Kräuterroute

The 50-km loop begins in Sottrum, where the Herb Route takes you past the Heimathaus and the St. Georg Open-Air Church. Via Clüversborstel, Schleeßel, and Bötersen, you’ll cycle to Mulmshorn, where you’ll have the opportunity to stop at the “Heidejäger” herb hotel with its beautiful herb garden.

From Mulmshorn, the Herb Route continues to Hesedorf. The park-like Heimathaus grounds feature historic half-timbered buildings and a herb spiral. It’s a place that invites you to linger and rest before continuing on to the 1,000-year-old Romanesque St. Margarethen fieldstone church in Gyhum.
 
From Wehldorf, the Herb Route runs parallel to the Hamburg-Bremen long-distance bike trail for a short stretch. In the village of Nartum, with a population of 750, the former motor mill and Haus Kreienhoop—the home and workplace of writer Walter Kempowski, who passed away in 2007—invite you to stop for a break. If you have time, don’t miss the Nartum Harbor, the only harbor without access to water.
 
From Nartum, cycle to Horstedt, where you can visit the Bible Garden with the Church of St. John the Baptist and the Rühlemann’s Herb & Fragrant Plants. In Stapel is the Stapel Lavender and Herb Field, where, in addition to over 3,000 genuine lavender plants, nearly 100 types and varieties of herbs are cultivated for viewing, experimentation, and harvesting. A cozy, rustic seating area invites you to take a break, while e-bikes can be charged for free and you can access the internet via D-Lan (network cable required).
 
The next stop on the route is Eschels Hoff in Benkel, an unusually designed garden featuring over 350 different herbs. Via Taaken and Reeßum , you’ll ride to the final highlight of the loop tour: the watermill in Stuckenborstel, which is idyllically situated on a mill pond and fed by the Wieste stream. From there, it’s not far to the starting point, Sottrum.

The route passes through the following towns:

Sottrum - Clüversborstel -  Bötersen – Mulmshorn – Hesedorf – Gyhum – Wehldorf – Nartum – Horstedt – Stapel – Taaken – Reeßum – Stuckenborstel – Sottru

Follow the green, white and blue logo sign with the words Kräuterregion Wiesteniederung and the plant and wave depicted on it.

The district of Rotenburg (Wümme) has an approx. 1,800 km long network of signposted cycle paths. Star cyclists can set off on several routes from one location. There are also eight long-distance cycle routes available for tours lasting several days.

If you find any discrepancies or errors in the signposting or in the designation of the routes, please let us know. We are working on the issue! A district-wide quality review of the cycle path network and cycle routes is currently underway. The results will help us to identify and rectify any weak points (e.g. missing signposting, twisted signs, impassable sections).

Do you use the KOMOOT app for route planning and on the road? Then you will be pleased to know that all of our cycle tours can be found on the KOMOOT online portal. You can also download the GPX track for the tour here (see green box on the right, below the map) and save it directly to your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. For further planning and routing on site, there are various free apps and programs that can be used to display the downloaded GPX tracks (e.g. on a smartphone).

Sights and points of interest along the route:

• Sottrum with its local history museum and the open-air St. Georg Church on the bike path
• The villages of Clüversborstel, Schleeßel, and Bötersen
• Mulmshorn with the herb garden of the “Heidejäger” herb hotel and the wood sculpture garden by artist Ortwin Musall
• The local history museum grounds in Hesedorf.
• St. Margarethen Fieldstone Church in Gyhum
• The village of Nartum (population 750) with its former motor mill, Haus Kreienhoop (the home and workplace of the writer Walter Kempowski, who died in 2007) and the Nartum Harbor (a harbor without access to water)
• Bible Garden with the Church of St. John the Baptist and Rühlemann’s Herbs & Fragrant Plants nursery in Horstedt
•  Stapeler lavender and herb field
•  Eschels Hoff in Benkel
•  Watermill in Stuckenborstel

More information about the Wiesteniederung herb region:
www.kraeuterregion.de

Map of cycling and hiking trails in the joint municipality of Tarmstedt; price: € 2.00 plus postage; can be ordered from the Tourist-Information Samtgemeinde Tarmstedt e.V. by e-mail at tourisinfo@tarmstedt.de or by telephone on +49 4283 / 89319

Kompass cycling map of the Rotenburg (Wümme) district; scale 1:60,000; Kompass Verlag; ISBN 978-3-85026-549-2; price € 7.99; available from bookshops or via www.kompass.de

ADFC regional map of the cycling paradise of the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) between Hamburg and Bremen; scale 1:75,000; BVA-Verlag; ISBN 978-3-87073-673-6; price €8.95, available from bookshops or via www.fahrrad-buecher-karten.de