Luneburg Heath. Schneverdingen

Last Updated on 08/03/2023

Before, I did not understand why tourists visit the Luneburg Heath in such an amazing amount. But now I know and I will always be glad to come back again.

Heath is something amazing. It would seem that it should be just depressing: swampy landscape, clusters of trees here and there. But instead, you have a sense of freedom. The smell of pines and heather, the buzzing of bees – you can walk endlessly.

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In Schneverdingen, my secret purpose was to see the heathland – when else we will be there at the right time (heather blooms in August). But I wasn’t sure if the family would approve of a flower walk. Therefore, expensive entertainment in the area was called as a cover: Heidepark amusement park, bird park. My men were also thinking about the tank museum. But, to my delight, we were so captured by the landscapes that most of the time was devoted to walks in the heathland and swamps, and instead of attractions, children were given a visit to the Kiekeberg open-air museum.

There are, of course, too many lovers of this natural miracle, especially pensioners. But the distances are long and pensioners, most of whom are brought in for a short time by buses, simply do not get to some place. So you can easily find a place where you will feel completely alone, if you walk further from the town.

Luneburg Heath in Schneverdingen

Schneverdingen is convenient because there is heathland directly delivered to your accomodation: they surround the city. Came by train with a bike, or rented a bike right there, or took a local tourist bus (Heideschuttle) to strategic points. For tourists without a car, this is the most convenient starting point.

But for those who are by car, especially locals, other, much less trampled places are suitable. The heathland map is available on the reserve’s website, flowering areas are indicated in purple (link and link)

The main thing – do not forget to pay attention to the mileage: the city is large enough, although it looks small on schematic tourist maps, and the surrounding heathlands, respectively, are also rather big.

Additional entertainment to the landscapes: heather garden, carriage rides and sheep.

Carriages for unorganized tourists is offered by the tourist office, the schedule is on the tourist website of the city. The carriages are pulled by mighty heavy horses.

Sheep, on the other hand, do not ride anyone, but they enliven the landscape. At the same time, they trim the heathland. It helps to keep it from afforest naturally. Well, the side effect in the form of milk and wool has not been canceled.

Heidegarten

A wide variety of heathers are planted in the heather garden. It is small, you can bypass it completely in 15-20 minutes. You will find Heidegarten in the northen part of Schneverdingen.

Schnucken

The local sheep are called Schnucken. During the day, sheep graze in different parts of the heathland, and it is not possible to find out exactly where they can be found. But there is a place where they will be guaranteed.

Further north from Heidegarten, through a forest and a heather meadow, there will be a parking lot, a bus stop and a sheepfold, from where they are driven out to graze at about 10.30 every day and driven back between 17 and 18 hours.

A significant number of grandfathers and grandmothers come running to sheep. Here the strategy is simple: wait until the sheep are driven out, and the tourists will reach their buses. Now you can start taking pictures quite calmly, almost completely alone.

Schnucken are very cute, but also shy. They are asked not to come close to them …

as well as their four-legged shepherds.

A shepherd in a black cloak, with a backpack under the cloak, which forms a kind of hump, is very aged. All the work with the sheep and dogs was done not by him, but by the man in green. Obviously, they were saving their shepherd’s strength.

When the audience leaves, the sheep are calmly led to where it was originally planned. And it happens very quickly: a couple of minutes – they have already disappeared.

Sheepfold

You can see many horses here. During this vacation, I more than once regretted that horses perceive me exclusively as a pack load – the heathland is a wonderful place for horseback holidays. They offer “holidays with horses”, there are specialized trails for horses everywhere.

We move to another heather meadow – in fact, a big heathland more than five kilometers long. It covers the city from the east. Here the concentration of people is higher, more walking with feet, bicycles and carriages.

Heather looks different under different lighting conditions. I liked more the softer version with high clouds, but without the sun. In the sun, large areas appear brown, meanwhile the heather is in fact lilac.

Apiary. The air is ringing from the bees. But I did not find heather honey on sale: everything is filled with rapeseed honey.

Three panoramas cover 180 degrees of the field of view.

True color of heather.

I read about dung beetles, but I never saw them. There are a lot of them in the heathlands.

Pietzmoor

Say goodbye to the wastelands. Finally, the Pietzmoor swamp on the southern outskirts of the city.

Swamp in the rain – what could be more romantic? 🙂 Moreover, we have just read “The Dog of the Baskervilles” with the eldest child.

It also has its own heather.

Wooden platforms are very, very slippery in the rain.

Turf was obtained in the swamps. The places where the turf was cut were filled with water.

Other parts of the photo report on the trip north to watt – by #North Germany.
All sights of the region – on the map of attractions.