Cloppenburg, Germany to Barmstedt for EC2026

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Skop’nboer to Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg to Barmstedt for the 2026 American Square Dance Convention 

Leaving Cloppenburg we take A1 around Bremen, stopping at Rastplatz Glindbusch services near Gyhum for lunch. Here we note there are good disposal facilities for motorhomes: toilet cassette and drive-over grey water next to motorhome parking (how sensible). Back on A1 to Sittensen where we fill with diesel and do an Aldi shop (we abandon Lidl across the car park, it doesn’t seem to be well stocked at all). Back on the A1 towards Hamburg, taking A7 north to cross the River Elbe at Hamburg.

At Hamburg there are l-o-n-g delays due to extensive roadworks where they are reforming the motorway network around the city. It takes about an hour on narrow lanes and very congested motorways, making driving quite stressful. North of Hamburg we bear northwest on the A23 towards Itzehoe, but take J.15 onto a minor road, passing through Ellerhoop and Bevern to our destination at Barmstedt. We arrive mid-afternoon and park up in a small, paved courtyard under a large lime tree which will give us good shelter from the sun (but maybe cover us with sticky residue from its flowers!

As it happens the next motorhome to arrive is from Lune Valley square dancers near Lancaster in the UK, and they park behind us. Several more motorhomes arrive and there are about 20 of us around our triangle. We have our own toilets and sufficient electric plug-ins for all who want them (not us) and a water tap on the wall outside the toilets.

We have tea of chicken and mushroom with rice, changed into our square-dancing clothes and join the pre-convention event at Basic/MS levels. This is the club night of Barmstedt square dancers, it is fun to join with the local German group who are very welcoming.

Next day we find the showers (above the sports hall in the next building), have breakfast then a day to ourselves. The town of Barmstedt is small and unremarkable apart from a very fine 17th century Farmhouse, identical to those at the agricultural museum at Cloppenburg. Now used as a community hall, unfortunately it is not open at 10.00am but clearly used regularly for village events. Behind it is a delightful community allotment garden and orchard and we spend some time here enjoying its gentleness and the peace and quiet. In the afternoon we read and journal, saving our energies for the evening dancing. Registration commences around 4.00pm, we collect our badges and schedules and after a tea of stirfry chicken we join the first session at 6.30-8.00, then the pre-convention dance commencing.

Next day is hot so we decide to have a quiet day saving ourselves for the busy dancing weekend. Mr C. visits the town and market, I spend some time reading and later writing journals. In the evening dancing starts at 5.30 with Advanced level, both A1 and the more advanced A2 – this is what we have come for. A huge hall with 21 squares of 8 people dancing. By the finish we are getting tired.

Next day is Saturday, and full-on day dancing with back to back workshops with 10 callers rotating the five halls and all levels. We stay with A1/A2 workshops, again no breaks between, so we could have danced all day without a break. But… it was 28°C outside, much hotter in the hall with 200+ people and no air conditioning! Somehow, we all danced, perspired profusely, rested, cooled down outside and danced some more!! In the evening there was to be a Grand March, but someone had a fall and an ambulance was called. Grand March cancelled and the evening dance commenced at 8.00pm in each hall for 2 hours, again for us A1/A2.

The Sunday was another busy day with two workshops in the morning, A1/A2, then a Farewell Dance in the afternoon 1.30-3.00pm when the event finished. Hot again, 28°C outside and hotter in the hall with several hundred propel and no air conditioning. We manage to get photographs of our own club people but not a group photo of the 20 Brits who attended.

Back at Hymer we sit outside in the cool and under the shade of the lime trees. Here we spend a very relaxing evening, sitting together with other dancers for over 3 hours, chatting brokenly in our 2 languages (German/English) finding that we have more in common than not.
We have burger, mushrooms & potatoes followed by yoghurt for tea.

Later, we spend a relaxing 3 hours, chatting, drinking wine (or tea) and having a very relaxing after-party of our own.

Barmstedt and EC2026 images

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