Tour 14 began a little chaotically and unexpectedly compared to other legs of the 66-Lakes-Trail. My colleague, Daniel, was going to tag along this time and was up for camping too! Initially, I had researched doing tour 7 over the weekend (which begins in Leuenberg) but starting from Falkenberg to make the tour last two days. Upon discovering that it takes 2 hours and more euros than usual to get to Falkenberg from Berlin, I looked into several other options for the weekend so that we could make a decision when we met up in the morning. The next problem was that we had miscommunicated which train station we would meet at – Ostkreuz or Ostbahnhof. With that finally cleared up and at the same train station, we made our decision within a minute and rushed to purchase tickets, narrowly catching the hourly train to Halbe, having decided to hike leg 14.
Leaving the train station in Halbe, we passed by the small and large Heidesees and spent a few kilometers passing through the rural village. Lost in conversation, we missed a turn in the woods but quickly found our way again. That is, until we crossed a bridge over the highway. We lost the blue dot trail marker for a little bit, but were heading in the general direction of the trail. At the edge of a field we stopped to eat lunch in the company of some storks.
Eventually we found ourselves in Tornow and back on trail. There we stopped at a sweet little biergarten for a while. The owner was so kind and told us we could camp in the garden sometime. I saw a cyclist there enjoying a beer and leafing through the same guide book as me. I excitedly talked to him about the 66-Lakes-Trail for a few minutes. We left refreshed and shortly thereafter arrived at the Tornower See. We walked most of the way around and found a nice spot for a swim and a rest. The day was gorgeous for a 14 km hike, so we were in no rush to arrive.
Not long after leaving the Tornower See we reached the Teupitzer See in Egsdorf. I commented about a boat traveling across the water, which was practically in front of the campsite, Relax Camping. But we walked on and began to wonder about where the campground was. Once we reached the center of town we realized the camp was one the other side and had to backtrack a little before getting there. At the campsite, we pitched the tent and enjoyed the view of the lake for a while. Later in the evening, we cooked a spaghetti dinner under the pavilion before getting some shut eye. I finally got to camp without freezing temperatures! The weather was perfect for camping.
In the morning we spent several kilometers along a forest road until we arrived in Zesch am See. Along the way we passed by a beautiful blooming tree with white flowers and a very large and old oak tree. At the lake, we paused to have a bite to eat and take in the view. After the lake, we walked on a sandy road where the forest met the fields. Seriously, Brandenburg is just sand. All of the sand for all of the beaches in Europe must be in Brandenburg.
Before arriving at the train station in Wünsdorf, we hiked past the Wolziger See and the Großer Wünsdorfer See, although the former was fleeting and the latter was never in view. The tour is the only one in the book given a 1-5 star rating, which Daniel and I certainly agreed with. There were several sections where we were just walking on the road through towns but also many lovely lakes. The weather undoubtedly helped make this tour enjoyable, as did temperatures suitable for camping. With 6 more tours to go, the end of this trail doesn’t feel to be in sight yet.