Cloverleaf Tour 4
To the Borkenberge
The cloverleaf tour 4 is 51 kilometers long and takes you to the Borkenberge. You cycle along beautiful paths, past castles and palaces through the Münsterland countryside from Lüdinghausen via Seppenrade to Haltern and back to Lüdinghausen. As cloverleaf tour 4 is a circular tour, you can start anywhere. Simply follow the cloverleaf symbol with the number 4.
Together with the Heubachniederung and the Lavesumer Bruch, the Borkenberge have been designated as a European bird sanctuary. The reason for this is bird species such as woodlark, bluethroat, nightjar and red-backed shrike. In addition, the Borkenberge with its heathland, sand, moorland and forest habitats has been designated as an FFH area of European importance.
In the district of Coesfeld, the core of the area of the "Gagelbruch Borkenberge" and the "Süskenbrocks Moor" have also been designated as a German nature reserve. After 140 years of military use, the area was transferred to the ownership of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) in 2016, but remains largely closed to the public due to dangerous contaminated sites.
The Borkenberge are also an almost unknown gem for the local population. The large number of endangered animal and plant species living here, the irreplaceable, rare and endangered habitats, are a unique testimony to a time when the landscape was not yet over-fertilized.
Time has stood still in the Borkenberge. Here we can see and experience what our landscape looked like back then. This makes the Borkenberge the most valuable and important conservation area in the entire region.
The route at a glance
- Length: 51 km
- Riding time: 3.5 hours
- Circular route
- Start and finish at Lüdinghaus
Castles and fortresses along the way
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.
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.
From the Fliehburg, first mentioned under King Pippin in 758, and its eventful history to today's socio-cultural center. A civic association has successfully campaigned for its preservation and use.
Built in the 18th century by the baroque architect Johann Conrad Schlaun, the Marienkapelle is part of Haus Visbeck, a former knight's castle. The picturesque chapel is open every Sunday and public holiday between 10 am and 5 pm
Insider tip
The Borkenberge airfield is a hive of activity on nice weekends. You could spend hours watching the gliders take off and land. Fortunately, you can do this over coffee and cake in the airfield's beer garden.
Nature and sights along the route
Above all, you can experience a lot of nature along the route: You cycle through the Münsterland countryside, pass many bodies of water and pay a visit to the Klutensee lake and its variety of animals. The Biological Center, Borkenberge airfield and the Seppenrad Rose Garden are also on the Cloverleaf Tour 4.
You will also cycle past the Haltern and Hullern reservoirs and if you like, you can take a break and stop for a bite to eat.
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.
Borkenberge airfield - invites you to rest and stop for a bite to eat. Not only the air traffic, but also the mountain range of the Borkenberge to the south and the expanse of the airfield form a special backdrop.
Meadows on the Linnert - they are part of the large bird sanctuary and connect the Borkenberge with the Teichgut in Hausdülmen and the Lavesumer Bruch.
Lapwing - just a few years ago, the lapwing was still a regular breeding bird in our meadow landscapes, delighting us with its bobbing flights and "kiwit" calls. Today, its populations are largely extinct and limited to a few areas such as the meadows of the Linnert.
Grey herons - now regularly seen hunting frogs, fish, mice and insects again. These stately animals were almost extinct in NRW in the mid-1990s. Only a complete ban on hunting has helped them to get back on their feet - the population is good and stable again.
Halten reservoir - a magnet for the public. It is 3 km long, 2 km wide and offers walkers a 10 km circular route with wonderful views of the lake as well as impressive, idyllic vantage points and rest areas. In the summer months, guests can also hire paddle boats, pedal boats, canoes and rowing boats in good weather and marvel at a variety of sailing boats or take a trip across the lake on the Möwe excursion boat.
Stever - between the Hullern and Haltern reservoirs: Shortly before its mouth, the river shows how it meandered through the landscape in narrow meanders before regulation and how it was naturally lined with old beech trees. Today, it is a popular local recreation area that attracts visitors with canoe trips and invites them to go hiking.
