County Search for Traces - On the Trail of the Moor

One of the most impressive and significant wetlands in northwestern Germany is the Gildehauser Venn Nature Reserve, located south of Gildehaus. The total area of the reserve is 650 hectares. Intersected by birch forests, moor ponds, and dune ridges, a large and diverse flora spreads out here, which can be admired from two observation towers.
The waters of the Gildehauser Venn are among the most botanically diverse in Lower Saxony and are home to rare plant species such as marsh St. John's wort, yellow-white bedstraw, round-leaved sundew, dwarf birch, and bladderwort. Those who take a close look along the wayside may even be lucky enough to discover one of the rare carnivorous plants, the sundew. In addition to different landscape types such as wet heaths, high moor remnants, and swamp forests, the Gildehauser Venn also hosts a variety of rare bird species, such as the short-eared owl or the golden oriole. The Eurasian curlew, the common emerald damselfly, the common frog, and the common European adder also live here. Those who hike the northern loop of this route will be rewarded with a great view on the Gildehauser Mühlenberg. Here stands the East Mill, a Dutch tower windmill built in the years 1749/1750 from Bentheim sandstone.
Note: Due to its length, the hiking trail is divided into a northern and a southern route and can thus be shortened. The northern route is marked with yellow arrows, the southern with red arrows.