Buxtehude is the town of the hare and the hedgehog. In the Low German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, the hedgehog challenges the hare to a race, and wins by tricking him, with his wife waiting at the finish line looking just like him. The story is set on the heath near Buxtehude, and the town celebrates it with statues and a fountain. The name has also become a German byword for a remote place, as in the saying that someone is living in Buxtehude, which is a bit unfair to a lively Hanseatic town of nearly forty thousand.
The old centre is built around the Fleth, a small canal that once brought boats right up to the merchant houses, and many of the half-timbered buildings and brick warehouses have been restored. The market square has a handsome town hall, and there are cafes and restaurants beside the water. Fuel and supermarkets are on the outskirts, and coffee is available on every corner.
Buxtehude is the gateway to the Altes Land, the vast orchard country along the south bank of the Elbe, and this is the reason many riders come. In late April and May, when the apple, cherry and pear trees bloom, the whole landscape is covered in white and pink, and the old farmhouses with their brick-patterned gables and ornate doorways stand among the blossoms. The roads run along the dikes and canals, flat and gentle, with a few sharp bends, and the blossom festival draws huge crowds. Jork, six kilometres away, is the centre of the region, with a fine church and a number of attractive old houses.
In autumn, the orchards are heavy with apples, and farm stalls sell them by the crate, along with cider and jams. The wind off the Elbe can be strong and cold, and the sky is wide and bright. At the weekend the roads fill with cyclists, and it is wise to ride early. After a day among the trees, a coffee and a slice of apple cake in Buxtehude make a welcome end.