Course
The Soeste rises in a hollow on the eastern edge of the Schullenmoor in the north of Emstek. It flows north past the town centre and is reinforced about 2 km west by the Emsteker Bäke coming from the town. Heading northwest, it reaches the outskirts of Cloppenburg, which it crosses in a southwesterly direction. There it already carries so much water that a water mill could once be operated here, as evidenced by the name "Mühlenstraße" in Cloppenburg town centre. Via two other former mill sites, Stedingsmühlen and Neumühlen, the Soeste flows into the Thülsfelder Dam, which was built in the 1920s. Shortly afterwards, it leaves the Geest area and flows through Friesoythe to Kampe, where its largest tributary, the Lahe, comes from the right. Half a kilometer later, it is diverted under the coastal canal via a culvert. Soon after, the influence of the tides begins.