NORDPFAD Wümme und Vareler Heide

The NORDPFAD starts at the Meyerhof farm in Scheeßel, part of Scheeßel's local history museum. The idyllic farmstead under the oak trees consists of a main house and six outbuildings. There has been a permanent blueprint exhibition on the Meyerhof site since 2020. The local heritage association has put together a unique collection in the Weberhaus. Blueprinting is an ancient dyeing craft that has also been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since the end of 2018.

From here, a narrow footpath leads across the Beeke, through the surrounding wet meadows and a residential area, until we reach the Scheeßel home museum grounds with its "Niederdeutsche Hallenhaus" and half-timbered buildings. The site is predestined for a special photo stop. We first leave the grounds through the residential area until the path turns into a narrow footpath.

Now it's 1.6 km along the beautiful Wümme floodplain landscape. The NORDPFAD is sometimes wider - but also very narrow. There are always great views of the Wümme flowing below. The Hohes Wümmeufer rest area and the Wümmestrand beach are great places to take a break. Paddlers often pass by here and, with a bit of luck, we may even see a kingfisher.

At the end of the footpath, we reach the L 130. We follow the cycle and footpath to the left and carefully cross the L 130 to the right after 350 m. We then continue on natural paths through the open fields to the picturesque Griemshoop farm, which is still in active use today.
Shortly after the end of the village, we follow the field path on the left, which leads us through a varied cultural landscape to Rehr, where we continue on the left. After 500 m on the footpath and cycle path, we enter the Lauenbrück forest. Soft and shady forest paths lead us through the dense coniferous forest to a fork in the road, where theRuheForstforest burial ground was established in 2019. At the entrance to the RuheForst, which is located directly on the NORDPFAD, a large, open shelter has also been set up for guests. This and the benches in the RuheForst can also be used by NORDPFADE hikers, provided there is no funeral service taking place.

From the RuheForst, it is also worth taking the 850 m detour to LandPark Lauenbrück, a barrier-free animal and landscape park with a café-restaurant and WC. A detour to Lauenbrück, approx. 1.9 km away, is also possible.

Back at the fork in the forest, the forest path continues through dense undergrowth to the B 75, where we carefully cross the main road and arrive at Haus Wümmetal . We reach thesensory garden with sound station, berry and fragrance trail, pavilion and wooden sculptures through the foyer of the retirement and care center.

After 600 m on the footpath and cycle path along the B 75, we cross it again and enter a mixed forest. In summer, huge ferns line this section of the path. At the end of the forest path, we cross a small wooden bridge. The expanse of the Varel Heath then opens up before us, a classically beautiful undulating dune landscape with broom heather and juniper. We walk through the heath on a narrow path. Here we come across the Elbe sandstone sculpture "Encounter" by artist Gisela Milse. "Two people standing close together, touching each other, looking out into the world together. But the sculpture can also be perceived as one person, a confrontation with one's own parts, an inner encounter," says the artist. Individual benches along the path invite you to rest and relax before we rejoin the main path and reach the Vareler Heide sheepfold, the shelter of the Schnucken herd.

The "Varel shelter" rest area , 600 m away, invites you to take a break with a "roof over your head", which was built for hikers in 2022 by the Vareler Heide interest group. Finally, we reach the L 130, which we cross again. We follow the familiar path along the Wümme back to Meyerhof Scheeßel , where a path leads to the town hall park and the center of Scheeßel with its numerous places to stop for refreshments and shopping.


Variants
For those who don't want to walk that far, the following options are available:

• Short variant (9.5 km/ approx. 3.0 hours):
  This leads from LandPark Lauenbrück to Vareler Heide and back to LandPark via Griemshoop.
  
  
• Route variant (10.7 km / approx. 3 1/2 hours):
  From Lauenbrück railroad station, about 2.2 km from the NORDPFAD, the route goes via LandPark Lauenbrück, Vareler Heide, along the Wümme and via Scheeßeler Meyerhof (a total of 7.2 km) to Scheeßel railroad station (a further 1.3 km).

Networking with other NORDPFADEN trails
A 1.6 km long access path leads from Meyerhof to starting point 1 of the NORDPFAD Kirchsteg-Moore-Bäche.


Disturbance reports
Before your hike, you should checkwww.nordpfade.defor information about possible detour and disruptions to the trail, for example due to flooding, storm damage or forestry work.

Marker
The marker shows a white "N" on an orange background with the name of the NORDPFAD Wümme and Vareler Heide

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 30 minutes from the A1 and A27 highways to the starting points, each of which has an information board and parking facilities.

• Starting point 1: 27383 Scheeßel, Meyerhof, Am Meyerhof
• Starting point 2: 27389 Lauenbrück, LandPark Lauenbrück, Wildpark 1, around 850 m from the NORDPFAD - signposted via an access path.
• Starting point 3: 27383 Scheeßel, Bahnhof-Westeingang, Am Bahnhof, 1.3 km from the NORDPFAD - signposted via an access route.

Three parking facilities are available at the NORDPFAD. The respective starting points can also be found there.

• Parking lot 1: 27383 Scheeßel, Meyerhof, Am Meyerhof
• Parking lot 2: 27389 Lauenbrück, LandPark Lauenbrück, Wildpark 1, about 850 m from the NORDPFAD - signposted via an access road.
• Parking lot 3: 27383 Scheeßel, Bahnhof-Westeingang, Am Bahnhof, 1.3 km from the NORDPFAD - signposted via an access route.

Arrival by train

• Train stations: Scheeßel, approx. 1.3 km from starting point 1, the Meyerhof, and Lauenbrück, approx. 2.2 km from starting point 2, the LandPark Lauenbrück
• "Metronom Regio" train: runs daily between Hamburg and Bremen
• Info: www.der-metronom.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" 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 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 pocket 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!"