Enjoyment in the Castles Triangle

Your cycle tour starts at Ascheberg railway station. You might want to fortify yourself with breakfast in one of the bakeries or cafés in the town before you set off. Then off you go. The cycle paths lead you southwards along many fields. There is hardly a hill to spoil the view over the vast landscape of the Münsterland. After approx. 1 hour, you will reach the beautiful Westerwinkel Castle. It is best to leave your bike near the car park (Horn-Westerwinkel 5, 59387 Ascheberg) and go on a short discovery tour on foot. You can reach the quiet inner courtyard between the outer and main castle through the mighty gate. When one of the free-roaming peacocks comes towards you, the romantic picture is perfect. The path takes you around the entire moated castle and ends, accompanied by fruit trees, back at your bike. You can allow around 30 minutes for the tour.

Please note that the gate to the road on the left of the castle is closed at weekends and in the evenings. However, you can also marvel at it from the Wasserschloss Westerwinkel golf club.

This is what a cycle tour in Münsterland should be like. The cycle paths lead harmoniously through the gentle landscape and church spires and farms greet you on the horizon. Fields and meadows accompany you on the way to the "Westphalian Versailles". Along the way, benches and tables offer plenty of space to "slow down". Your heart rate will pick up again at Nordkirchen Castle at the latest.

The castle rises majestically above the large park. The entrance via the main axis on Schlossstraße is particularly beautiful. The view across the lake and Venusinsel to the castle is one of the most photographed motifs in the Münsterland region. A tour of the park will make you realise why the castle attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year. New perspectives of the castle and the park adorned with statues open up again and again. You should allow around 1 hour for a tour around the palace and the orangery.

As soon as you leave Nordkirchen Castle, you are once again surrounded by the rural tranquillity of Münsterland. Enjoy cycling northwards along the cycle paths to the 3-castle town of Lüdinghausen. There are two castles in particular that we particularly like here. Coming from the town centre, the first thing you see is Lüdinghausen Castle. The paths around the castle lead into the courtyard of the historic sandstone building. Connected by a spacious green area, you come to a jewel of the Münsterland world of castles and palaces: Vischering Castle is definitely one of the most beautiful castles in Germany. Mighty, but by no means forbidding, its thick walls hint at its fortified nature. The castle museum is definitely worth a visit. Modern, vivid and wonderfully integrated into the historic building, it tells stories and history. And who wouldn't want to find out more about Lambert von Oer's necklace?

Even if the story is a little spooky, Vischering Castle takes particularly good care of its visitors these days. In the Café Reitstall, the chocolatey"Vischering cake" is a true classic. A particularly sweet treat with a view of the picturesque main castle. Ritter Helmut's baking skills are known far beyond the town's borders. His oven-warm bread is a must-have in your bike bag. However, it usually doesn't even make it out of the castle, but is eaten on the spot at one of the picnic tables.

So you can get back in the saddle and recharge your batteries. You could almost forget the time on the last section to Ascheberg. Here, the Münsterland shows its rural, relaxed side. Horse farms, stately farmhouses and small chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary lie beneath the wide horizon. The church towers of St Lambert's Church in Ascheberg can be seen from afar.