In the footsteps of Droste | Tour tip

If you are as enthusiastic about riding as you are about history and architecture, then this riding route is made for you. Here you can expect stately homes, the beautiful and flat Münsterland park landscape and insights into times gone by.

Starting from your base at the family-run Hotel Haus Hüerländer in Münster, you will begin your day's ride in the footsteps of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff. Parking facilities for trailers are available here and in the immediate vicinity. From here you can reach Haus Rüschhaus via a short ride of approx. 0.5 km.

The snail shell of a famous poet

After the death of her father, the poet Annette von Droste Hülshoff moved with her mother and her sister Jenny to Haus Rüschhaus, only about five kilometres from her birthplace, Burg Hülshoff, where she lived from 1826 to 1846. This is where she wrote "Die Judenbuche" (The Jewish Book), one of Droste's most famous works. The author lived in three small rooms on the mezzanine floor of the Rüschhaus, which she shared with her former nurse. She called her living room, where she retreated to write, her "snail's shell".

By horse to Hülshoff Castle

Continue via a short detour through the farming community of Schonebeck to Hülshoff Castle, approx. 6.5 km away. Let your gaze wander over the magnificent "Münsterland park landscape" and take a "pit stop" at the picturesque moated castle of Hülshoff Castle. The estate is the birthplace of Annette von Droste Hülshoff, where she spent her childhood and youth. Today, the beautiful Renaissance building houses a museum that provides an insight into the life of the poetess and the nobility of the time. In the castle courtyard you can enjoy a stopover with coffee and cake or a Westphalian snack.

From here you ride back into the Aa Valley and follow the picturesque farm tracks, the varied and well-developed bridle paths and the course of the Münstersche Aa. On the way, it's worth making a detour to the Schulte-Walter horse boarding house, where Annette is said to have spent the odd ball evening. The quietly situated farmstead with its stork nests is captivating because of its location in the Aa Valley. The route takes you past Haus Kump, one of the oldest farms in the Münsterland. At the rest area, the horses can be tied to the tying beams for a tour of the Gräftenhof.

On your ride you will cross two water fords and have the opportunity to stop at several rest areas and enjoy the landscape. You will be a welcome guest at the Parkhotel Hohenfeld with its riders' lounge and tying bar. Here or after your return to Haus Hüerländer, you have the opportunity to eat on site in the restaurant of Hotel Hüerländer and reflect on your ride.

The tour tip In the footsteps of Droste at a glance

32 km
Circuits
medium
not signposted
Day tour
Nature/Castles

Münster
Havixbeck

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High on Horseback on the Poetry Trail

Perhaps you will notice some information stations on the route between Hülshoff Castle and Haus Rüschhaus? These are part of the Lyrikweg! Over a distance of about 7 km, the barrier-free outdoor museum informs visitors at 21 stations (10 of them digital) about the famous poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff and her life. Stop here for a moment and learn more about the author.