Of Scouting & Photography

A photo walk with some side-business

Looking out for visually interesting details along the way: a flag on the grounds of the local yacht club. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

It was a dreary day when I headed to Wedau, a district south of Duisburg’s city center that’s home to several popular outdoor amenities.

The Sportpark Duisburg, a large open-area populated by a regatta course, several lakes, facilities for basketball, hockey, and track and field, not to forget the soccer stadium for the once first division currently third division zebras of the MSV.

Map view of the area I explored (Apple Maps screenshot)

Just a few paces south of the sports park is another favorite of the fresh-air dwellers of the Ruhr area: the Sechs-Seen-Platte, a forest area with six lakes, ideal for strolls, water sports, sunbathing, and all sorts of other recreational activities.

I wanted to explore the whole area photographically.

But the day was also a scouting trip. One of my long-run routes could (in theory) be adapted to include a Wedau pit stop. Coming in from the north, hugging the regatta course on my way farther south, one lap on the lake forest trails, back to the regatta course, and home from there.

At the end of the first walk, an overview of the regatta course from its southern end. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

The day wasn’t only dreary, but it was also troubled.

Arriving at Duisburg’s main train station, the destination board for the second leg of the commute greeted me with a sweet surprise: the next train to Buchholz has been canceled.

It was either a good 30 minutes of waiting or a 45-minute walk.

I opted for the latter. In the end, this delay and bonus legwork cost me the exploration of the area as planned.

When I arrived, I noticed a soccer match was in progress. No fan action or anything fancy like that. The year that is 2020 makes that impossible, of course. But I could still discern from the noise the almost empty arena disseminated that a goal had been scored in the fixture between the MSV and Wiesbaden.

I decided to start with the sports park and regatta course, walking the outer perimeter. Here are a few impressions of the park, lake, and the northern tip of the regatta course.

Left After passing the soccer stadium on my way east, this view of the lake Bertasee, which connects to the regatta course, started the walk around the sport park. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Center A building next to the regatta course announces the identity of the location. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Right The soft (but today muddy) trails around the waterways of the sport park offer calming views of Mother Nature and are popular for strollers and runners alike. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

Left Closer up view over the Bertasee against the backdrop of the soccer stadium. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Center A light drizzle begins as I start my walk. Here’s a low-angle impression of the part of the Bertasee that connect to the regatta course. In the background, the soccer stadium with its activated floodlight. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Right Using a 20 mm wide-angle lens, I pressed uo against the fence for an overview look of the regatta course from its northern tip. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

And here is the 105 mm perspective from a few paces farther east. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

The walk on the eastern perimeter of the regatta course led me to a quiet street that left the regatta course for a good while but offered, let’s say, interesting visual stimuli.

The lonely sidewalk on the eastern perimeter of the regatta course signals that there’s a bit of a distance to cover. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

Left One of the visuals along the way I found interesting is the building of DB Cargo. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Right A bit later on the walk, what looks to be an abandoned industrial area, made me stop once or twice. Here’s an old tower in the background while a car passes. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

The final stretch of the walk was a bit more scenic, despite the boring cloud coverage: a forest trail following side-by-side with the regatta course.

I could see the paths on the other side of the water. I could have taken those instead of the walk on the outside. Maybe another time. Probably the way to go for a run.

The sole yellow tree across the water sparked my interest. So did a couple of ducks on the water.

The stop at the lakes had to be postponed.

The light was running out, and for a rest day, I had plenty of time on my feet accumulated as is, 15 km at the end of the day.

Left and center While many trees have transitioned to winter, the one golden tree left across the water looked interesting. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Right More signs of the transition from fall to winter: a low-angle picture of the regatta course trails with a cyclist and runner in the background. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

Left Two ducks and two swans on opposing sides of the regatta course. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Center Playing with double exposures: acorns on the ground over the regatta course. Not sure it’s a sucessful example, but I still like it as a less literal impression of the location. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020. Right A detail view of acorns and leaves on the regatta course trails. Duisburg, Germany, December 12, 2020.

Almost a week had passed before I could return to complete the scouting tour, this time with better weather.

I entered the areal of the Sechs-Seen Platte from the north-eastern corner. That’s the most likely option for a running route and makes the lake Masurensee the first lake that meets one’s eyes.

I had about an hour before sunset, so time was of the essence. Still, the small beach shortly after entering the forest required the first stop.

Left View from the shore of the Masurensee, the lake in the north-eastern corner of the Sechs-Seen Platte. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020. Center Besides quite a bit of litter on the small beach area, this tree stub offered a bit of foreground interest while also framing up the two paddlers on the Masurensee lake. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020. Right After two wide-angle views of the lake, a mild telephoto impression of the yellow bridge that spans the waterways where the lakes Masurensee and Wolfsee meet. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

Just a few paces farther south, a different view of the same bridge emerges. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

The path then leaves the lake for a bit before it rounds the lake westward, headed straight for lake number two: the Wolfsee (the largest of the six lakes).

Looking out for visually interesting details along the way: a flag on the grounds of the local yacht club. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

It was clear I wouldn’t have the time to explore the entire area. That included the watchtower farther south. That would have been a nice fixture for an aerial overview.

Still, the final 45 minutes at the Wolfsee were time well spent as the sun slowly set, which I captured from a few different vantage points on my way to the yellow bridge. The bridge I needed both as a final (more or less) vantage point and a means to get back to the northern side of the lakes for the trip home.

Two women walk into sunset at the Wolfsee lake. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

Left The final vantage point till sunset: I climbed onto this small and quiet beach at the Wolfsee lake through a small gap in the briars. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020. Right Here, just a few paces farther, I used a somewhat even rock near the shoreline as makeshift tripod for some longer exposures. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

Sunset panorama view from the shores of the Wolfsee lake. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

Left Final post-sunset look over the Wolfsee lake from the yellow bridge. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020. Center On my way out of the forest, I crossed the yellow bridge and caught a decent glimpse of the moon. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020. Right View from the shores of the Wambachsee lake. I just managed to make it three out of six lakes on my way back to the train station. Duisburg, Germany, December 18, 2020.

The rain that accompanied day 1 had given way to the winter sun. The mud and the runners I had noticed along the regatta course were also part of the lake forest trails.

I’ve enjoyed two days of photography and scouting, walked away with a few decent pictures, and a good idea for an adaption of one of my long-run routes to include both the regatta course and the lake forest trails.

That’s it for today. On Tuesday, I’ll post a fresh edition of What I’m Reading. And later in the week, there’s going to be a tasty surprise.