Benelux Tour 9: Eifel and Hohes Venn

Sunday, 08/07/2022
Route: Heimbach-Malmedy
Distance: 88 km
Weather: warm and sunny

Today is a perfect day for cycling in every way. After a very generous breakfast, I get on my bike and the sun is shining, and it's pleasantly warm but not hot. Google maps suggests a route of about 25 km and 600 meters of elevation gain to Monschau, where I plan to join the Vennbahn cycle path again. The elevation gain scares me off, and I know I can follow the Ruruferradweg. And I think a riverside path will have less elevation gain. Wrong thought. I cycle a total of 45 km and the same amount of elevation gain as the route suggested by Google maps to Monschau, which is really exhausting. But it's also incredibly beautiful. I circle around the Rursee (as it turns out, in the wrong direction), cross the Rurtalsperre, and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Rursee for many kilometers. Finally, I follow the Rur river through narrow valleys, and although I doubt I will ever reach Monschau, I can't help but enjoy the beautiful nature and the small villages in the Eifel (one of which even has a flea market!).

By noon, I finally arrive in Monschau and am surprised to find that I've already completed half of today's route! Monschau itself is a picture-perfect town, full of half-timbered houses, built into the hillside, and divided by the river. Accordingly, the town is filled with tourists. I enjoy a sunny lunch at a restaurant before I continue following the Vennbahn cycle path. It's well-developed and heavily frequented, just like the previous day. But now, some sections of the old Vennbahn railway are still intact and used for draisine rides that accompany or cross my path. I also ride through the outskirts of the 'Hohes Venn' nature park, passing forests and moors. I have conversations with local cyclists. It's beautiful!

Finally, I veer off the Vennbahn cycle path and continue further into the interior of Belgium. I spend the night at a youth hostel in Malmedy, in a completely empty 8-bed female dormitory.