NORDPFAD Kempowski's idyll

Our starting point for the Northern Trail, with perhaps the most evocative title, Kempowski's Idyll, was at the Nartum Cemetery. There is ample parking there. The trail leads through diverse natural scenery: fields, meadows, woodlands, and moors. In the Steinfelder Holz forest area, you'll be immersed in mixed forest and discover several fascinating sights, including a megalithic tomb. Impressive natural sites include the Steinfelder Holz sand pit, from which you can gaze into the depths of the former sand mining area. Hemelsmoor – a nature reserve with raised bogs and bog forest – offers expansive, atmospheric views, especially from the "Utkiek" lookout point. Walter Kempowski's grave in the Nartum Cemetery is close to the trail. Kreienhoop House, his former home and workplace, is (partially) open to visitors. The Nartum Motor Mill, with its bakehouse and square under oak trees, provides a beautiful culmination of the village. By the way... Kempowski is considered one of the great chroniclers of German everyday life and remembrance culture. His works combine subjective memory with a collective narrative of history, allowing many voices of the "ordinary people" to be heard alongside major historical events. He was both controversial and highly respected: some criticized his distance, others praised his ironic, precise powers of observation. The northern path "Kempowski's Idyll" is named after him because he lived, worked, and found his final resting place in Nartum.

The sun pulled me out. At the weekend, especially when the weather is good, the question always arises as to where the crowds might not be the greatest. And now there is the fact that many paths might not be accessible at the moment because of the flooding. In a landscape that is home to many bog areas, it is also not so easy to get away without mud at this time of year. The choice fell on Nartum, although the Kempowski cult annoys me. It seems as if the Nartumer have nothing more to offer than a native writer. The village looks back on a long history. On a separate website, which is currently re-editing the just completed Buten&Binnen weekly series on Nartum, the history of the village is taken up, among other things. A teacher described the following conditions in 1922: "The youth have become precocious as a result of the war and its aftermath. In the evenings the streets come alive and the inns are filled with young people of both sexes for alcoholic drinks and wild juchhe. Reverence for old age or the The person is dwindling more and more. With the political collapse, a moral and moral decay also seems to go hand in hand." So not much has changed. Only war, at least in our country, can be replaced by other "trials". But actually I just didn't want to drive so far to be outside; and I also wanted to have a nice path. In fact, hardly anyone was out and I had the most beautiful paths through the moor and the sand pit all to myself. And in the most beautiful sunshine! Wonderful.....

A truly beautiful forest trail through the Steinfelder Moor. There are many alternative routes, and I only encountered a few walkers with their dogs.

Oh, if only the weather had been like today. After three days of rain, today was a wonderful hike on the last of the NORTHERN PATHS. Perhaps the sunny weather contributed to our particularly good enjoyment of this route. https://www.nordwaerts.de/aktiv-entspannt/tour/nordpfad-kempowskis-idylle-100258930/ The short hiking holiday is now over; it's back to Schleswig-Holstein. So these were the 24 Northern Paths that gave me four years of hiking material. All of them – without exception – were well marked and provided with numerous benches for breaks. Not every one of the NORTHERN PATHS was spectacular; some were quite average, but all are beautiful in their own way. My thanks go to the Tourist Association of the Rotenburg (Wümme) District, which maintains these trails. Something special has been created.

And off we go to the next north path. The vacation needs to be used 😄 A really wonderful round and we were rewarded with a dream of weather.

A beautiful, quiet north path with a varied landscape. My absolute highlight is the huge area of peat extraction in the Stellingsmoor. Tip for high temperatures: Park Steinfeld and first hike in the direction of Nartum. After that, everything is well shaded 🌝😅🐕🚶‍♀️

The north path runs a part of the Way of St. James Via Baltica. Met a nice pilgrim from Koblenz right away. Buen Camino

The route is really quiet and idyllic. It has many long, straight sections and there are several rest areas on the very long one on the moor.