Discover Vrees: Moorland Landscapes and Riding Trails

Vrees offers several points of interest to consider when planning your trip: the moorland landscapes in the Bockholter Dose Nature Reserve, trails for hiking and riding, and the local heritage house as a historic building and event venue. Depending on whether nature, outdoor activities, or a specific occasion is the focus of your stay, you can choose the topics that best suit your plans.

Experience Moorland Landscapes and Nature

The Vreeser Wiesen are a lowland bog, while the Bockholter Dose is a raised bog. Both are part of the Bockholter Dose Nature Reserve and provide a habitat for many plants and animals. The information boards in the Vreeser Wiesen cover bog plants and animals, beekeeping, landscape management by sheep, and the protection of meadow birds. Two wooden shelters beside the boards provide spots for a picnic.

A wooden boardwalk runs across the Vreeser Wiesen, bordered by heather and purple moor grass. At the Bockholter Dose, an observation tower around ten metres high offers views across the raised bog landscape; numerous bird species can also be observed from there. If you are looking for a longer hiking route, the Dosenmoor Tour runs from Vrees through the nature reserve and is around 15 kilometres long.

Choose Riding Trails by Distance and Landscape

The riding trails vary in length and route. The Plingenberger Steine riding trail is 6.6 to 8.4 kilometres long and runs through woodland. As an optional extension, you can continue to the Plingenberger Steine and along the sand pit. The 9.8-kilometre Herzogsbusch riding trail follows mulched sandy paths through the woodland and along its edge. On the 18.6-kilometre Queckenberg riding trail, there is a shelter beside the route after 6.7 kilometres.

Guided or independent rides can start from the Mimameid Emsland riding station. The station also offers overnight accommodation, paddocks, horse boxes, an open stable, and an indoor riding arena. Confirm arrangements directly with the station before your trip. Conditions on riding and hiking trails may change; check them before your outing.

The Eleonorenwald lies mostly within the municipality of Vrees and is used locally for cycling, hiking, and riding. It is also one of the destinations on the Emsland Route. In the wider Emsland region, this route is a 395-kilometre circular tour through the Northern Ems Valley, the Hümmling, the Bourtanger Moor, the Hase Valley, and Southern Emsland. It connects 19 towns; all towns in Emsland along the route can serve as starting and finishing points. The Emsland Route is very well signposted, mostly flat, paved, and traffic-free, making it especially suitable for beginners and families with children.

The Local Heritage House and Practical Information

The Vrees local heritage house is a historic half-timbered building that opened as a local heritage house in 1992. Celebrations and events can be booked there, including musical performances and kale meals. The programme may change. If a particular date is important for your trip, check the latest event information in advance.

There are six motorhome pitches at the Schützenplatz in Vrees, around 500 metres from the town centre. Pitch information may change; check the latest details before you arrive.

Discover more destinations: Herzlake, Rhede, Düthe, Fresenburg, Heede, Geeste, Lingen (Ems), Kluse.

For the wider travel overview: Emsland.