Cloverleaf Tour 1
To the Venner Moor and the Davert
The cloverleaf tour 1 is 40 kilometers long and takes you to the Venner Moor and the Davert. You cycle along beautiful paths, past castles and palaces through the Münsterland countryside from Lüdinghausen to Ottmatsbocholt, to the Venner Moor and back to Lüdinghausen via Senden. As cloverleaf tour 1 is a circular tour, you can start anywhere. Simply follow the cloverleaf symbol with the number 1.
The Venner Moor is one of the special natural remnants of the historic Münsterland. The peculiarity of the moorland landscape with its waters, heaths and moorland forests, home to many rare dragonfly species and the now rare adder, is unmistakable and enchanting.
The Davert is the largest old woodland area in Kernmünsterland. Its damp oak forests in particular are irreplaceable for nature conservation - not only for the region, but throughout Europe. They form the habitat for our most secretive woodpecker, the middle spotted woodpecker, which has one of the largest populations here in North Rhine-Westphalia. Both areas belong to the EU's Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH) areas, and the Davert is also a European bird sanctuary due to its woodpecker populations.
The route at a glance
- Length: 40 km
- Riding time: 3 hours
- Circular route
- Start and finish at Lüdinghaus
Castles and fortresses along the way
Just a five-minute walk from the old town, Lüdinghausen Castle is a historical jewel and green oasis in the middle of the city. It was probably built in the 13th century as a knight's seat, was then owned by the church for a long time and is now a center for cultural and urban life. The Parc de Taverny and the moated castle landscape extend around the castle: green spaces that invite you to take a stroll.
Vischering Castle is the ideal Münsterland moated castle. With its round main castle in the middle of the moat, it is a popular excursion destination and photo motif. Vischering Castle is home to a museum dedicated to the history of the castle and, as the official portal to the Münsterland castles and palaces region, to the noble houses in the region. It is a five-minute walk from Lüdinghausen Castle, connected by the moated castle landscape. Lüdinghausen's old town can also be reached on foot in less than ten minutes.
The oldest parts of this unusual moated castle date back to the second half of the 15th century. It impresses with the oldest preserved three-tiered gable - a characteristic example of the gable design of many castle houses in the Münsterland region. The three-winged castle in Senden looks back on over 1000 years of history. The complex, which in addition to the manor house consists of an inner courtyard, two moats and an outer bailey, has components dating from the 12th to 18th centuries. Today, new life is being breathed into Schloss Senden: The non-profit association Schloss Senden e.V. took over the entire castle complex in 2015 in order to transform it into a cultural and educational venue.
Kakesbeck Castle is located three kilometers north of Lüdinghausen and is impressive for its size alone. Most of the current building dates back to the period between the 14th and 16th centuries, but its origins date back to around 800. In its heyday, the complex covered an area of almost one square kilometer, had five outer castles and, in addition to the walls, was protected by a good 30,000 m2 of water and a sophisticated system of moats, ramparts, bridges and gates. Since 1971, Kakesbeck Castle has been continuously renovated by its owners - it is now owned by a foundation.
Insider tip
Before or after your bike tour, you can treat yourself to culinary delights at Café Reitstall and enjoy the fantastic view of Vischering Castle. You will find the café in the outer bailey.
Nature along the route
Above all, you can experience a lot of nature along the route: Waters such as the Alte Fahrt (the disused arm of the Dortmund-Ems Canal) and the Klutensee, the variety of animals that can be discovered here and much more. The Biological Center is also located on Cloverleaf Tour 1.
Old section of the Dortmund-Ems Canal between Lüdinghausen and Senden: This nutrient-poor body of water is one of the richest in dragonflies in the Münsterland region.
The fire dragonfly - still Mediterranean 30 years ago, now "thanks" to climate change a native of the old drive between Lüdinghausen and Senden.
The Klutensee is an approximately seven-hectare quarry pond on the outskirts of Lüdinghausen. The nature reserve invites visitors to hike or cycle along the circular hiking trail. Water birds that use the lake as a breeding ground can also be observed.
Canada geese - these wild animals have conquered the whole of Central Europe and are a regular sight on the canal, the Alte Fahrt and many other bodies of water.
Biologisches Zentrum Kreis Coesfeld - has been providing environmental education in the region for years and invites visitors to take a tour of the gardens or attend various courses and workshops.
The Venner Moor and the Davert: wilderness forest and European protected area
Wilderness forest: North Rhine-Westphalia has taken almost 8,000 hectares of state-owned old beech and oak forests out of forestry use in order to create the primeval forests of tomorrow. Forests that are allowed to develop naturally and uninfluenced. All the trees here reach their natural age, i.e. they live for hundreds of years instead of being harvested when they are barely more than 100 years old. This is an important contribution to the preservation and restoration of biodiversity, as old forests with tree hollows and decaying wood are particularly rich in species. The Davert is a focal point of this project in Münsterland.
European conservation area: In order to slow the decline in biodiversity, the European Union supports nature conservation in the member states through its own laws: the Birds Directive (1979) and the Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH) Directive (1992). The aim is to create a network of protected areas to ensure the survival of endangered animal and plant species. There are 518 FFH and 28 bird sanctuaries in North Rhine-Westphalia. Together they account for 8.4% of the state's surface area. Action plans are drawn up for each area and for each species. The success or failure of the work must be reported to the EU every six years. The moorland landscape in the Venne and the Davert forests are part of the FFH areas in Europe
Natural forest: Natural or wilderness forests have a large proportion of standing and lying deadwood. Such forests are very rare and particularly species-rich.
Birch bog forest: After the closure of drainage ditches and the associated rewetting, the bog began to grow again. This takes a lot of time, as the peat growth is only about 1 millimeter per year.
Adder: With a bit of luck, you can experience Germany's only, but not so dangerous, poisonous snake in the Venner Moor. One of the last major occurrences in NRW.
Middle spotted woodpeckers live more secretly than the great spotted woodpeckers, which are similar to them. Because they are more difficult to chop, they need old trees with coarse bark, especially old oaks. The population is one of the five largest in North Rhine-Westphalia.
NABU's grazing project in the Emmerbach floodplain: Since 2012, a near-natural, species-rich pasture landscape has been created here using robust Konik horses and aurochs-like Heck cattle.
Venner Moor: a relict raised bog. Mined until 1964, the moor has since been allowed to regenerate. The moorland waters are the habitat of rare dragonfly species such as the peat mosaic dragonfly.
