TERRA.trail 5: Wiehengebirge between Preußisch Oldendorf & Lübbecke

The journey starts at the train station of Bad Holzhausen, a spa town at the Wiehengebirge mountain range. The first stop on our trail outside the town is the ruins of Limberg Castle. The residential tower of this castle, with its partially four-meter thick walls, is still relatively well preserved. It was probably built in the 12th century. Also still intact is the deep castle moat and a part of the gate that led into the outer ward.

Just below the mountain ridge, we follow a forest path westwards and finally arrive at the Wiehenturm, a wooden viewing platform from where we can admire the forest from above. From here, it becomes clear that we have unknowingly wandered onto a side ridge of the Wiehengebirge, namely the "Egge". When descending from the Wiehenturm, please be careful on the main road: on the opposite side, a narrow path leads diagonally down the slope towards the road. Inexperienced riders should rather push their bikes for a short distance.

In the forested area that follows, one would still see miners in the previous century. They worked for the Amalia mine, where a black rock was extracted from 1782 to 1921, often with interruptions, which was long mistaken for coal. Geologists found this coal suspicious from the beginning, as it was not found as a "seam", a uniform layer between other types of rocks, but rather in disorderly cracks and crevices. It wasn't until 1980 that geologist Joachim Koch unveiled the mystery of the coal from Preußisch Oldendorf: "Impsonite" is the name of a material that is formed from petroleum under high heat. And that's exactly what was painstakingly extracted here for so long. There are few traces of mining to be found.

We descend towards Preußisch Oldendorf on a forest path (be cautious in rainy conditions!). Before leaving the path, we pass the Linkenberg, which is now a somewhat overgrown quarry area with impressive rock walls that tell a lot about the geological history.

Passing by a former brickworks, we descend to the northern edge of Preußisch Oldendorf. We cross the railway and the B 65 and reach the flat foothills of the Wiehengebirge. The next 11 kilometers we cycle comfortably through the plains. We pass through Offelten, Bruchflage, Eikel, and Auf der Horst. Finally, we pass by the picturesque Gut Stockhausen, a medieval manor, which is privately owned and unfortunately cannot be visited. However, the exterior view is already impressive.

The next section shows us how drastically human activities can change a landscape. One natural area - two faces. The county road leads us right through the Lübbecke industrial area, and just a few kilometers later, we find ourselves directly in the Nettelstedter Moor nature reserve. Here, a landscape has been preserved that once dominated vast areas several hundred years ago.

At the B 65, we take a closer look at the Königsmühle Eilhausen - it's almost a "must-see" since we are moving through the Mühlenkreis Minden-Lübbecke. The mill was initially built in 1748 as a "Dutch windmill". Around 1900, the upper part was bricked up with bricks, creating a "gallery Dutch windmill."

In a sharp left turn, we see slightly off the road a small natural stone structure that looks somewhat neglected. It is an old lime kiln built in 1945. Six to eight men worked here until the 1950s, producing quicklime for construction purposes and as fertilizer.

Shortly after, we turn right onto a gravel path. It runs along a fence, behind which a large quarry opens up. Those who risk a look back at the end of the excavation site can see the inclined rock layers, which were mined for road gravel production.

We continue on winding forest paths along the northern edge of the mountain range until we finally cross the ridge at Tuddental after a quite tough ascent at a height of 230 meters above sea level. Undoubtedly, we have earned a rest period.

After passing through Hüllhorst, we ride along the "Gartenweg" above the Nachtigallental. Where we turn right into the valley, a sign points to the Lusmühle sulfur bath. Until a few years ago, a bell rang every day at 2 pm in the valley, calling people to the bath. The water from a sulfur spring was brought to pleasant temperatures, and everyone could fight their aches and pains in the strongly smelling water. The spring has been known since 1772 and is considered one of the strongest sulfur springs in North Rhine-Westphalia. However, the future of the bath is uncertain.

We follow the lovely valley upstream again and shortly before turning onto the main road, we have the opportunity to strengthen ourselves for the next mountain crossing. The "Husenmühle" was extensively renovated a few years ago and now serves as a place to stop with a historical background.

Slowly, we are now approaching the Wiehengebirge again, looming somewhat threateningly in front of us. West of the almost 320-meter-high mountain "Heidbrink", the route leads up to the ridge. At the top, signs point to the "Reineberg". However, this is probably referring to the former Reineberg Castle, which was meant to withstand all attacks in this elevation in the middle of the forest. Today, it's hard to imagine how this castle looked like during its heyday. Instead, there is now a wooden ski jump, probably built by mountain bike artists.

On the north side of the mountain, we make large loops on wide forest paths slowly towards the city of Lübbecke. It is definitely worth making a detour into the center. Lübbecke is a medium-sized city that remained almost unscathed during the war and therefore has a beautiful architectural structure. At the southern edge of the city, we pass a side road to the traditional Barre Brewery. - In the "Brauwelt" set up there, visitors can learn everything about the history of brewing and the Barre brewery. - It's better to save the beer tastings for another time and come back. Now the path leads steeply up the western slope of the 318-meter-high Wurzelbrink to the ridge. This is followed by a short descent, but this time we stay slightly higher on the southern slope. Accordingly, the next ascent is shorter, leading us to a hiking parking lot right by the main road. Through the forest, we continue to the next castle complex: Optically unspectacular at first glance but historically significant is the "Babilonie", surrounded by numerous legends. Those who want to explore the site must wander around on foot. From the castle path that we use with our bikes, we only see a part of the ramparts.

In the small village of Obermehnen, we turn left and ride along the flat northern slope through lush orchards. The trees benefit here from the good soils that formed during the last ice age. Now we are approaching the end of the round tour, Bad Holzhausen.

We take stock: Five mountain crossings over 60 kilometers are quite an achievement. And mostly on forest paths. We can be a little proud of that and end the evening in a relaxed and cozy manner. Perhaps with a cool blond beer from crystal-clear mountain spring water.