66 Seen Weg: lake hopping

From Wensickendorf to Melchow

The train slowly pulls out of Ostkreuz station. Too slow. Nervously I keep an eye on the timetable and the clock. Today I have a tight transfer in Oranienburg, only 4 minutes to catch a bus that only goes once every 2 hours. In Oranienburg I rush down the stairs looking for the bus stops. They’re doing some renovations so all buses are stopping at the same place. On the bus I pass through small town Brandenburg until I see the familiar, lonely looking station of Wensickendorf. I pick up the 66 Seen Weg where I left it yesterday.

The first part isn’t very interesting. It seems that way with almost every day; it doesn’t get good until you’re well on your way. After about 4 km I can walk along my first lake of the day: the Stolzenhagener See. This is where it gets interesting. It’s a short, but beautiful path between the lake and people’s backyards. Pretty much all of them have a little boat ramp, with or without boat. At the end there is a campground and the start of the bigger Wandlitzer See. In GDR times Erich Honecker had a house here and it stays popular. For the most part I don’t even see the lake, because massive properties with beautiful houses are in the way. Closer to the center of Wandlitz I get a better view, but for the most part the shore has private gardens.

On the other side of town I enter a big forest with many walk and bike trails. The signage is actually really good wherever I go today. I see many signs indicating distances and I rely much less on my guidebook. I’m at the Liepnitzsee. I bet it would be great here on a hot summer’s day. There is a small ferry that goes to the island in the lake and there is plenty of space for rowing, swimming or fishing.

After a long forest road past Ützdorf I cross the highway and find the surprising Obersee. It’s small, but very pretty. In the town Lanke I find a closed restaurant, but benches with lakeview which are perfect for lunch. You could even swim here on a warmer day. On the other side is the stretched out Hellsee, that is surrounded by forest. Walking here is very pleasant and a bit quieter than around Wandlitz. Most people I see are fishermen, hoping to catch some catfish or zander.

When I leave the lake I find the Hellmühler Fliess. My book describes this path as wildly romantic. It is! The stream meanders and so does the small path alongside it. I truly feel like I am in a little valley of peace and I don’t see anyone. At the end there’s a book where walkers can leave a name. Then the path continues through the lush Biesenthaler Becken until you reach Biesenthal, which is actually a fairly big town. The road to the Biesenthal train station is extremely boring and a seemingly never-ending straight one (apparently it ends after 2km). Then the path dives into the forest for the last stretch parallel to the train tracks to Melchow station.