NORDPFAD Ostetal

Up-to-date information for all hikers of the NORDPFAD Ostetal

Travel 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 local residents and farmers can drive through with their vehicles.
• If you start at starting point 2 in Ober Ochtenhausen, begin the route description at the "Ostebrücke Ober Ochtenhausen" and follow the signs towards the Huvenhoopsmoor nature reserve. 

Thank you for your support!
The municipality of Selsingen

closure of the Oste-Altarm

• For nature conservation reasons, the "detour to the Oste-Altarm" is permanently closed and may no longer be used.
• The path barrier installed there may not be removed or otherwise disabled or "hiked around".
• Violations of both regulations will be prosecuted as an administrative offense.

Thank you for your understanding!
The district of Rotenburg (Wümme) - Lower Nature Conservation Authority and landowner 

Route description

The official NORDPFAD starts around 700 m from the Granstedt parking lot. On the way there, a junction first leads to the Neolithic Grab Mound Field Granstedt. Here you can look through a "shop window" into the interior of a burial mound. A kilometer further on is the somewhat "hidden" Granstedter See, which can also be included at the end of the hike via a short detour.

We continue our hike and reach the starting point of the circular route. Follow the forest path through the forest in the direction of Grangügel Ober Ochtenhausen. At the forest crossroads, we turn off according to the signposts and continue walking.

The landscape gradually opens up and we discover the Grabügel Ober Ochtenhausen, which dates back to the Bronze Age and lies in the middle of a field, on the left. The rest area at the information board is ideal for a short break. Then turn left following the signposts (please pay close attention to the markings on the next section, as the path turns right again after around 500 meters) and walk through small woods and meadows to Friedhof Ober Ochtenhausen and from there to Selsinger Bach.

Shortly afterwards, 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. You can fill up your empty water bottles with tap water at the Oste-Ferienhof. However, we have to leave the path to do this, as the actual hiking trail leads past Ober Ochtenhausen and not through the village.

After a small wood and a few weekend cottages, we hike to the Ostebrücke Ober Ochtenhausen, a popular starting and resting point for canoeists. If you like, you can cool your feet in the Oste here and take a break at a table and bench combination.

Shortly after a second bridge, a 2.2 km long branch leads to the Memorial site Camp Sandbostel. Around 70,000 prisoners of war were held here from 1939-1945. From April 1945, 9,000 prisoners from Neuengamme concentration camp were also held here. Today, some of the 25 buildings can be visited and a modern permanent exhibition provides information about the history of the camp. 

The main path, on the other hand, turns right at the signposts and leads upstream through the western wet meadow valley and grassland of the Oste river, which we will see again and again from now on. After 700 m, the "Tischlein-deck-Dich!" rest area is on the left, flanked by a beautiful landscape frame.  Here you can order a delicious regional meal or a "coffee and cake table" in the countryside in advance. If the table is free, you can of course use it for your own break.

We leave the rest area behind us and continue our hike. A short time later, we cross a small wooden footbridge. The NORDPFAD now runs through a densely overgrown bog birch-pine forest interspersed with ditches, which belongs to the Huvenhoopsmoor nature reserve. Continue straight ahead for 200 meters on a path next to a gently babbling moorland stream. At a gnarled oak tree, where there is also a row of cairns, we turn left. At the end of the raised bog, the path becomes thinner and thinner. A short turn-off leads tothe Ostebrücke rest area.The wooden bridge was rebuilt in 2024 and offers a beautiful view of the Oste.

The route continues through woods and meadows to the idyllic little private lake Seehürnsbarg, which invites you to take a little "time out". A little later, we are treated to fantastic views of the vast landscape of the Huvenhoopsmoor. With a bit of luck, you can hear the trumpeting of the cranes and maybe even spot some "birds of happiness", which come to the fields in small groups to feed in the fall before moving to their night spots in the middle of the moor in the evening.

The last section takes us through the middle of the impressive Ostetal. In part, we also walk directly parallel to the Oste until we cross the dune-lined Oste one last time via the Ostebrücke Granstedt bridge and reach our starting point, the Parking lot Granstedt after about 1 km.


Short variant
The 7.7 km loop (duration approx. 2.5 hours) starts at the Ober Ochtenhausen parking lot and leads across the Huvenhoopsmoor nature reserve to the Ostebrücke rest area. From there, the Oste is crossed and at the forest crossing the trail continues to the Grab Hill Ober Ochtenhausen and the Selsinger Bach to the Ostebrücke Ober Ochtenhausen back.


