At the end of each cycling season, I like to do something extraordinary, something memorable. The days are getting shorter, the nights longer – ideal for a short night ride through the illuminated Ruhr region. No doubt about it, this tour suggestion isn't for everyone. You should be an experienced cyclist if you're going to be riding your bike through the dark. But with the right equipment, such a ride is a lot of fun and you get to know the region in a whole new way.
Click the button below to load the content from www.komoot.de.
Preparation is especially important
The tour shouldn't be too long, as progress is significantly slower in the dark. Especially for Photo stops You should plan plenty of time, so 30 kilometers is quite a decent distance. It's definitely easier if you already know the route. This is especially true for hazardous areas, as a night ride is always more dangerous than a daytime tour. Bollards, sharp edges, and, at this time of year, the wet leaves are problematic even in daylight.
Of course, it goes without saying that the bicycle should be equipped with lights and reflectors, and every cyclist should wear appropriate, reflective clothing. A tool kit helps you be able to fix problems yourself. For me, that always includes a spare inner tube. Besides, you certainly feel more comfortable riding with someone else or in a group, so today I'm riding with my colleague Pascal.
From Oberhausen into the sunset
Starting at Westfield Centro, we quickly pass the Oberhausen Gasometer while it's still light. We then roll through the Grafenbusch housing estate towards Oberhausen Castle.
The sky above Duisburg glows a fiery red-orange behind the extraordinary Slinky Springs to Fame bridge. Anyone who suddenly realizes they need a little personal weight tune-up will find the perfect spot for it. 😉
The bike is then pushed across the beautiful bridge, as cycling is unfortunately not allowed here. The bridge offers exceptional perspectives for amateur photographers.
From Oberhausen we cycle into the dusk. It quickly gets dark, but the route is well lit until we reach the Oberhausen lock.
Darkness sharpens the senses.
At the lock, we cross the canal, then it feels like we're leaving civilization behind. It gets dark, really dark. In the heart of the Ruhr area, the tour turns into a little micro-adventure. The beam of our bike headlights shows us the way, the canal running alongside us. Sounds and smells suddenly take on much greater significance. We overtake a cargo ship, of which we can barely see. Only the ship's engine hums deeply through the night. Pascal notices that the air smells completely different than usual. We both know the route like the back of our hand, but we perceive it in a completely different way. Every rustle in the bushes, every lapping of the waves, simply every sound that gets lost in the usual sensory overload of everyday life, penetrates deep within us.
Cycling through the dark night is incredibly fun. You experience things you simply don't during the day. Bells jingle ahead; something is approaching. It seems large, so we decide to stop. Then, in the middle of the darkness, a horse-drawn carriage (or something else?) drives past us along the canal. As I said, you experience completely unexpected things on a night ride like this.
In the world's largest inland port
The lights around us brighten again as we reach the vast port area of Duisburg. A freighter is just leaving the Rhine-Herne Canal towards the Ruhr River, and we roll smoothly along the causeway between the two shipping lanes.
We are briefly on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path and pass the last weir before the Ruhr flows into the Rhine. Our destination is the inner harbor, where we hope to find some beautiful photo opportunities. After the dark solitude along the canal, the stressful city traffic is suddenly almost a shock. We roll towards the inner harbor over rough cobblestones. Since the situation there is constantly changing, just look for what catches your eye in the inner harbor. Ideally, you should only end up at the Schwanentor Bridge.
A vast playground for photographers
The Duisburg inner harbor offers exciting things at every corner, even in the dark. Subjects for photographersWe cycle around slowly, stopping frequently to capture new scenes. Anyone with the right equipment could easily spend hours here.
But even with minimal equipment, you can now create fantastic images. After all, you don't necessarily want to lug around a large tripod and multiple lenses when you're cycling. For example, all the pictures in this blog were taken with a mobile phone and without a tripod, even though we had proper cameras with us. We're surprised ourselves at what these little technological marvels are capable of these days.
A rewarding subject: harbor romance in Duisburg
The combination of exceptional architecture, romantic harbor atmosphere, modern lighting design, and a wonderfully clear starry sky makes us lose track of time. The Five Boats office complex, of course, has to be included in this report, but there were plenty of other photo opportunities. Eventually, though, even with our thickest jackets, we get cold and are reminded that we still have several kilometers ahead of us. So we leave the inner harbor behind and pedal hard again.
Nighttime city cycling to the illuminated container port
We cycle north along a cycle path running parallel to the road. We cross the Ruhr River again and continue over the docks at the end of the Rhine-Herne Canal. We take a quick look at the container port and then set off in search of the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto – who doesn't know it?
In many holiday destinations, a blue grotto is one of the main attractions. The most famous is probably on the island of Capri, but there are also well-known blue grottos in Croatia, Greece, and Malta. And in Duisburg? Yes, there is one. Only it's a little different from the ones you might know from the Mediterranean islands. It's a somewhat quirky light installation on a former shipyard site in the Duisburg harbor. And I have a sneaking suspicion that even most Duisburg residents haven't really noticed the blue grotto yet…
On the Green Path to the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park
We cycle along a cycle path next to the street "Am Nordhafen" to the starting point of the Green PathHere, the old railway line isn't quite as well developed yet. Most importantly, it's dark again, really dark. Pascal and I agree that a flat tire right now would be a real disaster. But after just a few pedal strokes, we reach another gem of the street art scene, well worth seeing. The graffiti underpass is regularly resprayed and usually features some truly fantastic designs. Currently, fittingly for the "Green Path," you ride through a jungle and encounter not only a snake and a big cat, but also little Mowgli.
Top-notch light art in the Duisburg-Nord landscape park
We continue cycling along the Green Path, which is now improved with an asphalt surface. We're approaching the absolute highlight of the tour. Even from a distance, we can see the colorful lights of the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park on the horizon. The park is exceptionally illuminated, especially on weekends; during the week it's somewhat less impressive. It goes without saying that we have to take a little extra detour here. It's Friday evening, and the park is quite busy. Not everyone is wearing bright clothing, so it's essential to cycle very carefully and, of course, slowly. The Landscape Park is also a photographer's paradise, but considering the time constraints, we decide to only take a few of the best shots.
The colorful rotor blades are of course just as much a part of it as the wonderfully reflective settling basins.
And since we want to have at least a small mountain climb on this tour, we quickly climb the few meters of elevation to the small spoil heap on the north side, from which we have a perfect view of the shining blast furnaces of the Duisburg-Nord landscape park.
Return to Oberhausen
It's gotten late and we're heading home. On the former railway line We cycled along the green path towards Oberhausen. It was quite dark here too, but the excellent asphalt allowed us to make good time. Pascal and I had planned to include the Eisenheim workers' settlement and Olga Park in our tour. But, well, that was a bust. Eisenheim isn't as beautiful in the dark as it is during the day, and Olga Park was unfortunately too dark for us to recommend the detour. Normally, Olga Park offers this fantastic view that has attracted many photographers:
End of the workday at CentrO Oberhausen
Finally, we'll take a short victory lap around Centro Oberhausen.
Nightride through radrevier.ruhr – conclusion
Pascal and I agree: a night ride is a completely new experience. You get to know a route in a totally different way, taking in impressions that are unfortunately lost in the abundance of daytime sights and sounds. And a leisurely ride like this is something completely different from simply cycling straight home in the dark after work. The tour certainly isn't for everyone, but experienced cyclists will discover the Ruhr region in a whole new light on a night ride. So, simply put... GPX-Track Download it and then GET ON YOUR BIKE!
