The small river was once an important transport route for the local fruit and vegetable farmers who sold their goods at the Hamburg markets. Today the Dove Elbe is primarily known for its recreational value. The cycle route along the Marschbahndamm, a former railway line, is popular with cyclists. Water sports enthusiasts appreciate that the Dove Elbe has hardly any currents and can therefore be navigated in both directions. Thanks to the Tatenberger lock, it is also independent of the tides on the Elbe. The Dove Elbe, originally a tributary of the Elbe, was separated from the main stream by dikes as early as the late Middle Ages. What remained was the taube - Low German dove - side arm. It meanders over 18 kilometers in a northwesterly direction through the Vierlande until the Dove Elbe finally flows into the Norderelbe at Georgswerder. The western part of the Dove-Elbe behind the Tatenberger lock near Moorfleet is particularly well-known. There the river widens into a kind of lake, the artificially created "Water Park Dove Elbe" with a regatta course for rowers and canoeists, but also opportunities for swimming. A little further west, the lake behind the Horn also invites you to swim and splash around. The Eichbaumsee, north of the water park, used to be another popular bathing lake. Today, bathing is prohibited there due to the high level of blue-green algae. South of the water park, it is worth visiting the "die Reit" nature reserve. Reitbrooker Mill stands directly on the banks of the Dove Elbe in the Marshlands. In the far west, the Dove Elbe is a narrow river, but it widens a bit and meanders idyllically through the rural Vier- und Marschlande, which is characterized by fields, meadows and old farmhouses. The Reitbrooker Mühle, built in 1870, can be seen from the water. Nearby, the Schleusengraben branches off in a northerly direction. Water sports enthusiasts and cyclists can make a detour to Bergedorf on or along this canal (canoe lock not passable, but there is a boat tow). If you don't want to drive yourself, you can take an excursion boat. From Bergedorf they start daily from the end of March to the end of October via the Schleusengraben on the Dove Elbe. Not far from the Schleusengraben, the Neuengammer Durchstich branches off in a southerly direction, a particularly attractive section of the Vierlanden waterways. It connects Dove and Gose Elbe.