NORDPFAD Zevener Geest

The NORDPFAD Zevener Geest trail begins at the Zeven Bus Station parking lot and first takes us to the Zeven Monastery Museum. Together with the St. Viti Church, built around 1141 as a Benedictine nunnery, now houses local history collections. We leave the “thick” walls behind us. At multigenerational playground, which is right nearby, we turn right into the Ahe City Forest. Now we walk along the Mehde to the Zeven Natural Swimming Area. If you have time, don’t miss out on a cool foot bath in the Mehde or a swim in the beautifully designed outdoor pool on hot days.

Behind the Naturbad, we follow the road along the bike and walking path heading north. We cross the railroad tracks and hike through a beautiful mixed forest. At the next signpost, we leave the wide forest road and walk through the woods on a nature trail until we come to another wide forest road. Gradually, we leave the forest behind and set our sights on the green and expansive lowlands of the Oste, which flows by on our right. We follow the trail and pass the small Mehde stream. After accompanying us on our hike at times more closely and at times more distantly, it flows into the Oste just past the bridge. The Mehde Rest Area located there is a great spot to take a break. We are now in the small village of Brauel, where we take the local footpath, passing by the bell tower.

Once in Brauel, we cross the B 71 at a traffic light. If it’s open, we can grab a bite to eat at the local inn. We hike through the tranquil village and across a mosaic of fields, meadows, and forests to the Nullmoor. Today, this area is drained by numerous ditches and used for local agriculture. Heading south, we continue on a well-maintained path to the K 143, which we cross. We then turn right onto the bike and pedestrian path there, following the county road toward Godenstedt. After 1.6 km, we finally turn left onto a dirt road toward Badetal. From here, we continue hiking along paths that are close to nature. The gently rolling Geest landscape offers breathtaking views and natural tranquility from this point on. The Bade, a small tributary of the Oste, is our constant companion through the Badetal valley of the same name.

At a trail junction, we come across the NORDPFAD Zwei Mühlen. Both NORDPFAD trails now run together for a short stretch through the forest Godenstedter Holz to Bademühlen Watermill. The fully operational 16th-century mill is idyllically situated on a mill pond fed by the Bade River, offering a romantic setting for a break. After exploring the mill, we leave the historic building behind and continue our hike through the village of the same name. We cross the L 122 and arrive at a covered rest area, from where we have a view of the former Oak Ranch. In the distance, we also catch our first glimpse of the edge of the Großes Holz forest, through which we hike along forest trails and where we first reach the formerZeven-Bademühlen Youth Hostel. From here, the trail takes us deeper and deeper into the northern part of the forest. This large forested area is crossed only by the L 133, which we must cross once again.

Behind the Großes Holz parking lot, our little adventure through the southern forest area of the Großes Holz Recreation Area. A forest nature trail leads us to the large Großes Holz Adventure Playground, where a variety of play structures, swings, and a zip line invite children to run around, climb, explore, and build. Shelters and picnic areas offer the perfect opportunity to take a break and recharge. After a long rest, we continue along the forest nature trail before gradually approaching the edge of the forest again.

We walk a short distance along the L 122 and, upon reaching the first houses, turn left onto a dirt road. Our final leg leads through farmland and past a small grove—where Zeven’s “Kronshusen Memorial” (also known as the “Russian Cemetery”) is located—all the way to Zeven. We walk about 1.5 km through Zeven’s residential areas, past schools, before reaching City Parkand finally arrive at the starting point, the parking lot at the bus station. If you’d like, you’re welcome to explore the city center with its small pedestrian zone and numerous works of art, or the Queen Christine’s House with its sculpture garden . Finally, over a slice of the famous “Zevener Himmelstorte” and a cup of coffee, you can reflect on the beautiful hike.


Connecting with other NORDPFADEN trails
The NORDPFAD runs for a short stretch through the Badetal valley and past the Bademühlen watermill, parallel to NORDPFAD Zwei Mühlen.


Incident Reports
Before your hike, you should check www.nordpfade.de to find out about possible detours and trail disruptions that may occur, 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 Zevener Geest.

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 map is 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!"