- 9:30 h
- 204.00 km
- 510 m
- 510 m
- 2 m
- 58 m
- 56 m
- Start: Rotenburg (Wümme) railroad station, Am Bahnhof 8, 27356 Rotenburg
- Destination: Rotenburg (Wümme) railroad station, Am Bahnhof 8, 27356 Rotenburg
The 204 km long Königsschleife leads through the entire district of Rotenburg (Wümme), Lower Saxony's fourth largest district in terms of area. The tour is a real challenge for ambitious cyclists, combining many slightly hilly Geest areas with extensive river lowlands and upland moor areas as well as quiet forests. Mostly on quiet side roads, the route passes through dozens of villages and small towns, such as Sottrum, Gnarrenburg, Bremervörde, Zeven and Rotenburg (Wümme), with varied landscapes. Once completed, the impressive sporting achievement is followed by a feeling of complete satisfaction, which deserves the highest recognition!
Good to know
Pavements
Asphalt
Best to visit
suitable
Depends on weather
Directions
Overview of the route:
Rotenburg (Wümme) - 19 km - Wittorf - 13 km - Kirchwalsede - 7 km - Unterstedt - 16 km - Sottrum 10 km - Horstedt - 12 km - Kirchtimke - 9 km - Breddorf - 11 km - Ostersode - 11 km - Gnarrenburg - 13 km - Oerel - 10 km - Bremervörde - 14 km - Farven - 12 km - Haaßel - 12 km - Zeven - 19 km - Sothel - 18 km - Rotenburg (Wümme)
Detailed route:
The 204 km long Königsschleife is the ultimate cycling stage and leads through the entire district of Rotenburg (Wümme), past numerous villages, varied landscapes and historical sites.
The tour starts at the railway station in the district town of Rotenburg (Wümme) and takes us through the town center to the Fidi-Boon-Wech, a cycle highway built in 2024. For 14 km, the route now follows a former railroad line on asphalt, some of which is at its best, past old railroad stations in Brockel and Bretel and away from any towns to the southernmost section of this tour to Wittorf.
We cycle along quiet side roads and through the oak-lined villages of Lüdingen and Riekenbostel to Kirchwalsede, where the late Romanesque St. Bartholomew's Cycle Route Church from the 12th century is located. The route continues via Westerwalsede and Unterstedt, across the small river Wümme and via the golden villages of Waffensen and Hassendorf, which won awards in the "Our village has a future" competition, to Sottrum. Here, the St. Georg Radwegekirche and the town hall of the joint municipality of the same name characterize the central townscape.
From Sottrum, we reach Stapel via Reeßum, the A1 freeway and Taaken. This is followed by the herbal village of Horstedt and Nartum, whose most famous citizen was the writer Walter Kempowski. We follow the Königsschleife through Steinfeld and the Schierk forest to Kirchtimke, where we turn left to Hepstedt shortly before the St. Lambertus church. We reach Breddorf via the Ummel forest.
On the roads of the Breddorf moor, we come to Heudorf in the neighboring district of Osterholz. We use the cycle path next to the L165 for just under a kilometer and leave it in Ostersode. On undulating but easy to cycle moorland roads, the tour leads to Torfschiffhafen Kreuzkuhle and thus back to the Wümme district. In the inn opposite, the peat boatmen used to have to pay their duty.
We follow the Oste-Hamme Canal to Gnarrenburg and have now reached the halfway point of the tour. Gnarrenburg once became world-famous due to the invention of the medical drip counter. Today, it is a good place to take a break thanks to the many refreshment stops.
From Gnarrenburg, the route continues through the Brilliter Moor and along quiet, winding, top asphalted side roads to Oese, where the St. Christophorus Church, built in the 16th century, is said to be the most beautiful village church between the Elbe and Weser rivers. The Poggemühlen manor, Barchel and Oerel are the next tour destinations before we change to the cycle path along the busy B71/74 at Glinde for just under 3 km. We leave the main road directly in front of the clearly visible Bremervörde prison and reach the northernmost point of this tour, the Höhne forest area, via "Am Steinberg".
A little later, we reach the heart of the town of Bremervörde, the picturesque Vörder See with the nature and adventure park. This and the center of Ostestadt offer numerous opportunities for a short break or to stop for a bite to eat before we continue our ride.
