This 85km tour takes you around the open-cast mines that are characteristic of the region between Eschweiler and Jülich. Flat Bördeland landscapes, deep views into the open-cast mine and recultivated areas such as the Blausteinsee, Indemann and Sophienhöhe characterize the landscape of this tour between Inde, Rur and the open-cast mines.

The starting point for this tour is the Blausteinsee lake in Eschweiler, where there are plenty of parking spaces available. From there, the route first heads to the foot of the impressive Weisweiler power station, where the coal is converted into electricity and extracted from the open-cast mines that will be bypassed later.At the crossroads, the tour turns left onto the L241 towards Lamersdorf before crossing the Inde and heading up the Golsteinkuppe to the Indemann for the only "mountain prize" of the day. If you like, you can get a first glimpse of the Inden open-cast mine from the Indemann viewpoint (there is a free elevator to the top). From the Indemann, the tour continues past the Lucherberger See lake and along a cycle path adjacent to the A4, before crossing the Rur at Merken and reaching the edge of the Heimbach open-cast mine via Ellen, Morschenich and Manheim.

At the Heimbach open-cast mine, the route heads directly north along the edge of the imposing cut in the landscape for a few kilometers past numerous viewpoints. You should definitely stop here and take in the scale and dimensions of the open-cast mine with a view of the Sophienhöhe. The Sophienhöhe is a slag heap created by the overburden of the open-cast mine and recultivated for recreational use. NN. and thus has an almost "alpine" height difference of more than 600m to the valley floor of the open-cast mine.

After going around the Sophienhöhe, the route crosses the Rur again via Hambach, Niederzier and Krauthausen in the direction of the Inden open-cast mine. North of the open-cast mine, the route now heads back towards the starting point at the Blausteinsee lake, where the restaurants located directly on the lake invite you to enjoy a leisurely end to the tour.