Start / Finish: Storkow (Mark) train station
Length / Duration: 34,2 km / approx. 2,5 hours
Public transport: RB24 or S45 to Königs Wusterhausen, then take RB36 to Storkow
Departure public transport: RB36from Storkow
Your highlights:
- Protected: Relaxed half-day tour in the Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park
- Unusual: to walk through the Sahara and climb one of Germany's largest inland dunes.
- Focused: With luck, you might spot an osprey or a white-tailed eagle.
- Sustainable and regional: Try fish straight from the lake
- Refreshing: Use natural bathing spots and rest areas
After the regional train has brought you to Storkow and into the nature park, the best way to start your tour is to get an overview. In the historic setting of Storkow Castle, the nature park's visitor center offers information and stories about the natural and cultural landscape you'll soon be cycling through: riparian forests, wetlands and grasslands, old pine forests, secluded villages, and numerous lakes.
Along the way, you might hear the distinctive call of the bittern from the reeds, the calls of cranes and northern geese, or see eagles and kites circling overhead. The Groß Schauener Seenkette nature reserve is an important breeding, resting, and feeding ground for many species of marsh and water birds, as well as the rare European otter. Parts of it are even designated as wilderness areas within the National Natural Heritage.
Heading south from Storkow, you'll pass the unique salt marshes. Salty groundwater rises to the surface, creating a distinctive layer of vegetation. Information panels explain the geological and botanical features, and the view from the observation tower is definitely worthwhile – not just for birdwatching.
Enjoy fish sustainably and observe the real hunters
Another stop you should definitely make is at the Köllnitz fishery. Here you can enjoy fish with a clear conscience. Sustainable fishing practices are employed on the Heinz Sielmann Foundation's land at the Groß Schauener Lakes, giving rare species enough space and opportunities to survive. You can sample freshly caught fish, such as delicious pike-perch, either in the farm shop with its snack bar or in the Köllnitzer Fischerstuben restaurant. Next door, you'll find Brandenburg's only fishing museum and an exhibition by the Sielmann Foundation on nature conservation.
A nature trail to the Selchow observation tower begins here, providing information about the area and its flora and fauna. Bring your bicycle or take a short hike (45 minutes round trip) to enjoy a fantastic view of the lake from the observation tower and observe cranes, cormorants, black kites, and white-tailed eagles hunting.
The Sahara in the middle of Brandenburg
The tour continues past lakes with hidden natural swimming spots to Bugk. The area directly east of the village is particularly remarkable. The Bugk Sahara is a nutrient-poor and dry sandy area that stretches all the way to the Großer Wucksee lake. You'll be treated to a sweeping view across the sandy plains and ancient pine trees. Among the individual pines, you'll discover silvergrass, mosses, and lichens that lend the forest a fairytale-like appearance. Information panels provide details about this unique habitat.
Rare animal and plant species can also be found on the Waltersberge inland dune in Storkow, where the tour eventually leads you back. An adventure trail provides information about the nearly 70-meter-high dune, which was formed by winds after the last Ice Age. Unique in Germany. The view from the very top, stretching all the way to Lake Storkow, makes the climb worthwhile. Can you spot the voracious antlion, the larva of the antlion fly, lurking in self-constructed sand pits, waiting for prey?
After your desert trip, treat yourself to a homemade elderflower, lemon, and soda lemonade at the nearby restaurant by the vineyard. If that's not enough, you can also cool off at the Storkow lido with its panoramic views of Lake Storkow. And be sure to try the regional ice cream from Ice Guerilla Manufaktur in Beeskow – regional and organic, of course!
Plan your late-riser bike tour to Storkow now!
Info tips for those of you who are particularly interested in nature:
Seasonal calendar nature observation – don’t forget your binoculars!
- January – March: overwintering northern geese, arrival of the cranes, mating of the moor frogs in the first warm days of March
- April June: Arrival of ospreys. Bitterns are calling, cranes and greylag geese are breeding, arrival of many breeding birds (black and red kites, red-backed shrikes, golden orioles, thrush warblers, reed warblers and sedge warblers), flowering of broad-leaved marsh orchids.
- July SeptemberOsprey and crane chicks fledge, autumn migration of lapwings and ducks
- October - DecemberArrival of northern geese, lapwing migration
- year-round: White-tailed eagle
Bathing tips & Co.:
- StorkowBeach at Storkower See with snack bar
- Lake Groß Schauner: small bathing area west of Groß Schauen
- Lake Dobra: two small bathing areas
- Bugker Lake: Bathing area near Schwerin
- Please note that there is limited capacity for bicycle transport on regional trains.
- Storkow (Mark): Storkow Castle, salt marshes, Waltersberge inland dune, Storkow beach
- Groß Schauen chain of lakes: Naturgut Köllnitz with fishing museum, nature trail and observation tower
- Bugk: Bugker Sahara, natural bathing areas at Bugker See and Großer Wucksee
- Dobrasee Farm: Alpaca treks, horse boarding, farm shop with alpaca wool products
Refreshment tips:
- Naturgut Köllnitz: Restaurant "Köllnitzer Fischerstuben", farm shop and snack bar
- Storkow (Mark): Restaurant am Weinberg, Café Burgstübchen, Altstadtcafé with homemade ice cream
Bathing tips & Co.:
- Storkow (Mark): lido at Lake Storkow with snack bar
- Groß Schauner See: small bathing area west of Groß Schauen
- Dobrasee: two small bathing areas
- Bugker See: bathing area near Schwerin