Well fortified, we return to the saddle. After crossing the picturesque Oste river, we leave Bremervörde to join the Oste river again after 33 km on side roads via Hesedorf, Byhusen, Farven, Ohrel, Haaßel and Twistenbostel shortly before Brauel.
After just under 500 m, we leave the cycle path next to the B71 to reach the town of Zeven via Braueler Weg. Zeven is an important regional center where you will find numerous shopping facilities, cafés and restaurants with historical backdrops such as the Museum Kloster Zeven and the Königin-Christinenhaus.
The last 40 km of this royal stage lead along the K142 to Frankenbostel and Rüspel before we head towards Ehestorf, the A1 freeway again, Sothel and Westeresch on quieter side roads. We cycle along the Westerholzer Weg towards the district town, where the Königsschleife ends after a total of 204 km. Numerous cafés and restaurants in the town center provide a festive setting to review the tour and reward yourself. For those looking to cool off or warm up tired muscles in the sauna, the Ronolulu adventure pool with spa is an ideal way to end the tour.
Rotenburg (Wümme) - 19 km - Wittorf - 13 km - Kirchwalsede - 7 km - Unterstedt - 16 km - Sottrum 10 km - Horstedt - 12 km - Kirchtimke - 9 km - Breddorf - 11 km - Ostersode - 11 km - Gnarrenburg - 13 km - Oerel - 10 km - Bremervörde - 14 km - Farven - 12 km - Haaßel - 12 km - Zeven - 19 km - Sothel - 18 km - Rotenburg (Wümme)
Detailed route:
The 204 km long Königsschleife is the ultimate cycling stage and leads through the entire district of Rotenburg (Wümme), past numerous villages, varied landscapes and historical sites.
The tour starts at the railway station in the district town of Rotenburg (Wümme) and takes us through the town center to the Fidi-Boon-Wech, a cycle highway built in 2024. For 14 km, the route now follows a former railroad line on asphalt, some of which is at its best, past old railroad stations in Brockel and Bretel and away from any towns to the southernmost section of this tour to Wittorf.
We cycle along quiet side roads and through the oak-lined villages of Lüdingen and Riekenbostel to Kirchwalsede, where the late Romanesque St. Bartholomew's Cycle Route Church from the 12th century is located. The route continues via Westerwalsede and Unterstedt, across the small river Wümme and via the golden villages of Waffensen and Hassendorf, which won awards in the "Our village has a future" competition, to Sottrum. Here, the St. Georg Radwegekirche and the town hall of the joint municipality of the same name characterize the central townscape.
From Sottrum, we reach Stapel via Reeßum, the A1 freeway and Taaken. This is followed by the herbal village of Horstedt and Nartum, whose most famous citizen was the writer Walter Kempowski. We follow the Königsschleife through Steinfeld and the Schierk forest to Kirchtimke, where we turn left to Hepstedt shortly before the St. Lambertus church. We reach Breddorf via the Ummel forest.
On the roads of the Breddorf moor, we come to Heudorf in the neighboring district of Osterholz. We use the cycle path next to the L165 for just under a kilometer and leave it in Ostersode. On undulating but easy to cycle moorland roads, the tour leads to Torfschiffhafen Kreuzkuhle and thus back to the Wümme district. In the inn opposite, the peat boatmen used to have to pay their duty.
We follow the Oste-Hamme Canal to Gnarrenburg and have now reached the halfway point of the tour. Gnarrenburg once became world-famous due to the invention of the medical drip counter. Today, it is a good place to take a break thanks to the many refreshment stops.
From Gnarrenburg, the route continues through the Brilliter Moor and along quiet, winding, top asphalted side roads to Oese, where the St. Christophorus Church, built in the 16th century, is said to be the most beautiful village church between the Elbe and Weser rivers. The Poggemühlen manor, Barchel and Oerel are the next tour destinations before we change to the cycle path along the busy B71/74 at Glinde for just under 3 km. We leave the main road directly in front of the clearly visible Bremervörde prison and reach the northernmost point of this tour, the Höhne forest area, via "Am Steinberg".
A little later, we reach the heart of the town of Bremervörde, the picturesque Vörder See with the nature and adventure park. This and the center of Ostestadt offer numerous opportunities for a short break or to stop for a bite to eat before we continue our ride.
