Paddling, bathing areas and drinking water production on the Ruhr

Monday, 19 August 2024 05:22
Written by Portal Editor

The Ruhr Valley has the important function of a local recreation area, especially for the residents of the Ruhr area, so the banks of the Ruhr are largely spared from industry and other buildings and are more characterized by wide meadows and forest areas, which are specially protected for drinking water production.

Further information on the Ruhr Shipping Ordinance, shipping and water sports on the Ruhr and current announcements can be found at the Düsseldorf District Government.

The water quality of the Ruhr is now so good again that fish stocks are recovering and even river mussels are re-establishing themselves. And even if there are only a few official bathing areas so far, many residents regularly use the river for bathing, including guests from the Horster Ruhrbrücke campsite. The city of Bochum has designated an official bathing area near Dahlhausen train station in summer 2022, which can be used depending on the water quality. The bathing area there is regulated by traffic lights and is closed in adverse conditions such as flooding. However, we are also fascinated by the busy activity of paddlers and rowers on the water, whether using a modern stand-up paddle or a traditional canoe.

Between geese and aquatic plants on the Ruhr

Whether alone with yourself and your boat or together with others: the Ruhr has a great attraction for rowers and canoeists, including us. And fortunately, we also have the appropriate "watercraft" that accompanies us on all our trips: the inflatable Gumotex Palava dinghy, a Canadian that is well suited for tours and, thanks to the bottom, also for light whitewater or rafting. We were just as safe on Lake Oymapinar in Turkey as we were on the Cetina near Radmanove Mlinice in Croatia. Rolled up in a backpack and easy to carry, then quickly set up, inflated and used, a great option, especially as it can also be taken on public transport. Today we will first head downstream from the campsite on the Ruhr, even if we have to paddle against the current on the way back. We pass the Café Capobianco, then the Essen riverside swimming pool and the sills of the Ruhr below, which can be bypassed today.

Water hiking with short-term camping on the way - an option

While in earlier times water hiking on the Ruhr was made more difficult by obstacles such as weirs and sills, today boat lanes and improved portage options make paddling and rowing on the Ruhr much easier. In addition to camping, the Horster Ruhrbrücke campsite is also a mooring point and starting point for booked canoe tours offered by various providers on the Ruhr. We have often observed the hustle and bustle when canoeists arrive here from Hattingen, probably the best-known route on the Ruhr.

Another highlight on a Ruhr tour is crossing the Ruhr reservoirs, when the previously relatively quiet river landscape suddenly mutates into a spacious, lively water sports area. In the Ruhr reservoirs, water hikers will find numerous mooring options at water sports clubs and on public jetties.

For safety reasons, water hikers must of course keep a sufficient distance from the weirs and power stations along the Ruhr at all times. In some sections there are even a few excursion boats of the so-called white fleet.

In this context, the Ruhr reservoirs Hengsteysee, Harkortsee, Kemnader See, Baldeneysee and Kettwiger See as well as the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr, whose water station is the starting point of the White Fleet. All of these lakes, or rather dams, are also easy to reach by bike. There are even passenger ships on Lake Kemnader, such as the Schwalbe II, which travels between the Kemnader weir and the riverside road on the Ruhr above the lake in Witten-Bommern.

Numerous canoe and rowing clubs are based on the banks, which use the river for training purposes. People sail on the lakes and rowing; paddle or pedal boats can be rented. There are also places on the banks for beach volleyball or as a starting point for windsurfing. The flat paths around the reservoirs are also a popular destination for inline skaters in the Ruhr area, especially in summer. The Ruhr is not really a bathing water, however, as treated wastewater continues to be discharged via the tributaries and some sewage treatment plants. Nevertheless, many people swim in the Ruhr.

We really enjoyed our first paddling trip on the Ruhr, even though the trip back against the current was quite strenuous. It is a river with a strong current, as one passerby remarked: "You are going in the wrong direction!" But anyone can paddle with the current.

Please read as well:

Station 48 - Horster Ruhrbrücke campsite

Biking to the Railway Museum Bochum in Dahlhausen