100 Castles Route | West course

With its good transport links, the town of Haltern am See is the ideal starting point for a cycle tour on the 100 Castles Route. After just a few turns of the pedals, the landscape is dominated by the forests and meadows of the Hohe Mark Nature Park. In the middle of the nature park, Lembeck and Raesfeld castles catch the eye. Cafés invite you to take a break in the shade of the magnificent buildings. Cyclists should not miss a tour around the moated castle of Raesfeld. The perspective of the castle, moat and outer bailey changes constantly.

Through the gentle landscape, the cycle path heads towards Bocholt with its beautiful market square and meets the picturesque moated castle of Anholt in the far west of the region. The castle, where you can also spend the night, is one of the absolute highlights of the cycle tour.

Along the Dutch border, the signposted cycle path leads back towards Borken. Gemen Castle is definitely worth a stop, before the Ramsdorf Castle Museum offers interesting insights into history on the way to Velen.

The next highlight is the pretty baroque castle of Ahaus. Situated on the edge of the pedestrian zone, it can be excellently combined with a stroll through the town. At the castle manors of Heek, which are well worth seeing, the western course reaches its northernmost point and leads to the historic Liesborn Abbey near Legden.

No treasures such as Haus von Hülst, Haus Loburg, Buldern Castle and Haus Visbeck line the route towards Coesfeld and Dülmen, surrounded by green nature. Each building tells its own story. Shortly before Haltern am See, Sythen Castle marks the end of a total of 22 castles, manor houses and monasteries along the cycle tour.

Getting to Haltern am See is very uncomplicated. The station is regularly served by trains from the Ruhr area and the Rhineland. It is possible to travel from Düsseldorf, Essen, Recklinghausen and Wuppertal without changing trains. Direct trains also connect Haltern am See with Münster and Osnabrück.

By car, you can get there via the A 43 (Wuppertal-Münster) or A 52 (Essen-Haltern am See). The city centre can be reached in a few minutes by taking the Haltern am See exit (A 43).

There are numerous paid parking facilities in Haltern am See. The parking spaces within the old town are signposted. The car parks P1, P3 and P8 serve as long-term parking spaces.