Well fortified, we return to the saddle. After crossing the picturesque Oste river, we leave Bremervörde to join the Oste river again after 33 km on side roads via Hesedorf, Byhusen, Farven, Ohrel, Haaßel and Twistenbostel shortly before Brauel.
After just under 500 m, we leave the cycle path next to the B71 to reach the town of Zeven via Braueler Weg. Zeven is an important regional center where you will find numerous shopping facilities, cafés and restaurants with historical backdrops such as the Museum Kloster Zeven and the Königin-Christinenhaus.
The last 40 km of this royal stage lead along the K142 to Frankenbostel and Rüspel before we head towards Ehestorf, the A1 freeway again, Sothel and Westeresch on quieter side roads. We cycle along the Westerholzer Weg towards the district town, where the Königsschleife ends after a total of 204 km. Numerous cafés and restaurants in the town center provide a festive setting to review the tour and reward yourself. For those looking to cool off or warm up tired muscles in the sauna, the Ronolulu adventure pool with spa is an ideal way to end the tour.
Directions & Parking facilities
We recommend traveling by train:
The Rottenburg (Wümme) train station (starting point of the Königsschleife) can be reached directly by regional train from Hamburg and Bremen.
Other train stations that are located directly or in the immediate vicinity (max. 1.5 km away) of the Königsschleife and are served several times a day are in Sottrum and Bremervörde. The train station in Visselhövede, which is also served several times a day, is around 5 km away from Wittorf, the southernmost point of this royal loop.
Information and tickets: bahn.de or vbn.de
The Rottenburg (Wümme) train station (starting point of the Königsschleife) can be reached directly by regional train from Hamburg and Bremen.
Other train stations that are located directly or in the immediate vicinity (max. 1.5 km away) of the Königsschleife and are served several times a day are in Sottrum and Bremervörde. The train station in Visselhövede, which is also served several times a day, is around 5 km away from Wittorf, the southernmost point of this royal loop.
Information and tickets: bahn.de or vbn.de
Those arriving by car will find the following public parking spaces:
- Bahnhof in 27356 Rotenburg (Wümme)
- Bahnhof in 27367 Sottrum
- Train station in 27432 Bremervörde
- Central bus station in 27404 Zeven
The Rottenburg (Wümme) train station (starting point of the Königsschleife) can be reached directly by regional train from Hamburg and Bremen.
Other train stations that are located directly or in the immediate vicinity (max. 1.5 km away) of the Königsschleife and are served several times a day are in Sottrum and Bremervörde. The train station in Visselhövede, which is also served several times a day, is around 5 km away from Wittorf, the southernmost point of this royal loop.
Information and tickets: bahn.de or vbn.de
Other train stations that are located directly or in the immediate vicinity (max. 1.5 km away) of the Königsschleife and are served several times a day are in Sottrum and Bremervörde. The train station in Visselhövede, which is also served several times a day, is around 5 km away from Wittorf, the southernmost point of this royal loop.
Information and tickets: bahn.de or vbn.de
Additional information
Information and GPX tracks for all road bike tours in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) can be found at app.nordwaerts.de, nordwaerts.de, komoot.com and strava.com or in the handy folding brochure.
Literature
All information about the road bike tours in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) is presented in a handy leaflet. This can be ordered on the website of the Rotenburg (Wümme) district tourism association and is available at tourist information offices, including in Rotenburg (Wümme), Sottrum, Gnarrenburg, Bremervörde and Selsingen.
Contact person
Touristikverband Landkreis Rotenburg (Wümme) e.V. -
Ihr Ansprechpartner für die Region
Harburger Straße 59
27356 Rotenburg (Wümme)
License (master data)
Phillip Holtermann
Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author
There are various places to shop and eat in the larger towns as well as in the small towns of Sottrum, Gnarrenburg, Bremervörde, Zeven and Rotenburg (Wümme).
There are other places to stop for refreshments in the smaller villages along the Königsschleife, such as in Wittorf, Unterstedt, Hassendorf, Kirchtimke, Hepstedt, Basdahl, Brauel, Rüspel and Westerholz
Radserviceläden can be found in Rotenburg (Wümme), Sottrum, Bremervörde, Selsingen, Zeven (please check opening times).
Safety guidelines
Please note:
The road traffic regulations (StVO) must always be observed.
Agricultural traffic always has priority.
Some sections may contain (small) potholes or cracks.
Some roads or cycle paths are sometimes (very) uneven and require careful driving.
Nearby
