Camping and canoeing at a farm

The first rays of the sunrise behind the horizon and from the distance the chirping of the awakening birds can be heard. The grass glistens wet from the morning dew while both the horses in the pastures and we slowly wake up.

It is quiet and peaceful on this Friday morning in Grafschaft Bentheim in the far west of Lower Saxony. We have the first night of this year’s camping season behind us and at the same time, it was also the first night we spent together in my VW bus. But let’s start from the beginning:

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Relaxing on the farm

With Landvergnügen Germany on the farm

This summer the camping and van life adventure is at the top of our vacation list. Even without Corona we planned to explore Germany and the bordering countries with our van „Günter“ this year.

And so it comes quite convenient that I got the Landvergnügen Stellplatzführer from my parents for my birthday. But what is behind it?

Briefly said: The parking bay leader is a reference book with over 800 participating farms, which Camper with their camper can visit and stand there for 24h free of charge.

When you buy the site guide for 34,90€ you get a vignette which you stick in your car and a membership card which you carry with you. Now you can pick out and visit numerous farms in the book or in the Landvergnügen App.

The Landvergnügen Stellplatzführer 2020

The farms themselves are very different. There are organic farms, old manor houses, wineries. Some specialize in poultry, others in apples, some breed alpacas and others cultivate fish ponds. So I think there is always something to see. With a bit of luck, you can even go to the farms and take a look behind the scenes and into production.

Note: Of course there are good and bad sides as everywhere and both hosts and oh guests of Landvergnügen often have different expectations. Therefore, discussions often arise in the Landvergnügen Facebook group. As a guest, I basically say: Be polite, don’t leave any dirt and if you like the farm and the ambiance, you can buy something delicious from the farm store or leave a small donation for your host. But please don’t feel forced to do so.

Very special moments on some farms

Canoe and camping on the Hanenland farm

Our first camping trip took us to the Grafschaft Bentheim in front of the gates of the small town Nordhorn near the Dutch border. Since we also gave my father the Landvergnügen Guide for Father’s Day, it was more of a small family trip. A few days before I contacted our hostess Mrs. Van Werven and she organized a nice place for us next to her farm café „Hanenhueske“.

The farm „Auf dem Hanenland“ is located directly on the Vechte, a small, leisurely flowing river that meanders through the flat landscape. Directly in front of the farm, there is a popular cycle path, which is why the farm café is very popular, especially during the weekends.

After being welcomed by Mrs. van Werven and a small refreshment in the Hofkaffee, we set off directly across the meadows to the boat landing stage on the Vechte, where the canoes were already waiting for us.

Canoeing fun

In Nordhorn and the surrounding area, there are three canoeing companies, all of which offer several routes along the Vechte and are also relatively similar in price. For the stretch from Hanenland to about Lake Vechte in Nordhorn adults pay about 15,00€.

This route is also very suitable for beginners and children because the river flows quite calm and is not very deep. A weir with a boat slide and another smaller rapids provide some variety.

The tour to the Vechte Lake also passes the Nordhorn Zoo, which is especially interesting for children and therefore attracts many families. 

Through the weir on the Vechte

The Vechte near Nordhorn

Back on the farm we enjoyed the peace and quiet, explored the farm and watched the hustle and bustle in the farm café. Since the Hofcafé is located directly on a popular bicycle route, the traffic was quite high on this beautiful weekend. Due to the proximity of the border, one could hear a constant murmur in German as well as in Dutch.

Towards evening we went to the café ourselves, because we heard at noon that they still barbecue in the evening. The offer was manageable, but that wasn’t bad at all, because that makes the choice easy and the food was excellent. Burgers of organic beef with homemade potato salad or a delicious vegetable quiche rounded off the evening culinarily.

The chickens do not want come as we wished

Big camper, small camper – there is enough space on the farm

Camping at a farm – Our conclusion

I’d say our first camping trip with country fun was a complete success. The first farm is beautifully situated and because of the nearby Vechte, we had great afternoon activities.
We like the concept of country fun, because here you can get to know great farms away from the usual camping sites and with a little luck you can also learn more about farm life. Especially the exchange with nice hosts is fun and the concept is special. We are looking forward to our next short trips.

Which camping experiences have you made so far? Do you still have tips and tricks for great places to stay and beautiful regions in Germany? We are looking forward to your comments.

You can find more information about camping and our vehicle here: 

• Camping in a VW Bus – On the way in a VW T3 Westfalia
• Camping & Co – Our experiences around traveling in a van
• Camping tips and hacks for your van life
• Building your own camping composting toilet