The Trans Euro Trail (TET) is a volunteer community that originated to promote the use of legal off-road riding throughout Europe. It had been some time since we rode our motorcycles on dirt roads so we were very excited to begin a trip through Netherlands 🇳🇱 and Belgium 🇧🇪!
We downloaded the routes from http://www.transeurotrail.org, packed our mules, and were on our way!
Getting to the Start of the NL TET
🗓: 30 Mar | 🌍: Geilenkirchen to Sögel, Germany
Map of Day 1: Windmills, Roman Temples, and Tanks?! We covered about 300 km of riding today as we made our way north to the beginning of the Netherland Trans Euro Trail (TET).
Along the way we saw this WWII memorial which seemed to translate “To the memory of the legacy”.
A unique sign of a potato of a fork that is about 10 feet tall! Although this is one big tater, Chantil, an Idahoan native, said it doesn’t compare to Idaho taters!!
Xanten, Germany
The town of Xanten (which sounds like a name for a planet in some other solar system) has an interesting history due to it’s closeness to the Rhine River and Roman trade routes.
I love the textures of patterned doors and bricks.
The Klevar Gates, built in 1393, are all that remains of the medieval city.
Uniquely painted window shutters.
Near the Klevar Gates was this unique dragon decorated with brightly colored tiles.
APX Archaeological Park
Just down the road is the APX Archaeological Park. Although I knew that Roman influence covered most of Europe, I had no idea that such a large park and museum existed in Germany.
Who needs to go to Rome to see ancient Roman Temples?
This is the Harbor Temple and was recreated to show just a portion of the grandness of the original one that stood here during the Roman era.
Many Roman artifacts contained within the museum were found among these rocks.
Although it was still early spring and many of the trees were not sprouting, it was still a beautiful day.
A map showing the extended influence and power of the Roman Empire which extended we’ll north into Great Britain.
The museum covers much of the Roman bathhouse areas and is very large with exhibits on multiple floors.
The exhibits are very interactive and meant to be enjoyed by everyone – especially the children.
Brightly colored Roman shields can be used by kids to get an idea of what it was like to be a Roman soldier.
A Roman sculpture from nearly 2000 years ago!
Roman coins! I find the history of money to be quite interesting and enjoy visiting different countries and exploring the coins and bills.
The Capital Temple would have been the central building of the city.
There was also a nice display that showed the boat and barge building process used by the Romans.
There is a game room where people can learn about the board games Romans played.
The statue of the Emperor of Rome greets visitors to the Gladiator Coliseum.
A small museum, inside the Coliseum, describes the battles that took place here for entertainment. Often animals were used like bears.
Overall, it was an interesting experience and a great way to spend a couple hours.
Sögel Tank Cemetery
We heard about this place from the website Atlas Obscura. The site mentioned that it’s a military operating area and access was limited…
“Stop! Firing range. Danger of death.” What could go wrong?!?
We saw a truck and some teenagers in the ‘cemetery’ so we decided that if the military really wanted us out they would not leave to gate open – right?
Lucky us! We got to explore the 24 tanks just sitting in an open field.
Apparently this is still a military operation area used by helicopter pilots.
The website says these are Leopard I and M47 Patton tanks.
It would be interesting to know more about the history of these tanks but not much is published.
One of my favorites places and memories for sure!
Check out DAY 2 as we officially start the NL TET!
Netherlands TET Day 1
🗓: 31 Mar | 🌍: Sögel, Germany to Ommen, Netherlands
We rode about 170 km (110 miles) on a mix of roads: paved, cobblestone, hard packed dirt, and deep sand. Although the trail never strays too far from civilization, it often felt remote because of the lack of traffic. We saw more horses and cows than cars along the farm roads.
Here is the Trans Euro Trail that runs and winds (notice that I didn’t say climbs since there are almost no hills in the Netherlands) through the Netherlands and Belgium.
Fort Bourtange
Our mules parked together while we enjoy a morning walk around Fort Bourtange.
Fort Bourtange is especially interesting from the air, where you can see the five-pointed star layout of the town and protective moats.
*Photo from Wikipedia
Of course there was a windmill here! After all, it’s the Netherlands!
Some cannon emplacements used to protect the low level fort.
A boy, wearing traditional dutch clothing, carries water in a wooden bucket, back to camp.
A great way to start our morning with some delicious hot chocolate and a ginger graham-cracker.
Time to move along. Fort Bourtange was worth visiting and was the highlight of the day. This is a wonderful place to walk around and experience for a couple hours.
TET Netherlands
The rest of the day was enjoyed following the purple GPSr track through the farmlands of the Netherlands.
A shetland pony (?) poked his head over the fence to get a better view of our motorized mules. 😊
Many of the trails today were hard-packed dirt and lined with trees.
We saw more horse traffic than motorcycles on these roads. We would pull off the trail and shut down the motors while horses passed. I think a little bit of kindness helps ensure motorcycles can continue to use these routes in the future.
I wondered if horses, seeing our motorized mules, would later wonder why their owners continue to ride on their backs 😝 the old fashioned way.
A bit chilly at 5°C (51°F) but sunny. Life is good!
