A1-Adenau-Hohe Acht-Ahrbrück-Schönau-A1 90 km

Nice trip through the Eifel from the end of the A1 Autobahn to the Hohe Acht, the highest mountain in the Eifel, and back. Route suited for the road bike, mostly on quiet roads, although the climb from Adenau can be busy. At the start, there is a car pool parking at the end of the A1. You pass close to the Nürburgring between Adenau and the Hohe Acht, and race cars can be heard (but hardly seen) up to the top of the extinct volcano, on racing days. The route includes a few climbs, which are not very strenuous apart from the last 100 meters on a paved small path to the summit of Hohe Acht. Views are great with forests, hills and volcanoes, valleys and open countryside. You pass through the Ahr valley which has been severely struck during the extreme weather in the summer of 2021, and has not completely recovered. There are not many places along the route where you can find something to eat and drink, most notably in Adenau. Smaller opportunities are at the Freilinger See, Kesseling, Brück, and a bit off-route in Schönau and Holzmülheim. I saw a lot of roe deer in the early morning near the start.
From the start you follow the major road L115 to the K71 turn-off. You follow this road and minor road to Reetz. From here you continue to the Freilinger See, and then Freilingen. You then climb slowly through Lommersdorf to Aremberg. In Aremberg the views are good, and you descend to the Ahr valley. You follow the Ahr valley a bit on the main road, and take another main road from Müsch to Kirmutscheid. You take the L10 here, which climbs to Honerath and descends to Adenau. Adenau is a bigger town with racing memorabilia. From here you ascend all the way to the Hohe Acht, first on the L10 major road, and then on a forest road forbidden for cars. The forest road is followed by a narrow cycling path which takes you close to the summit. You then follow a narrow paved footpath with a very steep section to the foot of the stairs below the Kaiser Wilhelm tower which is placed on top of the Hohe Acht. Climbing the tower is worth the effort for the great view on top. After you climb, you descend back to the L10, go back a bit to Adenau and then take the L90 which climbs to the hamlet of Hochacht. You then descend to Kaltenborn and follow the Herschbach valley all the way down to Kesseling, with great quiet scenery. In Kesseling you follow the L85 to Brück in the Ahr valley. Here you take the quiet climb through forest and then open countryside to Lind. From here you descend and ascend a bit on a road which takes you to Effelsberg, partly on a cycling path next to the L234. You climb a bit to Bleielsnück and then descend to Schönau via Mahlberg. In Schönau, you follow the Erft valley to Holzmülheim where you take a look at the source of the Erft River. From Holzmühlheim you ascend to Tondorf via the L194, which takes you a bit further back to the start of the trip.