Cloverleaf Tour 3
Into the Olfen Stever and Lippe floodplains
Cloverleaf Tour 3 is 38 kilometers long (26 kilometers via a shortcut) and takes you to the Stever and Lippe floodplains in Olfen. You cycle along beautiful paths, past castles and palaces through the Münsterland countryside from Lüdinghausen via Seppenrade to Olfen and back to Lüdinghausen. As cloverleaf tour 3 is a circular tour, you can start anywhere. Simply follow the cloverleaf symbol with the number 3.
The Stever between the old canal bridge and a little below the Füchtelner Mühle mill has been designated as a European protected area due to the presence of the European stone loach. The "Stever" FFH area is predominantly embedded in the "Steveraue" nature reserve, which extends in the east from the picturesque old canal bridge to the Hullerner reservoir.
The River Lippe and its floodplain are the central east-west connecting axis for habitats and species in the North Rhine-Westphalian lowlands. It has been designated almost entirely as an FFH and nature conservation area over a length of around 150 km between Dorsten and Lippstadt. Despite the (still) existing bank reinforcements, it offers special habitats for many rare animal and plant species of the watercourses and floodplains. Extensive renaturation of the Lippe and its floodplain is intended to further improve its nature conservation value in future. Here, too, sections will be used and developed with Heck cattle and Konik horses.
The route at a glance
- Length: 38 km
- Riding time: 2.5 hours
- Circuit
- Start and finish at Lüdinghaus
Castles along the route
In addition to the beautiful Münsterland landscape, you can also experience culture on the Cloverleaf Tour 3. Two castles line the route and each has its very own charm.
Vischering Castle: 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.
Lüdinghausen Castle: Just a five-minute walk from the old town, Lüdinghausen Castle is the historical jewel and green oasis in the middle of the town. 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.
Insider tip
From mid-May to mid-October, you can experience the Stever floodplains up close on a raft trip . The Antonia raft sets sail regularly - for groups of up to 15 people and also for individuals on various dates.
Nature and beautiful villages along the route
Along the route, you can experience a lot of nature: You cycle along the canal, pass old tree stands and visit the Klutensee lake and its variety of animals. The Biological Center is also located on Cloverleaf Tour 3.
You also cycle past Olfen and if you like, you have the opportunity to take a short stroll through the town and stop for a bite to eat.
Nile geese - origin: Central and South Africa - this species is one of the most conspicuous newcomers. The animals living here today are descended from released specimens or specimens that have escaped from ornamental husbandry. Their proliferation and spread in Europe began at the end of the last century. As a common tree breeder, it can contribute to the displacement of storks and birds of prey by occupying nests. They can now be found along many bodies of water.
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.
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.
Seppenrad Rose Garden - it was created 40 years ago by committed citizens on a former landfill site and is still maintained by volunteers today - over 700 varieties of roses are a magnet for visitors.
Seppenrad ammonite - the world's largest (!) ammonite was found in the Leversum farming community in 1895. It has a diameter of around 180 cm, a thickness of 40 cm and weighs around 3.5 tons. The original is in the State Museum of Natural History in Münster. Replicas of the three large ammonites found in Seppenrade and Dülmen can be admired at the entrance to the rose garden.
Old oak and beech avenue between Olfen and Seppenrade. Avenues as a typical landscape element of the region. All avenues in North Rhine-Westphalia are protected by law.
You will also pass Olfen on your circular tour. The small town lies between the Stever, Lippe and Dortmund-Ems Canal and forms the scenic transition between the inner Münsterland and the densely wooded Westmünsterland with its individual groups of hills. Stop for a bite to eat!
Hof Grube - The oldest half-timbered farmhouse in northern Germany, whose roots probably go back 1000 years. The oldest preserved components date from the early 16th century, the buildings are privately owned and are currently undergoing extensive renovation.
The Olfen Stever and Lippe floodplains: European protected area
European protection 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 Habitats 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 Stever near Olfen and large parts of the Lippe and its floodplains between Lippstadt and Dorsten are part of this European network of protected areas. Rare and endangered fish species and/or floodplain habitats are the reason for the inclusion of the areas under the EU's protection regime.
View of the "unleashed" Stever: its banks are no longer technically enclosed (east of Füchtelner Mühle).
Historic three-arch bridge - commissioned in 1899 - of the former canal over the Stever with a view of the eastern part of the Stever floodplain grazing project.
Rockfish are 8 to 10 cm large fish that live at the bottom of near-natural watercourses. They need "fresh" sand shifted by the current to find food. Rockfish are nocturnal and crepuscular fish. They feed by "chewing through" sand, ingesting small animals and organic material and expelling the remaining sand through their gills. The few remaining populations in NRW are protected under the Habitats Directive.
Heck cattle are aurochs-like cattle which, together with robust Konik horses, create a near-natural, species-rich pasture landscape.
Successful stork breeding - the Olfen grazing project is the reason for the return of the white stork to our region.
River lampreys belong to the so-called roundmouths, so they are not "real" fish. The adults (up to 50 cm long) live as "external parasites" in the sea, e.g. on herring or cod. When they migrate into flowing waters to spawn, the intestines are regressed and no more food is ingested. The spawn is laid in spawning pits in water depths of 0.3 to 5 meters. The transverse lampreys, as the eyeless and toothless young lampreys are called, live buried in the river bed and filter out organic particles and small animals as food. After 3 to 5 years, the 5 to 9 cm long animals metamorphose into adult roundmouths, which then migrate to the sea. Alongside the Rhine and Sieg, the Lippe is home to the few occurrences in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Füchtelner mill - picturesque and used as a small hydroelectric power station in the tributary. The continuity of the Stever for migrating fish was restored here in 2015 through the construction of a bypass.
