In 2015 I went riding in Sauerland for a few days with a group of friends. The base was a holiday home in Silbecke, close to the town of Attendorn. This route runs through the northern part of the Sauerland, a very nice area to ride with many bends, good roads, beautiful nature, reservoirs, such as Hennesee, Möhne-Talsperre and Sorpersee, but also historical sights, these are perfect places to stop for a photo, a snack or a drink.

It is a popular holiday area and the area is very busy on weekends and high season, keep this in mind, also that some roads in Sauerland are closed to motorcyclists on weekends. In this route there is a closed road, this is included with directions for a diversion, if you ride it on the weekend.
The route starts from our holiday home in Silbecke, depending on your starting point you can adjust the route. We drive to Lennestadt, where we fill up the bikes for this day, the total distance is about 280 km and there is a second fuel stop planned after about 160 km.

We drive along the banks of the river Lenne, passing the Bamenohl hydroelectric power station built between 1921 and 1923. The water is led to the power station via a 2 kilometre long upper course. In 2011 and 2014 large parts of this historic upper course were replaced by a concrete channel. In 2014 a fish ladder was built at the weir at the beginning of the upper ditch, allowing fish and macrozoobenthos (organisms that live in and on the riverbed) to migrate. The two Francis turbines with a capacity of 6.3 m³/s each have been largely preserved in their original state. The average head in the power station is around 7.2 metres. An average of 2.2 million kWh of electricity is generated annually.

We continue north on beautiful winding roads through the Sauerland. Between Sundern and Gierskampen the road is closed for motorcycles on Saturdays and Sundays and you have to drive from Sundern via Westenfeld to Altenhellenfeld. Directions are in the route.

We drive along the Hennetal reservoir, between the trees you will occasionally see a sparkle of the aqua blue water. Along the route are a number of small parking places if you want to stop to take pictures.

We drive over the winding L735 to the town of Warstein where you can visit the Warsteiner brewery in the Waldpark. This is one of the most modern breweries in Europe and was deliberately designed as a visitor-friendly brewery from the start. The Warsteiner World is the visitor center next to the brewery. Here you can learn everything about the company and its products, this is also the starting point of the visitor railway to explore the brewery. The multilingual brewery tour takes about 75 minutes and is offered in German, English and Dutch. Admission is € 24.50. More information about Warsteiner World can be found in the link in this review.

Via the town of Belecke we drive to the Möhnesee, a large reservoir. We stop briefly at the Kanzelbrücke, this old stone bridge spans the Möhnesee between the districts of Völlinghausen and Wamel. The bridge was built in 1912 and is not only the oldest bridge over the Möhne, but is also considered one of the most beautiful stone bridges in Germany. The structure, also known as the Wamel Bridge, is modeled after old German river bridges.
The bridge owes its name to the design of the pillars, which resemble church pulpits. The picturesque pulpit bridge consists of five arches and is approximately 60 metres long. It was built of greywacke and sandstone. The bridge is only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

The quarry stone wall is the main attraction of the Möhne and is over 100 years old. In the year it was put into operation, it was the largest dam in Europe. During the Second World War, the wall was destroyed by a British bombing raid. Almost 1,600 people lost their lives as a result of the flood wave that swept along the Möhne far into the Ruhr area. The reconstruction was completed on 3 October 1943.

We visit the historic town of Soest with its picturesque alleys and shops, Romanesque and Gothic churches, cozy Biergarten and an almost completely preserved “Wallmauer”, a tree-lined city wall, this is one of two remaining in Europe, the other is in Tuscany Italy. Enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants.

From Soest we drive south back to the Möhnemeer, we stop at the Möhnetal Staumauer (Damm). It is a short walk from the parking lot. The quarry stone dam wall is the main attraction of the Möhne and is already more than 100 years old. In the year it was put into operation it was the largest dam in Europe. During WWII the wall was destroyed by a British bombardment. Almost 1600 people lost their lives due to the flood wave that swept along the Möhne far into the Ruhr area. The reconstruction was completed on October 3, 1943. From the dam you have a beautiful view over this impressive reservoir.

We cross the Möhnemeer via the Delecker bridge and drive a bit along the banks to the east and then drive south to Arnsberg. From Arnsberg it is about a 15 minute drive to the next Sorpe reservoir. Plan a break at Biker Treff, a popular place for motorcyclists to stop. There are many motorcycle parking spaces (not free). Enjoy the view over the reservoir here, walk to the dam. If you like a delicious Greek meal, you can go to restaurant Stavros.

We drive along the banks of the Sorpe reservoir to the south, at Rönkhausen you have 2 options to drive back to Silbecke. The short route is left via Finnentrop to Silbecke, this shortens the route by 35 km and 40 minutes. We turn right and meander over the L619 and L697 via Plettenberg back to Silbecke.