Report about our lighthouse excursion to Büsum in May 2002

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After, at Easter, we explored the towers down river on the left bank of the Elbe, our interest lies on the opposite bank this time.

1^st lighthouse day

It is Ascension Day, about eight AM and we have already traveled about 300 kilometres and left Hamburg behind us. The "Fathers" apparently are still asleep. Our first goal is the Rear Light of Blankenese, which we miss at the first attempt. So: turn towards the Elbe by the church, pass the park on your right and then the red and white steel tower comes into view. From this high point you have a great view of the Elbe, but also of the ugly building site of the airport on the opposite bank.
From here we continue through very narrow one-way passages and when we reach the banks of the river Elbe, the Front Light Blankenese is directly in front of us. The lower part of the tower serves as a viewing platform. The Front Light Wittenbergen is already in view, we drive a little further, save the trouble of the narrow passages and walk the rest of the way, past the camp site. Pleasant walking along the Elbe, two fast ferries to Stade overtake us.
We find the Rear Light Tinsdal, after crossing the "Villenviertel" (without having to pay admission). The possibilities to photograph the tower are much reduced.
Onwards, down river. In Holm turn off the B 431, left and in Hetlingen again left and towards Schanze. The whole area around the Lighthouse Juelssand is Bird Sanctury, because the dear geese stock up on their winter reserves here. It is the beginning of May and if conservation is practised for the sake of it, we have no sympathy. Still, we don’t make it quite to the tower, because the ram of the flock of sheet grasing here is afraid for his ladies and has a reputation of being agressive. So we prefer to break off the undertaking.

2^nd lighthouse day

We start our tour up the river Elbe in Brunsbüttel and find the pier tower 4 near the heated lido. From here we try to reach the canal entrance, we drive and drive and finally reach the Schiller Street towards the western canal sluices. We notice that we are only a few meters from Mole 4 and would have been quicker walking – good pictures to be taken only of pier light 3 from here.
So we cross the Nord-Ostsee Canal with the free ferry, turn off the first street towards the mouth of the canal and end up directly by pier light 1. From here we have the only chance to commit to film the lighthouses pier 2 and the Front Light Brunsbüttel.
Now the only one missing is the Rear Light Brunsbüttel, which stands between the school yard and the sports ground of the South School.
Again we follow the road next to the river Elbe, pass AKW Brunsbüttel (nuclear power station) to St. Margarethen. Here we turn right on to the B 431. A narrow crossing over the dike leads directly to the Rear Light St. Margarethen. Continuing on the 431 we pass the joint low light Scheelenkuhlen/St. Margarethen. A road leading inland takes us directly to the Rear Light Scheelenkuhlen.
The next five lights are round the power station Brokdorf. The Front Light Osterende stands right next to the cooling water discharge of the atomic power station in front of the dike. The Rear Light Hollerwettern is on the inside of the dike in the grounds of the power station. A few hundred metres further on another road leads to the Rear Light Osterende. The old tower Hollerwettern and the Front Light Hollerwettern you can seen in one go. The little red stone tower we spontaneously elect to be the prettiest tower of this excursion.
On we go south-eastwards back to the B431, immediately after crossing the Stör, turn left to get the banks of the river Elbe. Behind a row of terraced houses you get to the Front Light Glückstadt, if you can find the only free access to the river bank.
Smack on the main street through Glückstadt we reach the Rear Light Glückstadt a few minutes before the approaching thunderstorm ends this excursion.