The route crosses Emsland and the county of Bentheim on the German side and leads through the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen. On both sides, the scenery is characterised by bodies of water - moorland and the extensive river valley of the Ems and Vechte on one side and the fine mosaic of parkland criss-crossed by countless canals and ditches on the other side of the border. Speaking of smuggling routes: food and drink, e.g. butter, Dutch jenever and even whole pigs were smuggled across the German-Dutch border until the 1950s. The sparsely populated region with its wide meadows and fields, but also densely overgrown forests, offered the best conditions for this. A few roads and paths are even still marked as old smuggling routes.
The Smugglers' Route is more or less flat and family-friendly, running mostly on cycle paths and small country roads.
he route is signposted throughout with the "Smokkelroute" symbol.
Several connecting routes make it possible to divide the overall route into shorter laps or different day tours.
Tour combinations: e.g. Ems Cycle Route, International Dollard Route, Emsland Route
Means of transport:
Lathen and Dörpen can be reached by Deutsche Bahn; DB cycling hotline: 0180 6 99 66 33. www.bahn.de.
Cycle-friendly accommodation:
Hotel Greive in Haren, www.hotel-greive.de;
Hotel Lathener Marsch in Lathen, www.lathener-marsch.de
Hotel zur Linde in Heede, www.zur-linde-heede.de;
Vosse-Schepers Inn in Rhede, vosse-schepers.de;
Gasthof Prangen in Rhede, www.gasthof-prangen.de
Bike service:
A list of addresses for bike hire and repairs can be found at www.united-countries.net
and www.emsland-routenplaner.de
Travel package:
Customised tour packages with accommodation, maps and luggage transfer from Emsland Touristik,
www.emsland.com
Map & Literature:
Public Press cycling map "Pionierroute, Smokkelroute", scale 1:100,000, 4.95 euros.
Information (general): Emsland Touristik, Ordeniederung 2, 49716 Meppen,
Tel. 05931/442266, www.emsland.com
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 1/2016. You can read the entire issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or order the issue in the DK shop.
