MFeel it with your big toe and then boldly step in: Through the cool water of the Stever at stork-steps. The unheated natural water treadmill is hidden in the shadow of the medieval sandstone mill. Just right to refresh cyclists’ calves.
The break at the Schulze Westerath mill in Stevertal is good, even if the start of the bike tour in Nottuln is less than ten kilometers away. But that is the advantage of the new Steverland route, which has only been around for two years and which runs 72 kilometers through the Münsterland along the Stever: If you spread the bike tour over two or three days, there is enough time for breaks and experiences and sights. And yet you can get from the source to the mouth.
Perfect for cycle tour beginners, also because there are only a few inclines. The route connects pretty Münsterland towns such as Nottuln, Senden, Lüdinghausen, Olfen and Haltern, where the Stever is even dammed to form a formidable lake before it flows into the Lippe.
Source: Infographic WORLD
At the beginning, before the Schulze Westerath sandstone mill, the Stever is a trickle, collected from several springs in the Baumberge. The water-permeable sand-lime brick makes this possible – and in addition to water it also provides building material: the Baumberger sandstone of the same name. Many castles and mills, town houses and farms that you come across along the way are built from these yellowish stones.
The mill at the Wassertretstelle also bears the yellow stone. It was first mentioned in 1599 and has belonged to the Schulze Westerath family in Stevern for generations. The mill proves that man has always changed the course of the river. Here he dams it up in the mill pond so that it drives the water wheel, today the turbine.
You cycle relaxed on the Steverland route
On the first quarter of the Steverland route you can see stately Münsterland farmsteads made of sandstone as you drive past – the good soil made the farmers great here. The region has always been characterized by agriculture. Man created the landscape – from a moor and swamp area he designed pastures, meadows, fields and forests in alternation. That’s why you often hear the term “Münsterland Parkland”.
In this park landscape you can cycle comfortably, the tour network covers over 4500 signposted kilometers. On the Steverland route you follow the curved “S” as a logo. If it is missing, there is (mostly) a white sign with a red bicycle as a sign in North Rhine-Westphalia. This means that several themed routes run together – which is not uncommon in the Münsterland. Because that can sometimes be confusing, or because you tend to overlook the signs when driving at full speed, or because a construction site is blocking your onward journey, navigation apps or a paper map are useful companions.
One of the watermills on the Stever worth seeing is the one in Lüdinghausen
Source: pa/perspective/p. goat
While the hills of the Baumberge slowly give way to the plain, meadow orchards and cow pastures alternate with fields. The path zigzags to Appelhüllen and the sewage fields there. A bird sanctuary with many shallow bodies of water that used to be a natural sewage treatment plant for the town. The area is now a nature reserve.
One encounters renaturation all the time: Up until the 1970s, river and stream straightening was common practice in Germany, including on the Stever. In the meantime, people are rebuilding nature: Between Appelhüllen and Sending you drive right next to the water on fine gravel and are happy about large stones in the stream bed or open banks. It’s going fast, with anticipation of the highlight of the tour: the moated castles.
The tour takes you past moated castles
These structures are most closely related to the Stever, as its waters flood the moats in the area The ditches called. This is how the castles in the lowlands protected themselves from attackers. The fact that there are so many in Münsterland is due to the cathedral seat in Münster: Prince-bishops have ruled there since 799 and from the Middle Ages gave so-called liege men the seat on moated castles in order to defend the borders of the prince-bishop’s country.
One of these castles is in Senden, it was left to decay for a long time. In 2015 an association was founded and saved the monument, which stands in the water of a diverted Stever arm. Just like Kakesbeck Castle a few kilometers away – another castle saved by private initiative, it dates back to the ninth century, has five outlying castles and fortifications around one kilometer long.
The most beautiful moated castle in the Münsterland: Vischering Castle is located directly on the cycle route
Quelle: picture alliance/imageBROKER/Dr. Wilfried Bahnmüller
A nice stage destination for the first day is Vischering Castle in Lüdinghausen, today the cultural center and seat of the Münsterland Museum. With its almost circular floor plan, tower and oriels, the magnificent moated castle looks like something out of a picture book. As one of the oldest ring mantle castles in Northern Europe, it celebrated its 750th birthday in 2021 – in 1271 Droste Albert von Wulfheim became the first lord of the castle. The anniversary celebrations have been postponed to summer 2022 due to Corona.
The castle’s dependency on climate change is as current as the story is old. The Vischering stands on a substructure made of sensitive wooden poles, like Venice. In dry summers with low water levels, the piles are at risk of rotting in the air. “That was already the case in 1929, the castle threatened to fall apart,” says Swenja Janning, cultural officer for the Coesfeld district. “At that time a concrete ring was built under the castle, which still holds it today. Despite this, we constantly monitor the water level.”
In Olfen, the park landscape becomes wilderness
It is a bit tricky to find out from Lüdinghausen on the cycle path in the direction of Olfen using the suboptimal signage. Especially since the Stever causes confusion because it flows through the city in three arms (Mühlenstever, Vischeringstever, Ostenstever). Where the arms meet, the now broad, dark river is called Stever again, along it we continue, the expanse of the country in front of us.
Rafting on the Stever in the Steveraue nature reserve at the Kökelsum bridge in Olfen
Quelle: picture alliance / Rainer Hackenberg
In Olfen, the park landscape makes way for a small wilderness: semi-wild Konik horses and Heck cattle live here in the nature reserve. A raft with passengers glides by on the broad waters of the Stever; the town of Olfen offers trips with nature guides. They point to the dead trees on the shore and the willows in the water – a reminiscence of the floodplain forests. Rivers and meadows belong together, in Olfen you get the best idea of what the landscape used to look like.
On the home straight towards Haltern am See, the fields are replaced by forests, the wheels now roll on sand under fragrant pine trees. In Hullern and Haltern, the dam dams the Stever water to the lake, from here about a million people are supplied with drinking water.
If you want, you can continue cycling from Haltern along the Lippe and Rhine to the North Sea. But there is already a feeling of the sea here: sailors lean against the wind, rowing boats glide along, a passenger ship called “Möwe” sails between the seaside resort and Vogelinsel. There is also a real sandy beach in Haltern am See. What do you want sea?
Tips and information for the bike tour in Münsterland:
Getting there: If you arrive by train and bike, go to Nottuln-Appelhüllen. From there it is about six kilometers to the starting point of the Steverland route. There is a train station directly at the destination in Haltern am See.
Accomodation: In Lüdinghausen, we recommend the “Bed and Bike” hotel “Steverbett”, in the underground car park the bikes are dry, there are sockets for charging e-bikes, modern rooms, double rooms from 92 euros, steverbett.de. In the countryside south of Lüdinghausen you can stay in the country inn “Zum Steverstrand”, with bicycle garage and charging facilities, beer garden with Westphalian cuisine, double rooms with breakfast from 89 euros, zum-steverstrand.de
Bike routes: Around 4,500 kilometers of cycle paths have been marked out in Münsterland, including twelve premium themed routes, such as the 100 castles route. The 72-kilometre Steverland route follows you for 25 kilometres.
Further information: steverlandroute.de; muensterland.com/tourismus
Now you can also call the Yellow Angels when your bike breaks down
Nobody wants flat tires and jumped chains on a bike tour. The ADAC is now remedying the situation. Members can now also contact the Yellow Angels in the event of a two-wheeler breakdown.
Source: WELT / Merle Giesel