The Spree flows through here on its way from the Spreewald to Berlin, and its slow brown water, edged with reeds and willows, shapes everything. Along its banks stand the usual boathouses, jetties and campsites that tell you the river is used for paddling and fishing.
Beeskow has a medieval castle, one of the oldest in the region, and a surviving ring of town walls. The castle houses a cultural centre and, unexpectedly, a large archive of art from East Germany, with thousands of paintings and sculptures made under the socialist state, many of which were once displayed in factories and public buildings. For anyone interested in how art was produced under a dictatorship, it is a fascinating place. The old town has a quiet, slightly faded charm, with a market square and a handful of cafes.
The land around is a mix of pine forest, meadow and farmland, with a scattering of small lakes. Roads are flat to gently rolling, mostly good, and lined with trees in many places. Corners are mild, and traffic is light, with the main hazards being tractors and the occasional deer. Spring brings the smell of blossom and cut grass, and in autumn mist lies over the river valley in the morning.
This is a sensible start and finish point because the area is easy to reach from Berlin by the A12 motorway, and the quiet roads begin almost at once. Fuel and supermarkets are available in Beeskow, and the smaller villages have little. A swim in the river or one of the small lakes is possible, but look for signed bathing places, as banks can be steep and muddy. Late afternoon in summer, with warm light on the water and the smell of hay, is a lovely time to arrive.