Hullerner Stausee - together with the Halterner Stausee, it forms the basis for the water supply of large parts of the Ruhr region and the western Münsterland. In addition, both bodies of water and their surroundings are very popular local recreation areas and habitats for many waterfowl species.
Cormorants - especially when they hunt in groups, they show what successful fishermen they are. Their true home is coastal waters. Rivers and ponds richly stocked with fish have attracted them to us. For a long time, the Hullern reservoir was a large roosting site for cormorants.
Greylag goose family - Greylag geese have been living at the Hullern reservoir for a long time. in our area they have been released into the wild for hunting purposes. They are the ancestral form of the domestic goose. They are native to northern and eastern Europe and Siberia.
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.
The Borkenberge: European protected area
European protected area: In order to slow down 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 Borkenberge is one of the most important FFH conservation areas in the country and, together with the adjacent Linnert to the west, the Heubachniederung, the fish ponds in Hausdülmen and the Lavesumer Bruch, forms a bird sanctuary covering a good 5000 hectares.
Sand habitats - Due to its history, the Borkenberge offers unique landscapes. The sandy grasslands and heathlands created by Panzer are now an important habitat for numerous animals and plants.
Flowering broom heather - a beautiful sight in late summer.
A habitat for very special plants: Here the medium-sized sundew. Because there are hardly any nutrients available in the moor, the sundew catches its food from the air: small insects that get caught in the secretion droplets are its prey.
Skylark - this species, once typical of the agricultural landscape, has almost disappeared in recent years and can now only be found in special habitats, such as the Borkenberge mountains
Stonechat - with its open/semi-open landscapes, the Borkenberge offers the best living conditions for this otherwise rare breeding bird in the NWR. Stonechats are endangered and protected. They are short-distance migrants that mainly spend the winter in the Mediterranean region.
Tree falcon - the small, elegantly hunting falcon can be observed in the fringes of the Borkenberge. The protected animals are migratory birds and spend the winter in Africa.
Honey buzzards - as food specialists, they feed mainly on wasps, whose nests they dig out, but also on other insects or amphibians, which they prey on foot. The animals, which are also protected, are long-distance migrants that visit their wintering grounds in southern Africa every year. The Borkenberge is one of the most important breeding areas for the honey buzzard in NRW.
Nightjar - this very rare bird species is nocturnal and therefore lives almost in secret. However, the animals can be recognized by their characteristic song. Nightjars are even more demanding in their choice of habitat than woodlarks, as they spend the winter in Africa.
Heath and sand landscape - preserved and created over 140 years through active heath management and the tanks of the former military training area. Maintenance and utilization concepts are needed to preserve this unique landscape in the future. The three Biological Stations in the region have drawn up a proposal for this under the title "Westphalia's Wild West".
Sand lizard - the occurrence of these warmth-loving animals in Westphalia is restricted to dry, sunny habitats, which the Borkenberge mountains offer in abundance. Pictured is a beautifully colored male.
Smooth snake - like thesand lizards, these animals love dry, warm habitats. They also like to sunbathe on paths. Please take care not to accidentally run over them with your bike. Smooth snakes are not poisonous!
Red-backed shr ike - male adult bird with young. Red-backed shrikes prefer open/semi-open habitats with interspersed bushes and trees. They live off the abundance of insects in the heathland. Red-backed shrikes spend the winter in South and East Africa.
Woodlark - a rare species typical of open and semi-open sandy habitats. It can be easily recognized by its beautiful song. Woodlarks are endangered and protected, and their occurrence in NRW is limited to a few suitable habitats. Woodlarks hibernate in south-western Europe.
Redstart - here the colorful male. The birds mainly colonize sparse old-growth forests and semi-open argar landscapes. The sparse pine forests of the Borkenberge with their transitions to heathland and sandy habitats offer them the best breeding conditions. The species' wintering grounds are in northern Africa south of the Sahara.
Typical plants are the bell heather (pink) and the rare bog lily (yellow) in Süskenbrocks Moor.
