Monument Route Vlotho

This circuit takes you through mostly hilly terrain with magnificent views and varied landscapes. The starting point is at Vlotho train station, then you leisurely pass through the old town with the Vlotho Heimatstube and its beautiful half-timbered houses and remarkable churches. Immediately after, the most challenging ascent of the tour leads up to Amtshausberg. From there, you have a wonderful view of the Weser Valley from Vlotho Castle. The route continues past Bonneberg and Sprickberg, over the hilly Vahrenbrinkstraße down to the historic Autobahn-Talbrücke at Steinegge. On the other side, the road leads up to Detmolder Straße, where you first reach the highest point of the tour and shortly after Lindemanns Mühle. The Kappenwindmühle, built in 1850 from massive rubble stones, is idyllically located on Steinegger Berg and offers an impressive sight to the viewer. In this type of windmill, the so-called "cap" with the wings is rotatable. Since recently, civil weddings are possible in the building protected as a technical cultural monument. The mill association organizes events like mill and harvest days, and offers guided tours with coffee for groups. After another short ascent, you descend to Autobahnkirche Exter. Passing by Solterberg, the wheels mostly roll downhill over Hollwiesen and past Hammerschmiede Gnuse near Valdorf down to the Weser. Signposts lead from there back to the train station. The route mostly runs on lightly trafficked roads, independent cycle paths, and paved agricultural roads. Only a 500-meter section is unpaved, but can be easily traversed even with thin tires.
An alternative starting point is the parking lot at Autobahnkirche Exter (Alter Schulweg 2). However, it is also easily possible to start from any other location along the route.
For more information about the route and waypoints, visit the cycling leisure website of Herford district: www.fahr-im-kreis.de. There you can also find a brochure available for free download.