Hikes in Goch

The tour begins (with a view from the parking lot toward the archway of Graefenthal Monastery) on the right along the Niers Hiking Trail....

The Reichswald, with around 5,100 hectares, is the largest contiguous forest area of the Lower Rhine and the largest contiguous public state forest in North Rhine-Westphalia. Where kings once hunted, today sports enthusiasts and nature lovers meet. Well-developed hiking, cycling, and riding paths run through all parts of the large forest area. With the British Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in Germany is located in this forest area. The starting point of the hike is the village square (Robert-Gassner-Platz) in the district Nierswalde of Goch. The Nierswalder Landhaus offers accommodation, culinary delights, or a resting place in the beer garden.

Easy hike along the Niers, small lake tour, crossing the Niers and back through the forest to the Aspermühle, then along a paved residential road back to the parking lot.

On the Niers Hiking Trail The Niers Hiking Trail starts in Kevelaer and runs mostly directly along the Niers river almost to the Dutch border.

Tour around the asparagus village on the NiersKessel is a district of Goch right on the Dutch border. It is known not only as one of the centers of asparagus cultivation in the Lower Rhine region, but increasingly also as a destination for day-trippers and tourists.

Nice short hike through the Reichswald, Length approx. 10 km. Only a short tarred section.

A tour through the Genneper Heath and a stretch along the Niers valley. Halfway very briefly on German territory near the village of Hommersum. Around the Zeven Morgenziep.

The “Niersaltarme und Mühlenteiche” nature reserve encompasses bodies of water in the Niers lowlands, whose near-natural shorelines are covered with reed beds and tall forb communities. They provide spawning grounds for amphibians and nesting sites for waterfowl and songbirds. About two-thirds of the way through the nature walk, coffee and cake beckon.> From the Aspermühle01 hiking parking lot, the trail marked A5 leads us through the Niers Valley. We continue walking on level ground, ignoring all side paths. Just under 2.5 km from the start, the wide path curves to the right and begins to ascend. At this point, we leave the A5, stay in the valley, and continue along a path beside the Niers. Roughly where our path branches off from the A5 is said to have been the site of Burgus Asperden02, a small late-Roman fortress. It is popularly known as the “sunken monastery,” presumably because of its proximity to the Graefenthal Monastery. Nothing remains visible of the 4th-century complex, which was confirmed by two excavations. Our path leads to a bridge over the Niers03. After crossing the river, we turn left at a pretty rest bench and then immediately turn left again to continue walking along the restored riverbank. Then we stay on the wide path, which curves to the right away from the Niers.We turn right once and left once, walk across the narrow strip of land between two ponds, and continue straight ahead at a small pool. For a short time, we follow the Puttenbrockgraben, then veer left and arrive at Graefenthal Abbey 04.The former Cistercian monastery was founded in 1248 by Count Otto II of Geldern and existed until the early 19th century, when it was dissolved by the French. Today, the complex serves as an event venue; in addition to medieval festivals, it hosts an Easter market and a Christmas market, for example. At the monastery café, you can enjoy coffee and cake daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (www.kloster-graefenthal.de/cafe). From the monastery, we follow the marked trail A5, which soon turns left toward the banks of the Niers. After the final stretch along the river, we cross the road bridge and, at the Aspermühle, turn left into the dead-end street leading to the Aspermühle01 hiking parking lot.One final tip: If you turn right at the bridge over the Niers03, you’ll reach the village of Kessel, where there are places to stop for refreshments. König-Otto-Platz, next to the church, is worth seeing.

