Blankenburg sits under a wall of rock. The town on the northern edge of the Harz is dominated by the Regenstein, a sandstone ridge crowned by the ruins of a fortress, whose rooms are carved from the rock itself, with caves, tunnels and a chapel cut straight into the stone. It is one of the most unusual castles in Germany, and a short walk from the road.
Close by runs the Teufelsmauer, the Devil's Wall, a jagged ridge of Cretaceous sandstone that rises from the fields like the spine of some enormous beast. The legend says the devil and God quarrelled over the land, and the devil built the wall in a rage, and the rocks are a great place for a stroll. The Harz foreland is full of such formations, and the roads here run along them, with views of the ridge from the saddle.
The town of Blankenburg has about sixteen thousand people and a baroque palace on a hill that was once the residence of the dukes of Brunswick. It has fuel, supermarkets, bakeries and cafes, and is a practical stop for riders crossing the Harz. The old town has a few half-timbered houses, and the large palace gardens are open to visitors.
The roads in the area are quiet and winding, with plenty of bends and short climbs, and they link the villages of the Harz foreland and the Selke valley. The surface is generally good, though some side roads are patched. In summer, it is warm, and the woods are a deep green. Autumn brings colour, and the rocks are lovely in the low sun. The area was part of East Germany until 1990, and you can still see signs of that past in the architecture. After the ride, a plate of Harzer cheese, a sharp, soft cheese, with onions and bread, is a local speciality worth trying.