Höerstel
Waltham Abbey has been twinned with the town of Höerstel in Germany since 1993 and a twinning association exists in both towns.
Höerstel is a rural area of Westphalia and shares many similarities with Waltham Abbey. The town is surrounded by the Münsterland parkland and enjoys wonderful views over forests, meadows and parklands. In the middle of this varied and at the same time restful landscape two important waterways meet – the Dortmund-Ems Kanal and the Mitterand Kanal. The actual meeting point of these waterways forms a triangle and is known locally as the “Wet Triangle”
The administrative town of Höerstel is made up of four areas, Riesenbeck, Dreierwalde, Bevergern and Höerstel. Riesenbeck has an international horse and carriage-driving centre and hosts many international competitions and horse driving festivals.
Dreierwalde is the smallest of the four areas and set in open countryside.
Bevergern combines both traditional and modern buildings and the centre of the town has many carefully restored historic buildings.
Höerstel has many interesting areas including the famous Herthasee, a large lake for swimming with camping facilities alongside.
All four areas boast excellent tourist accommodation ranging from bed and breakfast to full board.
Travel is also quite straightforward either by road/sea via Hook of Holland or air from Stansted to Munster/Osnabrück.
If you would like further information about the Waltham Abbey/Höerstel Town Twinning Association please write to the Chairman, c/o The Town Hall, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1DE.
The Höerstel web site address is – www.hoerstel.de