There is something magical about riding a remote road on a motorcyle. Standing on the pegs and feeling the engine rumble beneath me continues to bring a smile to my face.
Chantil won the “first to drop your mule” award. She’ll buy the next meal. In her defense, riding in deep sand on a 440 lbs motorcyle with another 80 lbs of luggage is a challenge.
Highland cows. No need to go to Scotland!
My favorite riding partner!
Most of the day was spent winding around the Netherlands following a purple line on the GPSr. We found the roads to be a nice mix of paved and dirt and seemed to be well thought-out by the “linesman”.
Since it was still early in the season and all the camping in the area was closed, we “had” to stay at a hotel – Hampshire Hotel & Spa in Ommen. A short walk away from the hotel we found this restaurant and enjoyed a pizza and some Coke.
Tomorrow we’ll continue along the route and see if we can make it to Belgium by the end of the day. We tend to travel pretty slow enjoying the attractions and views along the way.
More of the NL TET on DAY 3…
Netherlands TET Day 2
🗓: 1 Apr | 🌍: Ommen, Netherlands to Emmerich, Germany
Our journey along the Trans Euro Trail continued south(ish) through the Netherlands. Traveling through forested pathways and farm roads has been unique and enjoyable.
Where will the purple line lead us today?
Our hotel included a nice breakfast with the restaurant featuring some framed oil paintings of food.
A swampy area that seemed to capture the eye of my camera.
While traveling through a small town, I noticed this elephant’s back-side painted on a garage door? Not sure why but it’s funny.
A traditional Holland home with a thatched roof and beveled roof lines.
Many of the trails have benches for weary travelers to take a load off.
Just some of the oddities you see while riding in the backcountry. Gotta wonder if there is a lady on the property and what was her reaction to burying a VW Beetle in the yard? 😂
Spring is here and many flowers were blooming.
After seeing all kinds of various farm animals, I was joking with Chantil that I still had not seen a lama. Well, we saw one (actually three) today!
Another windmill in Holland! 🤔 Wooden shoes and windmills.
Crossing under a highway section via a short and narrow tunnel.
We finished the day across the border in Emmerich, Germany where we found a grocery store for dinner and a camp site for sleeping.
I guess we didn’t finish the Netherland portion of the Trans Euro Trail today… Perhaps tomorrow?
Our final day of the NL TET is posted on DAY 4…
Netherlands TET Day 3
🗓: 2 Apr | 🌍: Emmerich, Germany to Belgium border
Our third day of riding through some “off-the-beaten-path” roads of the Netherlands. Our day started near the Rhine River just over the border in Germany.
Good morning. We were both grateful for a good nights sleep.
Emmerich, Germany
After packing, we took a short detour from the Trans Euro Trail to walk along the Rhine River boardwalk.
A statue of linesman looks over the river and numerous canal barges. Water commerce has always been important to this region.
We enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and the warmth of the morning sun.
TET Netherlands
Moving along. We crossed the Rhine back into Netherlands and enjoyed dirt roads through farm lands…
…A nice surprise. This is a reconstruction of a Waco CG4 glider and it commemorates the Airborne landings of September 1944 and the liberation of the Netherlands.
There are many WW2 memorial all over western Europe.
This memorial is unique because it’s interactive and fun to climb in. There is also a nearby touch-screen display that describes the role the Gliders played in the Airborne landings of 1944. The language is in Dutch but there are subtitles in German or English.
We enjoyed a morning brunch of peanut butter and coconut spread sandwiches.
Just down the road is another reminder of the battle that occurred here between allied airborne forces and the Germans.
Imagine the view of thousands of paratroopers being dropped from the skies!
A US Army Captain checks the documentation of a captured German soldier.
It’s nice to see these fields producing food for tens-of-thousands instead of being the killing fields for thousands.
Many of the roads we rode on were recently forested and had the accompanying smell of fresh cut pine.
Bleijenbeek Castle originally built in 1300. It was lain in ruins after the bombardment by the British RAF on 21 and 22 February 1945. There has been an effort to restore it for visitors but it is currently closed.
This is farm country and many tractors were being used to prepare the soil for spring planting.
One section of trail had these WW2 bunkers spaced evenly along the canal.
Ayrshire dairy cows relaxing in the early afternoon sun.
We stopped for a late lunch in Loonse en Drunense Duinen where I was temped to ride my mule along this wooden walkway built to cross the swampy marsh. The cost vs reward was too high, and besides, I don’t think it was designed for 700 lbs of motorcycle, gear, and rider.
I was actually surprised how many roads were open to motorcycles though; especially within the park areas.
A fluffy horse trots over to see what we’re all about. Reminder: Bring carrots next time!
Dutch for “we just cross”. I didn’t see any pigs but did see two deer.
The rain started as forecasted at 1PM. Fortunately, it wasn’t bad enough to turn the trails into mud.
We made it to Belgium just before dark!! It ended up taking us three days to cross the Netherlands via the Trans Euro Trail. Slow going but full of memories!
Since we only lived about 1.2 hours away and I needed to have my kick-stand welded, we opted to head home and take a day off from riding.
We’ll head back to Belgium later in the week to ride the Belgium 🇧🇪 TET to France. Check it out here: Trans Euro Trail Belgium