Castles and mills in and around Euskirchen and the Erftmuehlenbach

The route starts and ends at the upper castle in Kuchenheim near Euskirchen. We follow the Erftmühlenbach to the lower castle, then to the Kleeburg in Kleinbüllersheim and past the Großen Burg in Großbüllersheim, where we cross the L194 and reconnect with the Erftmühlenbach. Before we follow the Erft to Euskirchen, we can take a detour to the Bodenheim castle in the same town. Along the Erft, we will also encounter the Kessenich castle. In Euskirchen, we leave the Erft to cross the fields and meet the castle in Niederkastenholz via Küchenheim. We continue to Flamersheim where one of the highlights of the route awaits us: the impressive Flamersheim castle. Those who wish can take a detour via the L119 to the extensive castle grounds of Ringsheim castle and along the Orbach to reconnect with the original route in Schweinheim to the castle there. Now we leave the castles and follow the Steinbach to the dam and circle the lake on a picturesque forest path. Those who wish can take a break at the Waldgasthaus Steinbach at the end of the lake (it’s worth it). To reach the absolute highlight of the route, we must follow the Eulenheckerweg for several kilometers through forests and meadows, cross the L11, and arrive through a beautiful forest area at the ruins of Hardtburg castle. We continue to Kreuzweingarten where we can visit an ancient Roman canal. There we reconnect with the Erft to reach the endpoint of the route at the upper castle in Kuchenheim, passing through Storzheim and Roitzheim.
Due to the partly confusing signage, it is advisable to carry good maps or transfer the GPS track of the route to a navigation device.
The route is suitable for trekking bikes, as many field paths are traveled aside from paved roads.