Schwindebecker Heide (39 km) Radtour 6

This bike tour also begins at the Bispingen Tourist Information Office. The first stop is the heathland village of Hützel. From there, the route runs through the former diatomaceous earth quarry and the Spöktal valley to Steinbeck. Kieselgur is a sedimentary rock formed from the protective shells of dead diatoms. The material is a valuable raw material for filters and binding agents.

In the mid-19th century, rich deposits of diatomaceous earth were discovered in the Luhe Valley. Diatomaceous earth was mined for over a hundred years and was a very important economic sector in the community. A milestone in its development was Alfred Nobel’s discovery in Hamburg that diatomaceous earth could be soaked in nitroglycerin to produce the explosive dynamite.

The trail now continues along the B209, following the Luhe River, past the Krüsberg to the Schwindebecker Heide with the Schwinde Spring, on to Soderstorf, and through the forest to Rehrhof. From the birds-of-prey enclosure (permanently closed), the route continues toward Steinbeck and through the Spöktal valley to Hützel until you finally arrive back in Bispingen.


Bispingen – Hützel – Steinbeck – Schwindebeck – Schwinde Spring – Soderstorf – Rehrhof – Raptor Sanctuary – Steinbeck – Hützel – Bispingen