Above the little spa town of Bad Belzig, on a low hill with a view across the Fläming, stands Burg Eisenhardt, a medieval castle that has survived better than most in Brandenburg. Its round keep, nicknamed the Butterturm, rises over the walls, and the castle's courtyards and bastions hold a museum and a youth hostel. The hill itself was a lookout for centuries, guarding a trade route across the heath. The town below has about twelve thousand people and a pretty, cobbled centre, with timber-framed houses and a market square, and the castle gives it a faintly storybook air.
The Fläming is a ridge of glacial moraine that runs through western Brandenburg and into Saxony-Anhalt. At about two hundred metres it counts as high country here, and the ridge supports oak and beech forest, heath and farmland, with a patchwork of small villages. A few kilometres away, the hill of Hagelberg was the site of a battle in 1813, in which Prussian forces beat a French army during the Napoleonic Wars. Wiesenburg, a smaller town to the west, has a castle and a big landscape park with rare trees and a lake, well worth a visit.
For riding, this is some of the best country near Berlin. The roads roll gently over the moraine, with long, curving straights, avenues of cherry trees that blossom in April, and views over fields and woods. The surface is mostly good, and the villages have a quiet charm, with thatched barns and old churches. Traffic is light, and the hazards are the usual ones of boar, deer and tractors. Spring and autumn are the best seasons. In summer, heat on the open ridge can be strong, and in winter the north wind is bitter. Fog gathers in the hollows.
Practically, Bad Belzig has a fuel station, supermarkets, bakeries and several cafes and restaurants, as well as a thermal spa that makes a good place for a soak after a long day. Niemegk, with about two thousand people, has smaller services. The castle is open daily in season, and a climb of the keep gives a fine view. Parking at the foot of the hill is easy, and the walk up takes a few minutes. Bring cash for the village cafes.