Moorland

On the circular route in the Nature Park Bourtanger Moor, you can see the raised bogs that have been shaped by the preserved raised bogs and the large renaturalized areas after peat extraction, where the special flora and fauna are slowly returning. is slowly returning. The history of cultivation is omnipresent, from the original moors peatlands to the restoration of the moors as a valuable habitat and valuable habitat and recreational area for humans and animals.

The past, present and future of energy of energy generation can be seen in Twist. The silhouettes of the silhouettes of numerous oil pumps can be seen as you drive to the start of the 60-kilometre kilometer-long Moorland Tour in Twist-Mitte. In the municipality on the German-Dutch border is home to the largest oil fields on the mainland. the mainland. There is even a museum dedicated to the path of the "black gold" in "Little Dallas". dedicated to the path of "black gold": the Oil and Natural Gas Museum provides information about this exciting topic.

The tour leads north out of the center of Twister Twister town center, past the rewetting nature trail "moor land schaffen" as well as the Provinzialmoor nature reserve and along the south-north canal directly into the diverse moorland landscape of the Dutch Bargerveen nature reserve Bargerveen. It's worth reaching for your camera at any time of year and capture the play of colors in the moor on the section around the Bargerveen: For example, the white specks of fruiting cotton grass on the brown and ochre-colored areas ochre-colored areas, the birch groves in May green or the purple heather bushes flocks of sheep grazing between May green birch groves or purple heather bushes or the dragonflies and butterflies buzzing around in the warm sunlight.

The visit to the sheepfold (Schaapskooi) Bargerveen on the outskirts of Weiteveen is a must-do on the cycle tour. must-have. King Willem Alexander opened the largest sheepfold in the Netherlands in 2018. in the Netherlands. Over 1,000 sheep and more than 100 cattle have found a new home at the a new home on the cattle farm. A balustrade in the barn gives you a good view of the animals. the animals. And in the Bij Wollegras restaurant, you can fortify yourself in the Bargerveen for the onward journey.

The tour leads - unnoticed by cyclists unnoticed by cyclists - across the German-Dutch border again, past agricultural areas and farmsteads to the Dalum-Wietmarscher moor. The nature reserve covers almost 1,600 hectares. It consists of areas that have been extensively peat-drained, some of which are being in the process of being renaturalized. As a designated EU bird sanctuary, the main aim is to conservation or restoration of the habitat for special bird species such as the special bird species such as lapwing and redshank.

With a little patience and luck, these rare birds can be these rare birds from the birdwatching tower in Füchtenfeld (on the south-western edge of the Dalum-Wietmarscher Moor). There is also an interactive moor map on the topics of "Natura 2000" and "Moors for climate protection".

No lawn mower is as ecological and sustainable as a sheep. That's why for up to 1,000 sheep, that graze there to maintain the Dalum-Wietmarscher Moor, the former Ehrenborg Ehrenborg earthworks was converted into a landscape maintenance station with sheepfold in 2022. converted.

The Moorland cycle tour includes a visit to the viewing platform in the Geestmoor nature reserve and the Emsland Moor Museum are must-sees. Interesting Europe's largest moor museum provides interesting and knowledgeable information in two modern exhibition halls about the hard life of the first settlers in the diverse raised bog landscape and industrial peat extraction.

The eye for detail is sharpened - not only only for amateur gardeners - the Garden of the Nazarene in Twist. The beds of the Bible garden around the Nazareth Church are laid out according to medieval laid out according to medieval models. Both medicinal herbs and plants with a close closely related to the Bible. There you can take a final break to round off the day's cycling cycling day before setting off on the journey home.