Tripoint NL-B-D to Mützenich and back along the B-D border 119 km

This bike trip takes you along the Belgian-German border between the tripoint NL-D-B to Mützenich and back. Highlights are the stretches of Vennbahn cycling path, the High Fens, the quiet countryside with excellent views, and the Aachener Wald. The outward journey takes you mainly through Belgium, and the return journey mainly through Germany. In principle, the trip takes you on roads as close as possible to the border, but once and a while the border is crossed or more interesting roads are chosen. This trip is suited for the racing bike, although there are two short stretches of semi-paved cycling paths (see waypoints), and some of the smaller roads in the High Fens and Aachener Wald would benefit from a new layer of asphalt…
The trip starts at the tripoint. There are parking places (2 euro’s) nearby. You descend on the Belgian side and ride through Gemmenich and Moresnet-Chapelle to Kelmis. In Kelmis (La Calamine), the streets are bilingual (German-French), and you find some borderstones of the former neutral condominium of Neutral-Moresnet (see waypoint). You continue on the main road to Aachen, and turn back directly after the border towards Hergenrath. There are some steeper roads here, and you then continue on an easier road to Hauset. Past Eynatterheide you cross the Göhl (or Geul/Gueule) close to its source and pass the highway Aachen-Liège. Through beautiful and quiet countryside you continue to Raeren, where you turn towards the border. You take the road on the border for a while and then cycle to Schmithof in Germany where you enter the Vennbahn. This great cycling path on a former railway takes you past Raeren Station to Roetgen. The Vennbahn is on Belgian territory all the way to Luxemburg from Raeren, even where it crosses German territory (once done to avoid multiple passport controls), e.g. in Roetgen. In Roetgen, you leave the cycling path, and cycle into the High Fens via Petergensfeld. You take small forest roads through this great nature reserve with woods and moors, cross the river Weser (Vèsdre) and its tributary the Steinbach. Near Konzen you cross the Imgenbroicher Fenn, and a bit further the Getzbach. Through Nahtsief Moor you reach the Monschau-Eupen road and you cycle to Mützenich in Germany. With occasional glimpses of the Eifel you descend towards Konzen. Shortly before the village, you enter the Vennbahn again, now in the direction of Aachen. After crossing the B258, the Vennbahn paving turns into a fine gravel which is easy to negotiate on a racing bike. You cycle along the border and another moor to Lammersdorf and then descend to Roetgen. In Roetgen you leave the Vennbahn, and take the road to Rott. You then cycle to Schmithof and Waldheim. Here you turn back towards the border, on which you cycle to Lichtenbusch. In Lichtenbusch you descend along the busy Monschauer Strasse to the Waldfriedhof and then take a small road along Waldhausen to the B57. From the B57, a small forest road takes you up into the Aachener Wald. From the Siebenwege you descend to the Entenpfuhl, a nicely located restaurant on the edge of the forest, and then ride on to the B264 road. There is a Meilenstein here and a short while further you enter the forest again, and follow small roads through forest and countryside on the edge of Aachen. The pavement is quite bad here, but the scenery great, and you then ascend the final stretch back to the tripoint. The last 450 m are semi-paved.
You can find something to eat and drink at the tripoint, Roetgen, Mützenich, Aachen (across from the Waldfriedhof, and 700 m past the Meilenstein), and the Entenpfuhl.