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 western part of the Sauerland, a very beautiful area to ride with many bends, good roads, beautiful nature, reservoirs, but also historical sights, these are excellent places to stop for a photo, a bite to eat 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 for motorcyclists on weekends. There is no closed road on this route, but it is advisable to check for new closures if you want to ride this route 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 Attendorn to visit the viewing platform “Biggeblick”, where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Biggesee, the dam and the surroundings at a height of 90 meters. It is a short walk from the parking lot.
On the way back to Attendorn you can fill up the bike for this day, the total distance is about 320 km and a second fuel stop is planned after about 180 km.

We drive along the banks of the Biggetalsperre and the Listertalsperre, along the route there are a number of points where you can stop to take pictures of these reservoirs, such as at the dam "Listertalsperre". Today the Listertalsperre is a side arm of the Biggetalsperre, built in 1965. It has a reservoir capacity of 21.6 million cubic meters with a maximum water depth of 33.90 meters. The Lister power plant produces approximately 4.6 million kWh of electricity annually using a Kaplan turbine. The Listertalsperre is 4500 meters long and up to 400 meters wide, resulting in a water surface of 169 hectares. The fish population is very diverse and with its numerous bathing areas the Listertalsperre is a popular destination for excursions and invites numerous visitors every year for sailing, fishing, surfing, swimming, hiking, cycling.

We drive on beautiful winding roads through the green Sauerland to the town of Winterberg, this is a popular holiday destination in the summer but especially in the winter, because of the many ski slopes in this area. In Winterberg you can plan a lunch break.

From Winterberg we drive via Siedlinghausen, Bad Fredeburg and Oberkirchen to Schmallenberg, you can shorten the route by following the 511 and 236 from Bad Fredeburg to Schmallenberg. After refueling in Bad Fredeburg we turn left and drive to Oberkirchen, a beautiful village with white half-timbered houses, so nice to stop and take a short walk through the village.

For model railway enthusiasts there is a possibility to visit the “Modellbahn am Rothaarsteig" in Grafschaft, this is a model railway of 66 m² in a former knitting mill. 92 trains run on 550 meters of track. On the roads of the model railway 15 computer-controlled vehicles run and a day/night light control ensures that it gets dark every 24 minutes. At the same time, the lighting of the houses and cars comes on by means of time and chance control. Entrance is € 6, -.

In Schmallenberg you can plan a last break and enjoy a drink or an ice cream on the cozy square in the town. From Schmallenberg it is about an hour's drive on beautiful winding roads to Silbecke, the last part along the river Lenne where you pass the Bamenohl hydroelectric power station, built between 1921 and 1923.

In this review you will find links with additional information about motorcycling in Sauerland.