66 Seen Weg: along the Löcknitz

Day 9: from Rüdersdorf to Hangelsberg

Back in Rüdersdorf I didn’t have to go far until the Kalksee lake, which connects it with Woltersdorf. It was a very pleasant start of my 9th day of walking, with the lake on my right and trees surrounding me. A big ship passes me on the lake. A small group of children with their teacher are hopping and running along the tiny path. And at the end of the lake lies Woltersdorf, another tourist hot spot. I seem to collect them all on the 66 Seen Weg.

Woltersdorf has another lake, the Flakensee and I join a runner on the shore promenade. After every 100 meters he stops for triceps pushups. The ship I saw earlier comes out of the lock just as I reach the Flakensee. Once again it passes me and will reach Erkner before I do. I only know Erkner as a destination on the S-bahn, but I’d never thought of going there. My walk doesn’t bring me into the town, but it shows me the surprising landscape of the Löcknitz valley.

The valley is named after a little river that I follow for a while. I don’t always clearly see it, but I know it’s by my side in the swampy land. Close to Erkner it’s pretty busy, but after a bridge, where I see mum and dad Swan, carefully swimming with their babies, I head into an empty forest. There is a fair bit of logging going on and I come across a truck that’s loading the stacks of logs. Then I walk past some gardens and reach the highway underpass.

Beyond the underpass I come into a different world. I hear the cars racing by, but I see a beautiful Löcknitz river and a lush landscape. It’s too bad that this little paradise is so close to the highway. It would have been perfect otherwise. I cross a few meadows that at times have sheep, but are empty now. The water is so still that you can see perfect reflections and forget what’s up and down. I’m not even that far from a town, but with some imagination I could be in the middle of nowhere.

After a picnic spot I take a long path through the forest, first past Fangschleuse and then out of the town. It gets more beautiful again, with an idyllic spot at Fontanekiefer. You can reach the water and quietly sit. There is nobody around here. The water makes some pretty turns, with grass sticking out of the muddy shore everywhere. Some thin trees have fallen over across the water. Birds are whistling. The wind blows softly through the leaves.

The last 3 km go from Klein Wall, a popular fishing spot, through the forest to Hangelsberg. There is a very long gravel road that is a bit uninspiring after all you see before that. But it gets you to the train station, from where you can take a direct train to Berlin Ostkreuz.