NORDPFAD Ostetal

Important Information

Traveling by car to Starting Point 1 in Granstedt

• If there are more than 25 cars in the parking lot in Granstedt (Starting Point 1), please drive to Starting Point 2 in Ober Ochtenhausen (Ostestraße). If there are fewer than 25 cars, please park on the side of the NORDPFADE information board so that residents and farmers can drive through with their vehicles.
• If you’re starting at Starting Point 2 in Ober Ochtenhausen, begin by following the route description at the “Oste Bridge in Ober Ochtenhausen” and follow the signs toward the Huvenhoopsmoor Nature Reserve.

Closure of the Oste Old Channel

• For nature conservation reasons, the “detour to the Oste oxbow lake” is permanently closed and may no longer be used.
• The barrier installed there to block the path must not be removed, rendered inoperable in any other way, or “bypassed.”
• Violations of either of these regulations will be prosecuted as administrative offenses.
  
  

Route Description
The official NORDPFAD trail begins about 700 meters from the Granstedt parking lot. On the way there, a side trail first leads to the Neolithic burial mound field at Granstedt. Here, you can peer inside a burial mound through a “viewing window.” One kilometer further on is the somewhat “hidden” Granstedter See, which you can also easily include at the end of the hike by taking a short detour.
We continue our hike and arrive at the starting point of the loop trail. Following the forest road, we head through the woods toward the Ober Ochtenhausen burial mound. At the forest intersection, we turn according to the trail markers and continue hiking.

Gradually, the landscape opens up, and on the left we spot the Ober Ochtenhausen burial mound, dating back to the Bronze Age, which lies in the middle of a field. The rest area by the information board is a good spot for a short break. Afterward, we turn left as indicated by the signs (please pay close attention to the markings on the next section, as we’ll turn right again after about 500 meters) and hike through small woods and meadows to the Ober Ochtenhausen cemetery and from there to the Selsinger Bach.

Shortly afterward, we reach Ober Ochtenhausen. The village is characterized above all by its stately farmhouses, which are exemplary of Low German half-timbered architecture and are also known as “Hallenhäuser.” There are several places to stay overnight in the village. At the Oste-Ferienhof, you can refill your empty water bottles with tap water. To do this, however, we’ll need to leave the trail, as the actual hiking trail passes by Ober Ochtenhausen rather than going through the village.

After passing through a small grove and a few weekend cottages, we hike to the Oste Bridge in Ober Ochtenhausen, a popular starting point and rest stop for canoeists. Anyone who wishes can cool their feet in the Oste here and take a break at a table-and-bench set.

Shortly after a second bridge, a 2.2-kilometer-long side trail leads to the Sandbostel Camp Memorial. From 1939 to 1945, approximately 70,000 prisoners of war were held here. Starting in April 1945, 9,000 prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp were also transferred here. Today, some of the 25 buildings are open to the public, and a modern permanent exhibition provides information about the camp’s history.

The main trail, however, turns right at the signposts and leads upstream through the western Feuchtwiesental valley and the grasslands along the Oste River, which we’ll see again and again from here on. After 700 m, on the left, is the “Tischlein-deck-Dich!” rest area, set against a magnificent landscape. Here, if you order in advance, you can enjoy a delicious meal or even “coffee and cake” in the great outdoors. If a table is free, you’re welcome to use it for your own break, of course.

We leave the rest area behind and continue hiking. A short time later, we cross a small wooden footbridge. The NORDPFAD now winds through a moor birch-pine forest crisscrossed by ditches and densely overgrown, which is part of the Huvenhoopsmoor Nature Reserve . We walk straight ahead for 200 meters on a path alongside a gently babbling moor stream. At a gnarled oak tree, where a row of cairns stands, we turn left. At the edge of the raised bog, the vegetation becomes sparser and sparser. A short detour leadsto the Ostebrücke rest area. The wooden bridge was rebuilt in 2024 and offers a beautiful view of the Oste River.

The trail continues through woods and fields to the idyllic little private lake Seehürnsbarg, which invites you to take a short “break.” A little later, we’re treated to fantastic distant views of the vast landscape of the Huvenhoopsmoor. With a little luck, you can hear the trumpeting of the cranes and perhaps even spot a few “birds of good fortune,” which come to the fields in small groups in the fall to forage before returning to their roosts in the middle of the raised bog in the evening.

The final section takes us right through the impressive Ostetal valley. In some parts, we walk directly parallel to the Oste River until we cross the dune-lined Oste one last time via the Granstedt Oste Bridge and, after about 1 km, reach our starting point, the Granstedt parking lot .

Short Version
The 7.7 km loop (duration approx. 2.5 hours) starts at the Ober Ochtenhausen parking lot and leads through the Huvenhoopsmoor Nature Reserve to the Oste Bridge rest area. From there, you cross the Oste River, and at the forest intersection, the trail continues to the Ober Ochtenhausen burial mound and the Selsinger Stream before returning to the Ober Ochtenhausen Oste Bridge.

Connections to Other NORDPFAD Routes
A 5-km access trail leads from the Granstedt burial mounds to starting point 1 of the NORDPFAD “Zwei Mühlen.”

Trail Disruptions
Before your hike, you should checkwww.nordpfade.de for information on possible detours and trail disruptions that may occur due to, for example, flooding, storm damage, or forestry work.

Marker
The marker shows a white "N" on an orange background with the name of the NORDPFAD Ostetal.

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.

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" at komoot.de/g or via the link https://komoot.com/de-de/g?code=ROW.

The following brochures are available free of charge at local tourist information offices and at Brochure Order. They are also available for download there. 

• NORDPFADE Tour Guide
  This small brochure contains everything you need to know about the hiking region.
  
• NORDPFADE Overview Map
  This handy fold-out leaflet serves as a compact planning guide for the environmentally conscious.
• NORDPFADE Hiking Pass
  The stamp-free version for collectors.

There is also a paperback published by Editon Temmenverlag has published. An entertainingly written “hiking guide” by Lucia Gefken, who escapes her everyday life and takes up hiking.

• My NORDPFADE 
  Or: "It doesn't always have to be the Camino de Santiago!"
  

A Detour to the Granstedt Lakes
Immediately after the Oste Bridge in Granstedt, a small path on the right leads to the Granstedt Lakes. The path winds up and down here. Two benches invite you to take a break and enjoy the view. However, this short detour is not marked or signposted.

Side Trip to the Sandbostel Camp Memorial
From 1939 to 1945, more than 300,000 prisoners of war and civilian internees from 55 nations were held at the Stalag X B prisoner-of-war camp. In April 1945, 9,500 prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp were added to the camp. After the liberation on April 29, 1945, part of the camp was burned down by the British Army. Today, 23 buildings from the camp era still stand, some of which are open to the public. A permanent exhibition provides information on the history of Sansboste Camp Memoriall.