NORDPFAD Kuhbach-Oste

This hike starts at the Hotel-Restaurant Schröder in Groß Meckelsen. At the end of the parking lot, turn right into the unspoilt Kuhmühler Wald forest, which we hike through to the small settlement of Kuhmühlen.

We cross the district road and follow the path through the gently undulating Geest landscape, which repeatedly offers beautiful distant views. In between, the rest area under the oak trees at the orchard  offers a good opportunity to take a break. The route then continues straight ahead through wide fields, across the L 142 to the forged artwork "Kissed by the sun". Now it is not far to the Hohe Buchen forest area, along the edge of which the NORDPFAD leads. The Hohe Buchen information station including a tree telephone invites you to take a break.

We continue through the residential area of Groß Meckelsen and through a  beautiful spruce and pine forest. Out of the forest, we walk through the lush meadows of the Kuhbachtal valley, where we discover the Kuhbachtal burial mound in the middle of a pasture. It is one of several burial mounds located at the mouth of the Kuhbach stream. Finally, we reach the Kuhbachbrücke bridge near the mouth of the Ostem, the second starting point of this NORDPFADE.

From there, the trail leads us through the deeply incised and densely wooded Ostetal valley. The banks of the meandering Oste offer us colorful flowering plant communities in summer and some bizarre ice and snow formations in winter. With a bit of luck, we may spot kingfishers, grey wagtails or damselflies here. A little later, we cross the country road and leave the Ostetal. Along large fields, we reach the Kuhmühler Wald and a little later the banks of the picturesque mill pond, which is fed by the Kuhbach stream. The mill pond and the historic half-timbered ensemble of the former mill and estate form the heart of the Kuhmühlen recreation area.

The last stage takes us back through the forest and across the Kuhbach stream to the starting point. The light shining through the dense or light canopy leaves offers colorful spectacles along the way. Shortly before our destination, the work of art "The Lovers" and fawn await us. A wooden art object that is linked to a beautiful saga about the region.


Link with other NORDPFADEN
A 4.5 km long access path leads from the "Hohe Buchen" to starting point 1 of the NORDPFADES Börde Sittensen.


Disturbance reports
Before your hike, you should check outwww.nordpfade.de  to find out about possible detour and trail disruptions that may occur, for example due to flooding, storm damage or forestry work.

Marking sign
The marker shows a white "N" on an orange background with the name of the NORDPFAD Kuhbach-Oste.

Signposting
Destination signposts supplement the markings and are placed at prominent points. The signposts list places that are on the route or branch off from it, together with the distance in kilometers. The logo of the respective NORDPFADES is located underneath.

It is around 10 minutes from the A1 highway to the starting points, each of which has an information board and parking facilities.

• Starting point 1: 27419 Groß Meckelsen, Hotel Restaurant Schröder, Am Kuhbach 1
  
• Starting point 2: 27419 Groß Meckelsen, Kuhbachbrücke parking lot
  

There are two parking options available at the NORDPFAD. The respective starting points can also be found there.

• Parking lot 1: 27419 Groß Meckelsen, Hotel Restaurant Schröder, Am Kuhbach 1
  
• Parking lot 2: 27419 Groß Meckelsen, parking lot Kuhbachbrücke

Arrival by bus

• Bus stop: Groß Meckelsen, Kuhbachbrücke, about 200 m from starting point 1 of the NORDPFADE
• Oste-Sprinter - bus route 3860: runs Mon.-Sat. between Tostedt and Zeven, in Tostedt there is a train connection to Hamburg and Bremen
• Info: www.vbn.de

Komoot
We have compiled all 24 circular hiking trails in a separate NORDPFADE collection in the well-known outdoor app. The tours can also be found in the portal under the "Northern Heath" region.

Not yet on Komoot?
There is a free voucher code for new customers.The code is ROW and can be redeemed via "Redeem voucher" atkomoot.de/g or via the link https://komoot.com/de-de/g?code=ROW.

The following brochures are available free of charge at the local tourist information offices and under brochure order. They are also available for download.

• NORDPFADE tour guide
  This small brochure contains everything you need to know about the hiking region.


• NORDPFADE overview map
  The handy leaflet is a small planning aid for the environmentally conscious.
  
  
• NORDPFADE hiking pass
  The stamp-free version for collectors.

There is also a paperback book published by Editon Temmenverlag. An amusingly written "hiking guide" by Lucia Gefken, who escapes her everyday life and starts hiking.

• My NORDPFADE
  Or: "It doesn't always have to be the Way of St. James!"