passing fields of wheat and corn until I reached Albersloh. From there, I enjoyed another nice section of trail along the Werse. Occasionally, I passed horses along the way.
Haus Bisping
The map looked pretty straightforward in Rinkerode, but I took another long detour by following the bike signs. For some reason, the way marked in my guide book wasn’t what was sign posted. I went back because I wanted to FINALLY see a castle on this trip, even though the road was marked as busy. I was really happy I got to see it! Haus Bisping is a typical Wasserschloss, which means it is surrounded by water! Bisping was built in 1651. There was another castle, Haus Borg, nearby from the 15th century, but I missed it.
The busy road was worth it. Despite the high speed limit on it, hardly any cars zoomed past me. The frustrating part was that when I got close to my next destination, there was road construction and I wouldn’t be able to get through. There was a bike path across the road from the construction and even though it appeared to be blocked off, I took it anyways. Luckily, I did make it to Davensberg without any more mishaps.
Burgturm
In Davensberg, the first thing I came across was the Burgturm, or castle tower. Dating back to the 16th century, the tower belonged to a castle complex which no long exists. Also in Davensberg, is Haus Byink, but it’s not visible from the road, like many of the castles along the way. On the trail towards Ascheberg, I did catch a glimpse of Haus Romberg but a lot of it is hidden behind trees and a locked gate.
Drensteinfurt
Arriving in Ascheberg, finding the St. Lambertus church was easy – it’s enormous. But then I took a loooong detour in the wrong direction (due to lack of signage) before realizing something wasn’t right and turning back around. The rural journey between Ascheberg and Drensteinfurt went according to plan without any noteworthy sights.
In Drensteinfurt, I found a spot to lock up Mischi at the train station and I took a quick walk around the town. The highlight of today is Drensteinfurt’s Wasserschloss Haus Steinfurt. Normally, it is open for visiting, but not during Covid. Tomorrow, I’ll take the train back to Drensteinfurt to pick up Mischi and continue along the south route of the 100 Schlösser Route!
Day 2: Drensteinfurt to Lüdinghausen – 63 km
Of course I arrived 25 minutes early for my 12 minute train ride to Drensteinfurt. Since I have the 9 o’clock ticket, I can only take trains after 9am. I thought this would be a problem, but this morning I wished I had spent those 25 extra minutes still sleeping. In Drensteinfurt, I was able to pick up Mischi no problem. He was behind a group of elderly German cyclists also out to see some castles. I took their picture for them and we wished each other a nice ride with good weather.
LOL. Good weather. In initially planning out the 100 Schlösser Route, I noticed I would have several extra days. I thought: It will be great to have the added flexibility for the weather! So far that’s not working out for me. Today it rained sideways for a good 3 hours. This means it was raining and it was windy. But today I was in better spirits, feeling more physically fit, and enjoying the well-directed trail markers.
Haus Venne
From Drensteinfurt, I followed the trail southwards along the railroad tracks until I hit Mersch. There, I traveled a few hundred meters in the wrong direction on purpose to see Wasserschloss Haus Venne. These extra meters were worth it. The castle complex, dating back to 1574, contains several brick buildings with large rectangular windows and is surrounded by water. Had I gone a bit further on this busy road, I could have also visited Schloss Itlingen. But, like yesterday, I was expecting catastrophic amounts of wrong turns and didn’t want to overdo the extra kilometers so early.
It had been raining so far, but only a light drizzle. Now the wind was picking up and the rain began to come in sideways. The precipitation was light enough that parts of the ground weren’t getting wet, but it was windy enough that it was pelting me. The trees on the west side of the road created anti-shadows by blocking the rain from dampening the asphalt. It was strange that I was soaked but parts of the street were not.
