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Nette Lakes & Windmühlenbruch — the classic “Nettetal loop”
One of our favourite routes starts in Lobberich. If you like, you can cycle there from here; everyone else can park the car there and start the loop from Lobberich. Several tours begin at Doerkesplatz or at Nelsenmühle and lead towards Windmühlenbruch, Ferkensbruch and on into the Nette lowlands.
The loop feels like a “large-scale walk”: first a stretch through the lakeside landscape park, then along the water, past a mill, meadows and small bridges. At junctions such as Sassenfeld or in the Nette lowlands, you can choose: add another loop, turn off towards De Witt Lake, or gradually curve back towards Lobberich.
It’s a tour that captures a lot of typical Lower Rhine scenery: plenty of water, a few historic mills, wide fields, and benches and small viewpoints along the way. Just right for half a day.
Nette Lakes “complete” — across the city of lakes
If you want to experience Nettetal as a whole by bike, follow the Nettetal circular cycle route. Officially, it’s around 28 kilometres and runs right across the city area, connecting seven leisure and information points — essentially the “best of” the city of lakes in one loop.
Along the way you pass several lakes, green corridors and districts, sometimes riding through town, sometimes on farm tracks, sometimes directly along the water. The character is very varied but never strenuous: mostly flat terrain, hardly any elevation, but constantly changing impressions.
For hotel guests, it’s a great “Nettetal in a day” tour: set off in the morning, stop along the way, take photos, maybe a selfie at one of the frames, back in the afternoon — and in the evening you’re sitting in the restaurant again.
De Witt Lake — old railway line, water views and wide-open space
De Witt Lake is also easy to reach by bike from Zum Schänzchen. We like the combination best: a short stretch through town and then along the former railway line, which has been developed into a wide cycle path.
On this track you almost roll along by yourself: greenery on both sides, occasional views of the Nette, and then the lake appears. Once you’re there, you can cycle a small loop around the lake, or simply find a bench on the shore and watch what’s happening on the water.
This tour is ideal if you want to cover a decent distance without planning an all-day ride: combine the ride there and back with a short lake loop, and by the end it feels like you’ve been much farther away than the map suggests.
Krickenbeck Lakes & the Hinsbeck Heights — the longer nature day
If you want a bit more time in the saddle and feel like a proper day out in nature, the Krickenbeck Lakes are a great choice. The lakes lie in a large nature reserve and are framed by forests, remnants of moorland and the Hinsbeck Heights. From a fire watchtower you get a fantastic view over the water — in summer, parts are covered with water lilies — and in the middle sits Krickenbeck Castle.
You can reach the area by bike via various routes: either via Lobberich and Windmühlenbruch or via Breyell and Leuth. On site you can loop around the lakes on different paths, add detours to viewpoints, or ride back and forth between the lakes.
This is a tour for guests who want to spend a full day in the area. You ride mostly on quiet woodland tracks and country lanes, with repeated views of water and moorland, and you can stop off at the Biological Station or the information centre along the way.
Towards the Niers — from Nettetal into the western district
If you’ve already cycled a lot around Nettetal or simply fancy a longer ride, choose a route that takes you from the Nette over to the Niers. From Doerkesplatz in Lobberich, for example, there is a described route that first runs through the Nette lowlands, then towards Windmühlenbruch and on in the direction of the Niers.
Along the way, the landscape changes slightly: fewer lakes, more river scenery, willows and small villages. You get a sense of how the Schwalm-Nette Nature Park opens out towards the western part of the Viersen district — and you realise how close everything is here.
How we really recommend routes
That’s the routes on paper. In practice, it usually works differently at reception:
Someone says, “We have time tomorrow, we’d like to cycle for two or three hours, preferably lots of water rather than town, we’re reasonably fit.” Then we think for a moment and might suggest a shortened Nette Lakes loop or the De Witt Lake tour — with one or two pointers on the best way to ride it.
Or someone arrives with an e-bike, likes long distances and nature, and sooner or later the words “Krickenbeck Lakes” come up. Families with children usually get shorter loops where you can grab an ice cream or pass a playground along the way.
Talk to us — the rest happens in the saddle
The region is so well signposted that you can do a lot with the official cycle routes, the junction (“Knotenpunkt”) system and a simple map.
If you tell us how long you want to be out, whether children are coming along, whether you’d like it leisurely or sporty, and whether you prefer lots of water or also a few villages and farms, we’ll put together your personal loop from the available paths.
You won’t get the plan as a GPS track, but as a short explanation with a few markings on the map — the way it’s done here.
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