The Neuland hiking trail

From the former Fichteheim forest restaurant, you walk steadily uphill until you reach a wide fort road exactly 200 m above sea level. The route is almost flat - passing under a high-voltage power line - to Markengrund. Once you reach the southern variant of the Hermannsweg, the Neuland hiking trail leads you along the southern slope of the limestone ridge. At every turn, you will experience a constant change between sand and limestone. After a few twists and turns, the trail reaches its highest point at 250m above sea level. Now you walk just under 250m next to the Autobahn A2. Afterwards, a very special natural monument awaits you: a lime dry grassland, which is a nature reserve due to its rare animal and plant species.

From Gasthaus Deppe (228 m above sea level), a longitudinal valley stretches south of the hiking trail between the central and southern ridges of the Teutoburg Forest. On the north side is the Bielefeld district of Lämmershagen, a medieval settlement founded by the Ravensberg lords. To the south, you have an unobstructed view of the chalk limestone ridge, which is characterized by atmospheric ups and downs. Along the hiking trail there are several houses (nos. 41 and 48) from the early 20th century, which were built from the Osning sandstone quarried here.

TIP: North of the point where the two parts of the Hermannsweg meet again, there is a major geological feature: the Osning sandstone here contains single-ore seams, and coal is also found here. The fact that mining was once carried out here is still documented today by street names such as Kohleweg. A wide, increasingly sandy path branches off to the south in the direction of Markengrund. Marken were communally used agricultural or forestry areas.

Down to the Schopketal, you will come across a burial mound south of the path, which is one of around 250 graves in the Lippe part of the Senne. The trail then follows the nature reserve "Menkhauser Bachtal mit Schopketal" (185m above sea level) with rare flora and fauna.

Info: The Menkhauser stream is one of the few streams with a sufficient volume of water that originates in the Teutoburg Forest and, together with small tributaries, carries water into the Senne all year round.

Our path continues for approx. 800m through the deep valley, then crosses the stream and climbs a short distance in between. At just 160m above sea level, you reach the lowest point of the hiking trail at Haus Neuland.