Schloss Westerwinkel
On a positive note, as I made my way into Herbern, the signs were wonderful and I could easily get through town and towards Schloss Westerwinkel. This castle is what you expect from a medieval knights movie. It has four big towers in a square formation connected by the wings of the castle. The shutters are painted with blue and white triangles. And of course, it’s surrounded by water. Westerwinkel dates back to 1663 and is only open to visiting groups of 10 or more announced in advance. While I was there, a pair of gardeners were tending to the ivy growing on one of the side buildings and a peacock was hanging out on the railing of the terrace.
Leaving, I put on my rain pants to prevent from getting more wet and (surprising for any American in July) to warm up a bit. After a nice stretch through the woods along a stream, I removed the rain pants as I got warmer and the sky was getting lighter. 10 minutes later it downpoured again and I couldn’t find anywhere to get out of the rain. *eye roll emoji*
Wasserschloss Nordkirchen
From Capelle to Nordkirchen, the trail on the map seemed to make quite a detour and I was wondering why it hadn’t been cut shorter. I had even considered taking a different route, but then realized it may be about “presenting” the next castle. The seemingly out of the way route allows you to enter through the Schlosspark gate and ride on a path in the woods until Wasserschloss Nordkirchen appears in front of you.
Getting through the two sets of moats on cobblestones was a long bumpy ride before I made it to the palace itself. Luck was on my side and a tour was about to begin in 15 minutes. The tour costs 4€ per person, unless the tour is under ten people and then the 40€ cost is split among the participants. There were a pair of cyclists and a pair of old army pals with me on the tour. The palace was built in the 1700’s in the likeness of Versailles and is Westphalia’s most important baroque structure. Currently the castle is used to house a school of finance and hosts hundreds of weddings per year.
Lüdinghausen
From Nordkirchen, I made it on to and through Selm just fine (besides cursing the wind) and passed through a lake community. Next, the trail travels along the edge of a canal, which is built above the land. And then I passed UNDER the canal. The last time I saw something that crazy was on my bike ride through France.
In Olfen was the first time that I really loathed the signing on day 2. I finally made my way out of there and zigzagged northwards to the only real hill of the day, which was a joy to zoom down (without wind and rain!). Then onwards to Lüddinghausen. Nearing the station, I checked the time of the next train back to Münster – it was right now, but delayed five minutes. I zoomed off to the Bahnhof, locked up Mischi, grabbed my bag and water bottle, and ran to get the train that should arrive any second. On the platform, I checked again – delayed even longer. I had no need to rush at all. Tomorrow I’m looking forward to seeing the castles in Lüddinghausen!
Day 3: Lüdinghausen to Billerbeck – 50 km
Today started out with hardly 3 kilometers taking about 3 hours. But at least it was not due to getting lost or waiting out the rain. Lüdinghausen turned out to be a total gem on the trail! I was happy that I didn’t stick around to check it out yesterday when the weather and my mood were lousy. First, I rode from the train station, following the trail, towards Schloss Lüdinghausen. The road was blocked for construction, but a friendly local told me about another path I could take through the park to get me there just fine. When I arrived, the castle felt abandoned but it’s just closed due to corona. Normally, the 12th century castle is used for adult education classes (a Volkshochschule).
Schloss Lüdinghausen
The trail today followed several beautiful stretches along streams, and that goodness got started right in Lüdinghausen. From the Schloss, I edged along the stream next to a beautiful park filled with colorful wildflowers on my left and the Altstadt on my right. Unable to resist, I turned right and buzzed around a few of the streets to take in some of the old houses as people got bread from their baker or began to open their shops.
Burg Vischering
Burg Vischering was IMPRESSIVE. It’s noted as being one of the most important castles in the Münsterland region, but I still wasn’t prepared. When you arrive, you walk over a bridge to an island which has turned a few of the old buildings into a bakery and a restaurant/café. To get to the castle itself, you have to walk over another longer bridge. The castle and wall containing the hind courtyard are circular, which to me added to its marvel. Inside the medieval Burg are 3 floors of exhibitions. The main floor housed castle history, the upper floor displayed information and pictures about restoration work, and the cellar had an exhibition about castles around the area (as if I needed more reasons to see more castles).
