NORDPFAD Rotenburg Wasserreich (Water Kingdom)

Finally, the time has come again: I've been hiking for what feels like forever! Unfortunately, I spent half the winter with the flu and was sidelined for quite a while. And to be honest, it was probably also my own laziness that kept me from hiking these past few weeks, given the cold and persistent snow. So it's all the more wonderful that I'm feeling better now, spring is slowly arriving, and I was finally able to embark on a hike again. Now for the hike itself: The Rotenburg Water Kingdom North Trail is a very diverse trail. The section in the middle of the hike is particularly beautiful, as it shares part of the route with the Dör't Moor North Trail. There, you walk through heathland and pass Bullensee and Kleinbullensee – two truly lovely spots where a short break is well worth it. But the route itself also has a lot to offer: varied sections across fields, through small stretches of forest, past individual farms, and finally through the town of Rotenburg, which also has plenty to discover. ...`````````````````````````````````````````````)``````````)``````````````````````````` ````````````````` ```` ````````````] What makes this tour so special—and truly lives up to its name, "Rotenburg Water Kingdom"—is the constant presence of various bodies of water. Besides several lakes, you'll also encounter numerous rivers, such as the Wümme and the Wiedau. Water is a constant companion along the way, providing many beautiful and tranquil moments in nature. For me, despite some straight sections, the Nordpfad (North Trail) is a very diverse hiking route. However, those who have already hiked the Nordpfad Dör't Moor will have already seen the main highlights of the Rotenburg Water Kingdom trail. All information about the hiking trail can be found at the following link: https://www.nordwaerts.de/aktiv-entspannt/tour/nordpfad-rotenburger-wasserreich-100258951/ (as of March 6, 2026).

Today we tackled our second Northern Trail. After warming up yesterday, we set off on one of the longest Northern Trails, the "Rotenburg Water Kingdom." A section ran parallel to the Dör't Moor Trail we hiked yesterday, past the large and small Bullensee lakes. The trail offered a variety of landscapes, passing through heathland, forest, and meadows, and through the Wümme lowlands. At the Gotthardt Bridge, we came across a flock of sheep that, like us, wanted to cross the bridge—just going in a different direction than us 😀🐑🐑🐑🐑👍 Although we were already halfway through the Rotenburg town area, we felt removed from civilization. Only a fraction of the long trail ran through the town center and streets. The rest passed through parks, the lowlands of the Wümme, Wiedau, and Rodau rivers. There was a lot of forest, and given the sunny and warm weather, it was wonderful to walk in the shade and watch the sun glint through the trees. It was super quiet, lightly frequented, and the birds chirped diligently in the glorious sunshine. In Rotenburg, we first stopped at the Kneipp pool and the outdoor fitness park at the Heimathaus (local history museum). Then, at a second stop, we enjoyed a delicious ice cream from the ice cream shop in the pedestrian zone before returning to the parking lot at the large Bullensee lake. An all-around successful and varied tour, and anyone who enjoys open-water swimming could have also dipped into the large Bullensee lake. We preferred an outdoor pool.

Very nice tour on a great day. If you like, you can combine the route with the Dör’t Moor North Path. But then you have to walk about 7 kilometers more. But even so, you can take the most beautiful part of Dört Moor with you and also have the great north path Rotenburger Wasserreich

The Rotenburg Water Kingdom North Trail seems to overlap with the Rotenburg Mosquito Kingdom. The damp meadows next to the Wümme, Rodau and Wiedau provide ideal conditions for the beasts and force hikers to not go slower than 5 km/h. But otherwise it is a beautiful and varied tour.

In preparation for the highlight next weekend on the northern paths (Rotenburg Water Kingdom) we have gained some endurance and wanderlust

Start and finish are at the town hall in Rotenburg. (I started from home, so the tour is 5 km longer.) Best hiking weather in the new year and the tour is varied.

We are a little disappointed with this northern path. The name "Wasserreich" raised expectations that were not fulfilled. The route mostly led along forest paths through forests. Only the sections at the Bullensee and along the Wümme lowlands lived up to the name. Marketing seems to have had too much influence here. This also applies to the starting point of the route. Right in front of Rotenburg's town hall. If you arrive by car, which is not recommended, you will have a lot of fun looking for a parking space😡. All parking spaces with a parking disc max. 2 hours. According to Nordpfade, the hike takes 7 hours! Why is no alternative starting point given? A good option would be the Große Bullensee. The Nordpfad "Dör`t Moor" also starts here. This leads along the same path for a while, which is the best part of the Nordpfad "Wasserreich" anyway. (https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/1507671491) If you want to attract people to Rotenburg, you should include a small path along the rivers in Rotenburg in the northern paths.

Last night we found the quiet parking lot by the playground. We can start right there this morning. Perfect! It's still a bit foggy, which enchants the area on the Wümme. The path leads us through the pretty forest on great paths. The nesting box trail is interesting and a somewhat spooky highlight is the huge courtyard sale of pumpkins in Unterstedt, which is guarded by creepy ghosts and spiders. Quickly away from here and on to the small rest area, which is very inviting between fruit trees. Some asphalt follows, but soon we reach the beautiful Grafeler Holz and the old Grafel farm, which seems to be a paradise for family holidays. Another beautiful section is followed by the NSG Großes and Weißes Moor, which we really like, and the Kleine and Große Bullensee. What a wonderful area. We continue to the hands-on and adventure garden Hartmannshof, which is very inviting. The little old barn is delightful. Now we are approaching the flowing waters. We come across the closed Rodau Bridge, which is easy to overcome. It follows Wald, Rodau, Wiedau, then the confluence of the two and finally we come to Rotenburg. Here the big, beautiful church and various sculptures await us. I like the geranium bridge the best. We hike across the castle park with the bakery, honey store and homestead towards Wümme and then through the great forest back to the car park. Conclusion: One of the best northern paths so far, very varied, little asphalt and the parking lot we'll remember for the northern path Wümmeniederung, because it also runs along here. We are also looking forward to Dör't Moor. A successful hiking day.