Not to be confused with the Milky Way, the Milk Route runs through the sandy heathland, marshes and moors around Stade in Lower Saxony. Set in a picturesque landscape, it consists of four circuits that are approximately 100 km in total, the ideal way to explore dairy farming, past and present, on a cycling tour. According to legend, the Milky Way is made up of the milk of the goddess Hera. But the Milk Route is much more down to earth! It is an opportunity to find out where the milk we get in cartons actually comes from. On all four tours, dairy farmers demonstrate their milking systems and explain how professional dairy farming is practised today.
But let's start right at the very beginning. We recommend that you park your car up in Hude - sit down for a few minutes on the Oste landing stage - enjoy a glass of milk and then set off by bike (the level here is flat and easy going) through the green countryside to the dike in Gräpel. Then take the barge over the river Oste to Brobergen before cycling along this bank of the river to Kranenburg. Calves in igloos? At Jarck Farm the little calves are reared in half-open igloos, well protected from the wind yet with access to plenty of fresh air. While the kids are in the petting zoo, the adults can enjoy some refreshments and learn all about outdoor calf rearing on the farm. Then it's back onto the bike for the "Steel, udders and centrifuges" tour in the Himmelpforten area. At the farms in the sandy heathland around Stade you can experience country life up close and try your hand at milking a rubber udder, transporting bales of hay or broom throwing. After all this physical effort, you will have earned your right to graduate the "De lütte Melkbuer" master course in dairy farming. This fantastic group offer is guaranteed to convince even the most ardent of city-dwellers that not all cows are purple (like the Milka chocolate cow!) and that milk does not really come from a plastic carton.
