Almost everyone loves asparagus season: it's spring, you can finally spend more time outdoors again, and this healthy stalk vegetable is simply incredibly delicious. And of course, an asparagus meal tastes so much better when you've earned it with a good pedal stroke or two. Our "Country Outing" route to the Asparagus Gourmet Festival in Bottrop-Kirchhellen offers a near-perfect combination of cycling and asparagus enjoyment. 52 kilometers of pure country life, plus delicious asparagus dishes and exquisite wines – a cycling tour for connoisseurs!
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Countryside excursion starting from Dorsten
The tour starts right at the train station in Dorsten. It's quick and easy to get there by train. We usually recommend doing the tour clockwise, but this time I'm going the other way around so that the asparagus festival provides the perfect finale.
First, I cycle through the city traffic to the canal, then a short stretch along the Lippe River. I quickly reach the old railway line that used to run from Wesel to Haltern am See. Today, this path has been converted into a cycle path, and I can start covering some serious distance. Even at this early stage, it's noticeable that the northern Ruhr region is heavily influenced by agriculture.
Cycling along railway lines in the northern Ruhr area
The route passes the southern edge of Schermbeck, briefly interrupting the old railway line. After a short detour, I'm back on the railway before another short loop leads to Weseler Straße. A beautiful old mill demonstrates how important wind energy was here in earlier times. The railway line continues to Drevenack, where I leave it and now follow the Node 24. Shortly before reaching the Lippe River, the route takes me through the picturesque village of Krudenburg. By this point, every cyclist is convinced that the Ruhr region can also be known for its idyllic, rural charm.
Between Hünxe and the Kirchheller Heide
To get back across the Lippe River and the Wesel-Datteln Canal, I have to briefly cycle along Dinslakener Straße, which isn't exactly pleasant. But just after the bridge, the route branches off through Hünxe. A tranquil little town with charming cafes that would be perfect for a second breakfast. However, I want to save my appetite for later and continue straight on, soon encountering wide fields before the landscape unexpectedly becomes hilly. The route winds up and down through a large wooded area before reaching the Kirchheller Heide heath. I pass the Heidhofsee lake and then arrive at an incredibly beautiful spot: the Pfingstsee lake in the Kirchheller Heide. A truly impressive landscape.
Pure country life on the asparagus bike tour
With the turnoff past the Heidesee lake, I've reached the southernmost point of the tour. I'm starting to feel hungry – my plan seems to be working. The route now leads back towards Dorsten across wide fields. On my left, I see the Prosper Haniel colliery tower, the last coal mine to close in December. I make a wide loop around Kirchhellen. After passing under the A31 motorway, I leave the actual route of the "Landpartie" regional tour. After all, I want to get to the Umberg farm, where the 2019 Asparagus Gourmet Festival will be held. Well, of course, I'm much too early for that, but if you do the tour between May 30th and June 02nd, a culinary delight awaits you there.
The Asparagus Gourmet Festival 2019
Seven restaurateurs will be creating delicious asparagus menus for visitors. Hungry visitors will be spoiled for choice, as each restaurant offers several dishes, and of course, everything sounds absolutely delicious (the menu is already available online). Whether it's the asparagus and strawberry salad from La Turka, the asparagus curry soup with chili and blubber from Scharun, the "Countess Mare" with Norwegian fjord salmon on a skewer and fresh asparagus at Wittringen Water Castle, the Black Angus beef fillet with asparagus and new potatoes from Hotel Restaurant Jammerkrug, or the strawberry cake from Trattoria Trüffel: here, almost everything revolves around asparagus or strawberries. Those who aren't in the mood for that will find other delicious gourmet dishes, such as the spicy garlic prawns à la Pil Pil at Restaurant Kiepenkerl.
Of course, there are suitable wines to accompany the meal. Just please bear in mind that there are still a few kilometers to cycle.
Cycling to the asparagus festival
At this point, I must highlight something truly special and wonderful that far more event organizers should do, but which is still the exception and therefore absolutely deserves praise. The organizers of the Asparagus Gourmet Festival themselves recommend arriving by bicycle and even provide suitable route descriptions. GPX-Tracks via Komoot. FANTASTIC!!! So, if you don't want to do a full country tour, but simply want to cycle to the asparagus festival, you'll find three route suggestions on the Asparagus Gourmet Festival website, starting from Essen-Rüttenscheid, Berge Castle in Gelsenkirchen, or the Gasometer Oberhausen. I'm really impressed!
Final sprint: the last few meters
Well, since the tour doesn't end here at the farm, the last few kilometers back to Dorsten follow. Even though my stomach and legs are probably heavy after all that asparagus, a little exercise after the feast is always welcome. I quickly reach the transport hub at Dorsten's main train station and catch the next train home.
A beautiful bike tour past farms and fields in the northern Ruhr area, plus excellent food: I highly recommend this asparagus bike tour to the 2019 Asparagus Gourmet Festival!
