Hövelhof can be explored through several specific interests: hiking, cycling and insights into the history of the Senne. Hövelhof maintains a hiking trail network of around 79 kilometres; regular inspections and any necessary repairs ensure that the trails are well signposted. The cycling routes are also well developed and marked. They allow for short discovery tours as well as long-distance cycle routes that cross borders; Hövelhof also serves as a starting point for cycling tours. This range gives you the choice between individual routes, a themed destination and a longer cycling route.
Hiking: Moosheide and Forest History
Varied hiking routes lead through dense forests, along fields and over gentle hills in the Moosheide Nature Reserve. There is a hiking car park right next to the Ems Information Centre, serving as a starting point for hikes to the Ems springs and through the nature reserve. This means you can find routes here that explore the springs and the protected area. Two routes also differ in length and theme: the Hövelhof Rally is four kilometres long and starts and ends at Hövelhof Hunting Lodge. The Local History Trail covers around six kilometres, focuses on the history of Hövelhof Forest, and starts and ends at the hiking car park on Von-der-Recke-Straße. This gives you a choice of a shorter route and a longer themed hike, with forest history as the focus of the latter.
Cycling Routes: From Loops to Stages
The 60-kilometre Senne-Parcours Hövelhof cycling loop starts right at Hövelhof railway station. It offers an opportunity to experience the nature, landscape and culture of the Senne region at close quarters. The EmsRadweg follows a different route: it starts at the Ems Information Centre and follows the Ems from there to Emden on the North Sea. It can be cycled in several daily stages. The Senne-Parcours loop and the EmsRadweg stage route offer different formats for a cycling tour. The Hövelhof Mill Tour also passes through a distinctive landscape, crossing the Rixelbruch Nature Reserve with its dunes.
Hunting Lodge, Everyday Life in the Senne and Ems Models
The former hunting lodge in Hövelhof is a listed building, often serves as a landmark of the town and is a popular photo backdrop. The Senne Heritage Centre in Hövelhof-Bentlake uses exhibits and talks to provide insights into the living conditions and way of life of Senne residents around 1900. It has five buildings and around 1,100 square metres of space. On activity days, traditional workshops are put back into operation and bread-making is demonstrated.
At the Ems Information Centre in Hövelhof, children can make the Ems spring from models themselves and guide a ship through the Ems Barrage in Gandersum. The themes covered by the Hövelhof sites therefore range from the history of the Senne forest and life around 1900 to the Ems springs and a model ship route.
Discover more destinations: Salzkotten, Lichtenau, Delbrück, Büren, Bad Lippspringe, Bad Wünnenberg, Barkhausen, Herbram.
For the regional travel overview: Paderborn.
