NORDPFAD Vörder See - Osteland

Our hike starts at RiesenEi parking lot, one of the parking lots at the Nature and Adventure Parks at Lake Vörder, the city of Bremervörde’s “green jewel.” From here, the path leads through the rhododendron garden to The Sailor in Lake Vörder. The sculpture located in the lake is one of several works of art in the SkulpturenWiese and was created by artist Jonas Kötz from a former dolphin from the Port of Hamburg.

We follow the lakeside promenade to the fork in the path. If you’d like, you can take a detour to Haus am See company, a farmstead rebuilt from the original 1860 structure, featuring, among other things, a restaurant, a beer garden, and an apothecary and cottage garden. In addition, the World of the Senses to gain playful insights and sensory experiences into the secrets and laws of nature.

The NORDPFAD now leads past a playground and the interesting “Tree of the Year” area.We continue our hike, leaving the lake stage and the picnic area behind us, enjoying the quieter stretch of Lake Vörder until we leave it behind and catch sight of the expansive Fresenburgsmoor. On the grassy strip next to the paved dirt road and accompanied by the Moor Canal, we now hike through the silence of the expansive meadow landscape.

Upon arriving at the Fresenburger Canal , we cross it via a small bridge and, shortly thereafter, walk through an idyllic little forest. After about 1 km, we reach Nieder Ochtenhausen with the Historic Granary. Dating back to the 18th century, the granary is approximately 18 m long and 12 m wide and features three stories above the ground floor with large grain storage areas. The grounds also include a shed housing old agricultural equipment.

From Nieder Ochtenhausen, we walk through an open marsh landscape to the Ostedeich. We follow the Oste River upstream and hike along the top of the dike to the Vörder See observation tower, also known as the Ostewiesen observation tower. The covered tower is a great place to take a break and offers views of parts of Lake Vörder and the Osteland region. We continue along the top of the dike to the boat dock. Here, we leave the dike and follow the Oste River along the paved walking and biking path. A short time later, we reach the Bremervörde Harbor, near which there are excellent restaurants and shopping opportunities.

From the harbor, we walk through a pedestrian tunnel to the park at the district office. Over 200 impressive trees from various countries can be seen here. We walk along the Kreishaus until we reach the Bachmann Museum. The 400-year-old building and the moats—some of which are still clearly visible—bear witness to Bremervörde’s former significance as the seat of the Archbishops of Bremen from 1218 onward. (Important Note: Due to extensive renovation work, the Bachmann Museum exhibition is currently closed to visitors. During the renovation, the Bachmann Museum is offering a series of events and educational programs on life during the Mesolithic period at the Stone Age Camp for school groups and children’s birthday parties.)

If you’d like, you can relax by the ponds in the museum park before heading back to the Oste River through the Auepark. Fallow grasslands, shallow water areas with reed beds, and alder forests form a charming landscape along the banks of the upper Oste, which is quite different from the diked lower course of the Oste. With a lot of luck, we might even spot a kingfisher. We walk under the railroad bridge and eventually reach the Ostetal Bridge via a narrow path. A spot perfect for cooling off your feet.

Beyond the bridge, the landscape changes as the trail now leads through the Vorwerk State Forest. Once we reach the edge of the forest, the Vorwerk Viewing Platform offers a good spot to take a break before we continue our hike along soft, shady forest trails and cross an unguarded railroad crossing.

Passing the Old Forest House, we reach Bremervörde once again. Crossing the wooden Vorwerk Bridge takes us over the Oste River a second time and back to Bachmann Museum. We keep to the right, passing the Kreishauspark, the pedestrian tunnel, and Bremervörder Harbor until we’re back at Lake Vörder. We follow the lakeside path toward Seemann. Along the way, a rose garden, water play area, fitness trail, mini-golf and disc golf courses, pedal boat rentals, and the rhododendron garden invite explorers of all ages to take a break before continuing on to Seemann on Lake Vörder and the Giant Egg. From there, a detour leads to Bremervörde’s downtown area with its pedestrian zone as well as to Bremervörder Bahnhof.

Alternate Routes
For those who don’t want to hike quite that far, the following alternate routes are available:

• Route 1 - Vörder See Tour (4.0 km, approx. 1 1/4  hours):
  Start at the RiesenEi, walk around Lake Vörder, and enjoy the nature and adventure park with all its attractions.
  
  
• Option 2 - North Tour (13.7 km, approx. 4 1/2  hours):
  This loop takes you from the RiesenEi to Nieder Ochtenhausen, along the Ostedeich to the intersection, where you can continue on to the Bremervörde harbor or to the Seemann restaurant on Lake Vörder. Follow the latter path to return to the starting point via Vörder Lake.
• Option 3 – South Tour (5.1 km, approx. 1 3/4  hours.):
  From the Bachmann Museum, the route goes through the Auepark to the Ostetal Bridge and from there via the Vorwerk Forest and Vorwerk Bridge back to the starting point.
  
  

Trail Closures
Before your hike, check for possible detours and trail closures—such as those caused by storm damage or flooding—at www.nordpfade.de .

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

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" atkomoot.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 entertaining “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!"