Garden Art Cancelled, Woodland Fun Booked: Our Hike in the Deister
Last autumn, we discovered the Deister. The hike near Nienstedt had convinced us of the qualities of this 405-meter-high ridge in the Calenberg Uplands, along the northern edge of the Lower Saxon Hills near Hanover. On Komoot, I found an interesting hike that was supposed to combine nature and culture. It has the rather lovely name “Garden Art and Woodland Fun.” That sounded tempting enough to get us out of bed fairly early on Saturday morning and head to the spa town of Bad Nenndorf. However, we hadn’t counted on the fact that Bad Nenndorf was hosting the State Garden Show at the time. Well, that meant the “garden fun” part was already off the table. We didn’t really feel like paying €25 admission, especially since fitting the garden show and the hike into the same day would have been rather tight. So we decided to save the spa gardens for another visit.
Where on earth is the way to the Deister?
After arriving in Bad Nenndorf, we find a parking spot near the railway station. From there, we walk through the pedestrian zone towards the spa park. Along the way, we have an unexpected encounter with the “Everyday People” sculptures by Christel and Laura Lechner, which had also been on display in Braunschweig in 2023. But that’s not all. At the end of the street, just before the spa park, there is an artwork made from 75 tons of special sculpting sand, created by the artist team “Sandcity.” Well, this is off to a promising start. Then, however, we suddenly find ourselves standing in front of a barrier. We can’t get into the park itself — that would cost €25. What a shame.
But now we also have a problem: finding the way onto the Deister. We walk around the entire exhibition grounds and eventually reach the so-called “Gateway to the Deister.” This refers to the Erlengrund, designed by fountain gardener Carl Thon in 1903. The beautiful Bubikopfallee connects the Erlengrund with the spa and landscape park and the Deister. Great — looks like we’re finally on the right track.
One round trip number three, please
Once we reach Cäcilienhöhe, we first take some time to get our bearings. There are three circular hiking routes through the Deister starting from Bad Nenndorf. We choose number three, which is probably the most interesting and also the longest hike. The itinerary includes the Belvedere Tower, Bantorfer Höhe, the Teufelsgrund forest inn, Deister-Alm and Mooshütte — sounds promising. We set off, and first we have to climb uphill to the tower. You can actually climb to the top, too. From up there, you get a lovely view of the surrounding countryside, so of course we take advantage of it. Back down below, we follow the signs for trail number 3. At one point we stray from the route, but a quick look at Google Maps helps us get back on track.
Suddenly, right in the middle of the forest and under a completely clear blue sky, it starts to drizzle. What on earth? Did a bird just poop on our heads, or is this actually rain? Turns out it really is raining, even though there isn’t a cloud in sight. Crazy. Of course, we don’t have an umbrella or any rain gear with us. But that’s not a problem, because a restaurant suddenly appears right before our eyes: the Teufelsbrücke forest inn. Ah, damn. They’re still on holiday. Hmm. There are covered benches in the beer garden, though. So we wait out the shower there and enjoy the food and drinks we brought with us.
A little fuel before the climb
Taking that break was definitely a smart move. Afterwards, the trail heads uphill for quite a while before we finally reach the Kreuzbuche. Here, the routes split up. We choose the trail towards Mooshütte. We’re hoping to find an open restaurant with an outdoor terrace there. And, much to our delight, we’re not disappointed. When we arrive, we find a lovely and cozy forest inn, almost Bavarian in style. Excellent — this looks like our kind of place, so we settle in. It happens to be the day of the local school enrolment ceremonies, so the Mooshütte is pretty busy. Families with children, cake and all the accompanying relatives are streaming into the restaurant.
Once we’ve quenched our thirst, we set off on the way back to Bad Nenndorf. This time, we walk around the exhibition grounds on the other side and make it back to the car without any problems. And yes — just to round things off, it starts drizzling from a completely cloudless sky once again.
Cycling along the Green Belt
The next day, we take things a little easier and set off on our bikes directly from home. Via Wiedelah, we cycle to Lüttgenrode and from there make our way to the former Stötterlingenburg Monastery. Not only is the site completely new to us, but we also discover that there is a checkpoint for the Harz Hiking Needle here. Well, look at that! We follow the cycling route along the Green Belt and arrive in Abbenrode. Here, we want to stop at Café Grünspan. This lovingly decorated café attracts visitors with homemade cakes and delicious drinks.
Verdict: highly recommended!
Abbenrode also has a Mill Hiking Trail, and we decide to take a little look around. However, since the paths are really much more suitable for hiking than cycling, we eventually come to a halt at Otto Mill and decide to save the remaining mills and buildings for another visit.