Without the use of river water, the Lower Rhine industrial region would have remained economically underdeveloped. To achieve this, the Niers was diverted from its natural course. The name “Rio Tinto” is a reminder of the water pollution, which has only recently begun to subside. During our hike, we discover some remnants of the original river landscape as well as areas that have been restored to their natural state.> From the community center at the Weeze01 train station, we follow the dark sidewalk slabs along the edge of Vittinghoff-Schell Park, cross Bahnstraße, and walk across the parking lot of the “Jägerhof” hotel onto the Laurenz-Pannen-Pad. We cross the shopping center’s parking lot and go down a short flight of stairs—then we turn left onto Loestraße and walk to the parish church of St. Cyriakus02. A wooden church is said to have stood on this site in the 9th century; followed by Romanesque and Gothic churches. Of the magnificent late-Gothic church from the 15th century, only the eastern choir survived the devastating artillery bombardment toward the end of World War II. Incorporating the Gothic east choir, the present-day church was built between 1953 and 1955. The interior is adorned with remarkable wooden sculptures. After we’ve looked around the church, we’ll walk back a few steps and head toward “Nierspromenade / Tiergehege.” We cross the Niers and, at the first fork, turn left through the animal park. At the large oak tree by the goat enclosure, we keep to the left; at Café Eselsohr, located at the entrance to Hertefeld Castle (hotel, www.hertefeld.de), we continue straight ahead through the animal park.At Fährsteg Street, we turn left and, before the Niers Bridge, turn right into the park at Fährsteg (playground). We duck under the B9 highway, take the stairs in front of the TSV grounds, and follow the Niers hiking trail. At a blue bench, we reach the river and hike along its bank to Field Cross03 at the confluence of the Kerventheimer Mühlenfleuth and the Niers. We continue along the river. At the Büssenhof, we briefly leave the Niers behind. The large, modern farmstead gives no hint that it is likely one of the oldest in the region. The first documented reference dates back to the year 855, when King Lothar II bestowed a farm complex upon Count Ansfried as a gift. If you follow the small road to the right of the farm, you’ll come to a memorial marking this event.At bike network junction 43 and the wooden cross bearing the inscription “Walk in Love,” we head toward Goch. At the Kalbecker Forst rest area, we pass under the A5704 highway and stay along the river. We operate the rope ferry ourselves to cross the Niers and have a meal at “Jan an de Fähr”05 (Sat/Sun, www.janandefaehr.de). After taking the ferry again for free, we turn our backs on the Niers. We walk briefly along the Steinberger Ley and turn left at the gate of house no. 7 (paved road to Kalbeck). At the fork near a large gravel lot, we keep to the left. On the road bridge over the Steinberger Ley, the “Eisvogel” audio experience awaits us06.At the former Kalbeck stop, we cross the road from Uedem to Goch and learn about the history of the Boxteler Railway07 at the beautifully designed rest area. Then we make our way along the small paved road on the left through the forest and catch a glimpse of Kalbeck Castle. The estate, with its beautiful park, is privately owned by the baronial von Elverfeldt family. On their website, www.haus-kalbeck.de, the family provides information about the castle’s history and present. Under “News,” you’ll find dates for church services, which take place from time to time in the castle chapel.After passing the castle’s driveway, we go past a house and follow the small road to the end, where we turn left (bike sign: “Kleve 18 km / Goch 4.1 km”). This brings us onto the forest road, which we stay on until the bridge over the Niers08. Here, we follow the Papa-Klein hiking trail along the river. Johann Rudolf Klein, born in Kleve in 1871, was a nature lover and local historian who was actively involved in Goch and the surrounding area.The trail runs along the left bank of the Niers the entire way. It veers away from the water for just a short stretch at one point. We cross over to the right bank at Ostring Goch09, where we continue on the Dr.-Terörde-Weg. After about 400 m, we pass under Thielenstraße, and a short time later, under a railroad bridge. We stay by the river and arrive at the “Gocher Nierswelle”: Here you can sit on the steps and look out at the water while the children play on the playground next door. There are benches there, too. Now we cross Bahnhofstraße—instead of following it directly to the train station—and walk through the traffic-calmed zone to Susmühle10. It was built around 1700 and is the only surviving historic watermill in the Goch city area. Originally, the Susmühle complemented the town’s Lohmühle; later, it also served as an oil and grain mill. At the end of the 19th century, the Susmühle was equipped with an auxiliary steam drive. Due to the straightening of the Niers River in the early 1930s, the water level dropped by about two meters. As a result, the millwheel could no longer catch the water, and the mill was shut down. At the mill, the Niers splits into two branches—the Niers Island lies between them. We cross the first bridge and follow the path to the right past the three garages. With a view of the Catholic parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, we cross Brückenstraße onto Karl-Baums-Weg and stroll through the city park on Niers Island.Near the point where the two branches of the river converge, we leave the island, cross the bridge, and continue straight ahead to Parkstraße. We follow this street past several intersections. This brings us to the bus stops on the forecourt of Goch Station11, and we walk over to the station. The train takes us back to Weeze.

Circular walk in the forests of the Reichswald, past Kleve. Because the Duivelsberg near Nijmegen was incredibly busy, we continued towards Kleve.