Link with other NORDPFADEN
An access route (5 km) leads from the Grab Hill Field Granstedt to starting point 1 of the NORDPFADES Zwei Mühlen.


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

Markierungszeichen
Das Markierungszeichen zeigt ein weißes „N“ auf orangem Grund mit dem Namen des NORDPFADES Ostetal. 

Beschilderung
Zielwegweiser ergänzen die Markierung und sind an markanten Stellen platziert. Auf den Wegweisern sind Orte aufgeführt, die sich auf der Strecke befinden oder von dort abzweigen, samt den Entfernungskilometern. Unterhalb befindet sich das Logo des jeweiligen NORDPFADES.

It takes around 30-40 minutes from the A1 freeway and around 50-60 minutes from the A27 to the starting points, where there is an information board and parking facilities.

• Starting point 1: 27446 Granstedt, Peehsbarg, parking lot near Grabhügelfeld Granstedt, 700 m from the NORDPFAD
  
• Starting point 2: 27446 Ober Ochtenhausen, Ostestraße, near the Ostebrücke Ober Ochtenhausen
  

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

Parking lot 1: 27446 Granstedt: Peehsbarg, parking lot near Grabhügelfeld Granstedt, 700 m from the NORDPFAD

• If there are more than 25 cars in the parking lot in Granstedt (starting point 1), please switch to starting point 2 and drive to Ober Ochtenhausen.
  
• If there are fewer than 25 cars, please park on the side of the NORDPFADE information board so that  local residents and farmers can get through with their vehicles.
  

Parking lot 2: 27446 Ober Ochtenhausen: Ostestraße, near the Ostebrücke Ober Ochtenhausen

• Pay attention to the parking instructions on site

Für diesen NORDPFAD besteht keine Anbindung an den ÖPNV.

Komoot
In der bekannten Outdoor-App haben wir alle 24 Rundwanderwege in einer eigenen NORDPFADE-Collection zusammengestellt. Die Touren sind auch im Portal unter der Region "Nördliche Heide" zu finden.

Noch nicht auf Komoot?
Für Neukunden gibt es einen kostenfreien Gutschein-Code. Der Code lautet ROW und kann über "Gutscheinn einlösen" auf komoot.de/g oder unter dem Link https://komoot.com/de-de/g?code=ROW eingelöst werden.

Die folgenden Prospekte sind kostenfrei in den örtlichen Touristinfos und unter Prospektbestellung erhältlich. Dort stehen sie auch als Download zur Verfügung. 

• NORDPFADE-Tourenbegleiter
  Die kleine Broschüre enthält alles Wissenswerte zur Wanderregion.
  


• NORDPFADE-Übersichtskarte
  Das handliche Faltblatt ist die kleine Planungsgrundlage für Umweltbewusste.
  
  
• NORDPFADE-Wanderpass
  Die stempelfreie Variante für Sammler.
  

Zudem gibt es ein Taschenbuch das der Editon Temmenverlag herausgebracht hat. Ein amüsant geschriebener "WanderVERführer" von Lucia Gefken, die ihrem Alltag entflieht und zu wandern beginnt.

• Meine NORDPFADE 
  Oder: "Es muss ja nicht immer der Jakobsweg sein!"
  

Abstecher zu den Granstedter Seen
Direkt nach der Ostebrücke Granstedt führt ein kleiner Pfad rechts zu den Granstedter Seen. Auf einem Pfad geht es hier hoch und runter. Zwei Bänke laden zum Genießen ein. Der kleine Abstecher ist jedoch nicht markiert und ausgeschildert.

Abstecher zur Gedenkstätte Lager Sandbostel
Von 1939-1945 waren mehr als 300.000 Kriegsgefangene und Zililinternierte aus 55 Nationen im Kriegsgefangenenlager Stalag X B untergebracht. Im April 1945 kamen 9.500 Häftlinge aus dem KZ Neuengamme hinzu. Nach der Befreiung am 29.04.1945 wurde ein Teil des Lagers von der britischen Armee niedergebrannt. Heute existieren noch 23 Gebäude aus der Lagerzeit, von denen einige besichtigt werden können. Eine Dauerausstellung informiert über die Geschichte der Gedenkstätte Lager Sansbostel.