Discover Offenbüttel: Moorland and canal route

Offenbüttel offers a variety of reasons to visit: the Kiel Canal Cycle Route is ideal for active days, while the Offenbüttel Moor offers nature experiences and moorland rides. There are also carriage rides and walking tours, as well as Thode's Farm Café.

The Offenbüttel Moor: restored wetlands and distinctive species

The Offenbüttel Moor is a former raised bog covering around 400 hectares, bordered by the Gieselau and the Kiel Canal. Former grassland and areas acquired for nature conservation have been extensively rewetted since 2013. This has created habitats for specialized moorland plants and animals. The plants include peat mosses, marsh calla and cotton grass. Birds include cranes, snipe, skylarks, meadow pipits, whinchats and stonechats. Two platforms were built as part of the restoration work.

Explore the canal by bike and on foot

The Kiel Canal Cycle Route runs directly through Offenbüttel. One promoted loop follows the canal from Albersdorf via the Offenbüttel Moor and Schafstedt, returning to Albersdorf. Check current route conditions before setting off. Further along the Kiel Canal, the service roads by the water offer opportunities for cycling, strolling, hiking and riding. A diversion on the canal route is signposted via Offenbüttel, Dammsknöll, the pumping station and the Gieselau Canal.

Moorland tours and carriage rides

Moorland tours last around three hours. A carriage and walking tour includes a guided explanation of the moor and a short walk into it. A carriage ride begins with coffee together at Thode's Farm Café; the moor excursion also includes light refreshments made with local wild herbs. Carriage rides are regularly offered in summer. Check before your trip whether your preferred tour is available.

Homemade specialties at Thode's Farm Café

The farm café serves homemade tarts and cakes, ice cream desserts, cream puffs and waffles. Along with the coffee served at the start of the carriage ride, it adds a distinctive culinary touch to the Offenbüttel Moor program.

More ideas in the wider destination of Dithmarschen

In Dithmarschen, the Dithmarscher Landesmuseum in Meldorf offers insights into 1,200 years of Dithmarschen—from the wealth of the farmers’ republic to rural everyday life in the 1960s. Also in Dithmarschen, the Steinzeitpark Dithmarschen offers hands-on activities such as flint knapping, archery, making Stone Age jewelry, fire-making and bread baking. The specific activities may vary depending on the program.

Another option in Dithmarschen is a guided mudflat walk along the coast: at low tide, it reveals the diverse life of the Wadden Sea. Walks are led by knowledgeable local National Park mudflat guides; dates and tides vary. Another hiking option in Dithmarschen is the Kiel Canal Hiking Trail: the first stage in the region is just under 40 kilometers long; the long-distance trail has five stages in total and runs from Meldorf to Kiel.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lehe, Averlak, Kleve, Welmbüttel, Ostrohe, Gudendorf, Oesterdeichstrich, Schülp.

Back to the main travel overview: Dithmarschen.