Visiting Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania most tourists think of sunbathing at the Baltic Sea or discovering the hanseatic cities Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar. But in my opinion the region also has a lot of nature on offer which is worth discovering it, especially by canoe. Before the river Warnow flows through Rostock and into the Baltic Sea, it passes beautiful surroundings with meadows, fields and forests. To every tourist who is passionate about spending time in the nature, I can highly recommend to do some canoeing just an hour away from Rostock.
The route I love the most is situated in the “Warnow-Durchbruchstal” and starts in a little village called Weitendorf. There you find a nice picnic area right next to the river where you can meet your friends or family to start the day of canoeing with. Wait! Surprisingly, you didn’t bring your own canoe to your trip to Mecklenburg? No worries! There are plenty of canoe rentals around the area of the Warnow which will bring the canoe to the starting point of your adventure.
Let’s be honest, not everyone is a born paddler. So, if you’re not an expert in directing a canoe, a few metres through dense reed and a few branches could pass ‘til you get used to it. But after that you can enjoy the beauty of the fields of poppy and corn flower. You paddle along different forests and fields with some cows and sheep on. It is just idyllic! What I like about canoeing on this route the most is that there is no destruction by streets or traffic noise at all. I just appreciate the sound of the river Warnow, the singing birds and the wind blowing through the grass and trees. It feels like a day spa.
When you feel hungry, just park your canoe at the bank of the river, have a picnic or a nice bottle of cider between some hills and get yourself prepared for the last canoeing stage of the day. After a few more kilometres down the river Warnow you will arrive at you destination Eickhof which is a great spot to sleep at. Not only that you can bring your own tent and enjoy the camping feeling at the “Naturdorf Eickhof”, you can also sleep in a hayloft which made my canoeing experience even more country-style and unforgettable.
So, if you’re keen on having an experience in the breath-taking nature of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, you will love the canoeing tour off the beaten tourist track, just as I do every summer when I enjoy that adventure and it’s exactly what I need after some busy days in the city. And I bet you would love it as well!