2022-06-28 53 10
| Tue 28 Jun 2022 in 53,10: 53.4399662, 10.3046283 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Location
in a small forest in Hamburg-Altengamme
Participants
Expedition
A week previously, I wanted to visit the 53 10 hash in Niedersachsen, which would've taken less than three hours, but ultimately didn't because my mobile internet had stopped working and I therefore couldn't figure out the right trains in time. This week, however, I needed to stay in Hamburg anyway to attend a theatre play in the evening, and had just enough time to reach this hash after my lectures.
From university, I cycled to Dammtor station and took the S-Bahn to Bergedorf. From there, I cycled 10 km to the hash in very warm, but not unbearably hot weather. The streets took me through the beautiful district of Bergedorf (which is so detached from inner Hamburg that it seems like its own city), where I'd been many times last year for my Bachelor's thesis at the observatory, and then along a winding road past marshes, creeks, and thatched houses. The hash lay only a few metres into a small forest by the road, just 35 m from a path. The forest was fenced off, but the fence was broken in many places and I could easily climb over a gate that said "Caramie am Malbusen" (whatever that means) and looked like it hadn't been opened in many years. I could already see the hashpoint from there, but first had to navigate though many fallen branches and dense undergrowth, carefully avoiding the abounding man-high nettles. Thankfully, I had respected the First Rule of Geohashing (as made up by me): No shorts!
I made it to the spot, took pictures of the sunny greenery with Baruch, and then scrambled back to my bike. On a field on the other side of the path, I saw no less than five storks, one being very close before it noticed me and flew further away. Don't think I've ever seen that many at once. Because this hash was so far east in Hamburg, I wanted to stop by the easternmost point of Hamburg, only 1.75 km from the hash, so I cycled there. It lies at the edge of another forest, but sadly there was no sign. I noticed I could also visit the Elbe, which was even closer to the hash (under 600 m), but in the other direction, so I also rode there, a significant portion on the Altengammer Hauptdeich (dike) and past the nature reserve Borghorster Elblandschaft with its Bodden-like fishing ponds. (The entire area strongly reminded me of the Baltic coast in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.) Atop a watergate connecting the pond to the Elbe, there was an actual lookout point (with stairs and terrace and all), from which you had a great view of both the Elbe meadows and the Elbe itself, with the Schwinder Haken, the tip of the (apparently unnamed?) artificial Geesthacht Elbe island formed by a lock channel, in its midst.
Not wanting to wait around for the bus, I opted for cycling back to Bergedorf and took a slightly different, more scenic route near the city to avoid the busy road. Back soaked in sweat, I bought myself a sandwich baguette and took the train back to Hamburg for the performance, which turned out great. Definitely among my top 20 favourite geohashes so far, maybe even top 10.
Photos
will follow shortly (22 pictures, 1 video)
Achievements
Land geohash, Public transport geohash
