Cycling, Walking and Riding

Many people find that the ideal way to explore and discover the beautiful sights of the biosphere reserve is to go by bicycle.

The 860 km long Elbe Cycleway runs directly through the reserve and it is gaining in popularity all the time. Along the route, cyclists can find accommodation from camping to comfortable hotels, and a wide choice of outlets offering refreshment.

Accompanying this ‘trunk route’ along the river, there are many local cycle and walking paths which are well worth investigating. The area is well provided with information boards, observation towers and information centres which can satisfy your curiosity on all the different aspects of the biosphere reserve, be it the landscape, the wide variety of animal and bird life, the historical settlement structures or the reminders of how life was lived in past times. There are many examples of the typical Low German building style and specially adapted ways of farming to be seen, such as the long, narrow fields called ‘Marschhufen’ in the Lüneburger Elbmarsch, the undulating ‘Wölbäcker’ along the dykes (fields ploughed to achieve more effective drainage), fruit trees in full bloom lining the roads or gnarled old pollarded willows and oaks.

It is an unforgettable experience to get to know the Elbe valley on horseback. A number of riding stables offer a range of equestrian activities, and the increasing interest in leisure riding is reflected in the network of bridleways in the biosphere reserve. These paths have been selected in cooperation with the biosphere reserve administration so as to ensure that specially valuable or sensitive habitats are not negatively affected.