By the time I had my fill of Lüdinghausen and its castles, it was nearly noon! Already hungry, I decided I would take my lunch break at the first nice rest stop. Normally that means a bench, but as I was exiting Lüdinghausen into the woods there was the most adorable restaurant and beer garden. Named Café Indigo after the blue wonder craze that hit Europe, the blue theme is prevalent throughout. There have been a few blue print shops noted in my guide book so far, which reminds me of our New Year’s trip to Jever when we visited a Blau Druck. I filled up on a hearty portion of Bratkartoffeln mit Spiegelei, or fried potatoes with sunny side up eggs. Bratkartoffeln normally come with bacon bits, but this one was without.
Burg Kakesbeck
OK, but by now I had been in Lüdinghausen for three hours and I hadn’t pedaled for more than 3 of my 50 kilometers for the day and it was nearly 1:00! Time to get going. There were white puffy clouds in the sky and nearly no wind, which made cycling a breeze. I was warm for the first time on my trip so far and could cycle without a jacket and show off my new cycling jersey. In no time, I had crossed the Kleuterbach and the Stever. Over one of them, the bridge was being reconstructed. There was no way for motor vehicles to get by, but 4 other cyclists and I heaved our bikes onto the concrete slab on one side of the bridge and walked our wheels to the other side. Out of nowhere, Burg Kakesbeck appears. Fortunately the castle from 1371 is being renovated, but unfortunately, this means you cannot visit or go inside.
Schloss Senden
Because of the past two days, I was constantly checking the book to see if I was headed in the right direction, although the signs were probably the best today. After cycling by many farms, I biked over the Dortmund-Ems Canal and then followed it until Senden. Because it was Saturday (and the weather was good), I saw many more cyclists out than I had the previous two days. But on this section along the canal was when I saw the most cycle tourists – probably 15 in just the 300 meters I was on the canal!
Just after leaving the canal, I stopped at Schloss Senden. The castle is from the 15th century and is currently being renovated with the help of donations. I was able to enter the park and cross the two bridges to the castle, but not enter the courtyard. Some of the castle looks like it is falling into the water! The mirroring part on the other side has already been saved. While in Senden, I thought the south route would take me though some of the town or cause some annoying difficulties finding the way. But the trail follows a beautiful park along the river Stever. Even when the city and park ends, the trail continued next to the river until I reached Appelhülsen.
Schloss Klein Schonebeck
There, I went the “wrong way” and it led me to a castle. Was my subconscious just dying to see another one? I’m not sure. In any case, I don’t regret seeing Schloss Klein Schonebeck. I took a picture from the entrance as trespassing was forbidden and wondered what the Schloss Groß Schonebeck looks like, although I wasn’t willing to make more wrong turns.
Then it was more farms, fields, horses, and the sweet sour smell of manure to accompany me all the way to Nottuln. I was happy to have seen the town, as it was also filled with many cute buildings. I stopped by the church to take some pictures and a group of 5 or 6 older gentlemen passed me who were clearly cycle touring.
On the map after Nottuln were a series of black right angles covering the trail indicating steeper inclines. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the worst as the skies got darker and the wind began to pick up enough that I put on my jacket. Perhaps the right angles prepared me mentally or the Bratkartoffeln really energized me, but the hills weren’t as bad as I had expected. Soon, I was on the other side of those buggers and heading downhill into Billerbeck, my destination for the day.
Billerbeck
Getting into town, I happily followed the trail through another park with a stream to the Kolvenburg, which houses an art museum. Pedaling through the old town, I snapped a few photos before making it to the station just in time to catch the train. Today I brought my bike back to Münster with me on the train. I have already completed the remainder of the South Route by chance when I picked up my new bike in Coesfeld. 204 km done!
Has this piqued your interest? You can also read about the north, east, and west routes. Or use the 100 Schlösser Route Overview to help plan your own castles-by-bike adventure. 😉
