Badendorf: Hiking and Cycling in the Wüstenei

Badendorf is located on the edge of the Wüstenei nature reserve. Its landscape includes bodies of water, meadows, wooded areas, forest, hedgerows and small streams. Only part of the area is accessible to visitors; in this section, you can go for walks, cycle and jog. This means the Wüstenei offers nature experiences within a clearly defined visitor area.

The Wüstenei: Nature with Access Rules

Cars and motorcycles are not permitted in the accessible area, and dogs must be kept on a leash. Military exercises may temporarily interrupt access. Before setting out, check the visitor rules and current access situation. This will help you plan your activities in keeping with the landscape and the conditions in force.

Hiking and Cycling in Badendorf

A municipal brochure from June 2020 describes an extensive network of cycle paths in and around Badendorf and places the local area within reach of longer hiking and cycling trips. The path network may have changed, so check the current route before planning a specific trip. Information about longer routes and the Wüstenei’s explicitly limited visitor area answer two different questions: for a trip, the route is important; for a visit to the nature reserve, it is access that matters.

Stormarn: Nature and Culture on a Broader Scale

The wider Stormarn destination lies in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, between Hamburg and Lübeck, and is well suited to day trips. Extensive forest and moorland landscapes define Stormarn. Hahnheide, Stormarn’s largest nature reserve, offers ample hiking opportunities. Brenner Moor is Schleswig-Holstein’s largest inland salt marsh; it has a section along a wooden boardwalk and a trail with ten observation points. Stormarn therefore offers both extensive hiking opportunities and a specific observation trail, providing different ways to experience nature.

Stormarn also offers cyclists a range of route types: more than 20 circular cycling tours and BahnRadWege (railway cycle routes) along disused railway lines. Circular tours and former railway lines offer different planning options, without implying any particular route length.

Castles and Pond History in Stormarn

Ahrensburg Castle was completed in 1585 and has served continuously as a museum since 1955. Another example of nature and history in the wider Stormarn destination is Herrenteich pond in Reinfeld. The nature trail there is a four-kilometre circular route with 16 stations right at the edge of the “Oberer Herrenteich” nature reserve. Cistercian monks created the pond in the 12th century as an artificial reservoir on the Heilsau for fish farming. Today’s route and nature experiences thus connect with the history of a man-made body of water.

When choosing where to stay, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on: in Badendorf, the Wüstenei and outdoor activities take centre stage; the wider Stormarn destination broadens the picture with further moorland, forest and cultural experiences. For a visit to the Wüstenei, access conditions matter; for a specific longer trip, check the current route.

Discover more destinations: Reinbek, Barsbüttel, Travenbrück, Großhansdorf, Mönkhagen, Köthel, Reinfeld, Grabau

Back to the wider travel overview: Stormarn.