Von der „Schiffstelle“ zur alten Ochtum

We walk ahead to the bridge that crosses the Hombach or Leester Mühlbach. Before the bridge, we turn right and walk into the Leester Marsch, always along the meandering stream, past the remains of old dams. We pass the Pastorenwäldchen and can soon climb an artificial hill on the left, from where we have a view of Brinkum with the church tower, towards Bremen and in the direction of Kirchweyhe with the tower of the Felicianuskirche.

We continue towards the highway, cross the connecting path from Weyhe to Brinkum and then take the next junction to the right. We cross a drainage ditch and take the next path to the left towards the highway. At the end, we keep left and walk towards the group of trees behind which the old Ochtum is hidden. We go back, staying on the path parallel to the highway - with a biotope on the left - until we reach a gas station. Now we take the path to the right and find ourselves on the cycle path from Bremen to Weyhe.

Finally we reach the road "Am Weidufer" in Leeste, turn immediately right into "Krumme Reihe", a sign already points to the bridge over the Mühlbach, and thus reach the "Schiffstelle". The path is mostly paved, but can be muddy and rutted in sections. Sturdy footwear is recommended. If there is enough wind, the traffic noise from the highway can be heard. In stronger winds, this hike can be unpleasant. We pass some old dams, which were used to direct the water of the Mühlbach stream onto the meadows and fertilize them with the suspended particles.

The Leester Mühlbach stream once powered the watermill at the entrance to Leeste (Leester Straße). We have reached the highlight of the hike when we reach the old Ochtum arm. Birdwatchers will get their money's worth on this hike: depending on the season, wild ducks, whooper swans, herons, lapwings, pheasants, migrating cranes and many more can be seen. Deer can also be seen. It's worth taking binoculars with you. The Pastorenwäldchen became sadly famous when the body of a missing girl was discovered here after many weeks in 2001. The murder case has not yet been solved.

You can also find the tour at Komoot.

Safety information:

• Throughout the entire tour, please note that the paths are used at your own risk
• No guarantee is given for the usability of the paths
• In the cities/towns, increased attention is generally required
• On the tour, you must expect to encounter danger spots, such as bollards, barriers and unsecured crossings