Lippetal: Floodplains, Birdlife and Cycling Routes

Floodplain landscapes and birdlife

The Lippe and Ahse floodplains give Lippetal a strong connection to nature: visitors can explore floodplain landscapes and observe nature. West of Lippborg, the changing water levels make the dynamics of the Lippe floodplain particularly apparent. During high water, the extensive grasslands and bodies of water are completely flooded. As the water level falls, still waters and damp hollows attract numerous bird species. The landscape and birdlife are thus closely tied to fluctuating water levels. For your planning, this means that you can combine nature-watching here with a look at the different areas of the floodplain. The nine-metre-high observation tower near Hultrop offers sweeping views across the Ahsewiesen nature reserve between Hultrop and Wiltrop. The floodplain’s birdlife and the view from the tower thus represent two distinct nature experiences in Lippetal.

Cycling and guided tours

The Auenland cycling route runs through the Lippe floodplains and the adjacent Ahsewiesen to the south. It covers almost 70 kilometres, extends 37 kilometres from east to west, and connects 14 wildlife-watching spots and rest areas. The route’s total length and east–west extent give you two different ways to gauge your tour; the wildlife-watching spots and rest areas add another focus. The 295-kilometre Römer-Lippe-Route also passes through Lippetal and runs from Detmold to Xanten. Compared with the Auenland cycling route, this is a considerably longer route that crosses the wider region. Further afield, the 100 Castles Route covers 960 kilometres through the Münsterland, offering yet another kind of route.

If you prefer a guided outing, the municipality of Lippetal’s local guides offer cycling tours, walking tours and coach tours year-round. Confirm the current arrangements directly with the local provider. This lets you choose between a cycling tour, a walk and a coach tour without treating the different route options as if they were the same.

Culture in the wider destination of Soest

In the wider destination of Soest, the focus extends beyond nature and cycling to include urban history and museums. With information panels, large-format texts, photographs, graphics and a scale model of the city, the Osthofentor Museum provides an overview of the city’s more than 1,000-year history and its topographical development. The Wilhelm Morgner Museum with RAUM SCHROTH presents temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition of works by the Soest Expressionist Wilhelm Morgner.

The Burghof Museum focuses on the city’s and church’s history. Its themes include engravings by Heinrich Aldegrever (1502 to around 1555) and the exhibition “Everyday Life in the Middle Ages”. Soest therefore offers different ways to explore cultural history, from an overview of the city’s development to art and medieval daily life.

The Soest Feud is a medieval festival held every two years in Soest, bringing together more than 900 participants from 12 European nations. If you would like to include the festival in your travel plans, check the dates and programme before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Lippborg, Vellinghausen, Welver, Rüthen, Bad Sassendorf, Wickede, Warstein, Ense.

Back to the main travel overview: Soest.