Die Harsefeld-Runde

This very varied day tour takes cyclists on 65 kilometers to a triad of Stade's city flair as start and finish, the fruit-growing area of Altes Land and the vastness of the Stade Geest. A day-filling and at the same time very entertaining round trip.
The day starts at Stade's town harbor and immediately sets the mood for the maritime atmosphere at the beginning of this cycle tour. The route meanders along the eastern bank of the Schwinge towards the Schwingedeich to Melau, before getting closer and closer to the Elbe in Bassenfleth. Fruit plantations and the wide Elbe river line the route, including fresh air from the North Sea. In Hollern-Twielenfleth, an old beacon is in sight and the Venti Amica mill grinds fresh flour for the region. If you are already in need of refreshment, you can take a dip in the outdoor pool with a view of the Elbe. The Elbe does not get any narrower here, it is the Elbe island of Lühesand that you can see here.
In Grünendeich with the House of the Maritime Landscape Lower Elbe, the route continues along the Elbe towards the Lühe jetty. Before you turn your back on the Elbe, a view of the passing ships, the metropolis of Hamburg in the distance and a small snack are a must. With many more impressions, your gaze turns to the picturesque Lühe tributary, which you cross several times. The Hogendiek bridge is predestined for a photo stop. The village of Steinkirchen impresses with its well-kept half-timbered core and the church of St. Martini et Nicolai with its Arp Schnitger organ. On the Steinkirchen side of the Lühe, the tour winds along the small tributary of the Elbe through the Altländer villages of Mittelkirchen, Guderhandviertel and Neuenkirchen. Many half-timbered houses and fruit farms line the picturesque route towards Horneburg, where there is a crafts museum and a castle to see, among other things. On the way to Harsefeld, you pass Bliedersdorf with its listed church in fieldstone masonry.
Through the enchanted floodplain lowlands and side valleys, you reach Harsefeld, where the Garden of Stones is well worth a visit. The monastery park is the heart of the village and well worth a visit. Towards Issendorf with its villa, the route becomes increasingly rural and after marshes and the Geest landscape, the varied route also crosses the Rüstjer Forst forest, which is left again in the direction of the Feerner Moor raised bog and nature reserve. Across the Geest landscape with the village of Dollern, Agathenburg finally comes into view with its castle and castle park and changing art exhibitions. Along the Stade districts of Ottenbeck and Campe, the Burgraben and the old town of Stade with its harbors finally welcome cyclists back to the starting point, the Hanseatic city of Stade.