Celle is a town that was almost forgotten and so was saved. It sits on the Aller river at the southern edge of the Lüneburg Heath, a handsome ducal residence of seventy-one thousand people, and its old town escaped the bombing of the Second World War, leaving hundreds of half-timbered houses in perfect shape, with carved beams, painted inscriptions and gables leaning over the cobbles.
The dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg lived at the castle in the centre of town for centuries, and its Baroque theatre, the oldest in Germany still in use, remains a lively place. A sad story is attached to the castle: Caroline Matilda, the young queen of Denmark, was exiled here in 1772 after a court scandal, and died of fever three years later at the age of twenty-three. The castle is open to visitors, and her rooms are among the sights.
Celle is also a horse town. The state stud, founded in 1735, breeds Hanoverian horses, and each autumn its stallions are paraded in a famous show in the stud's yard, drawing crowds from across Germany. The countryside around the town is flat and green, with riding stables beside the roads, and the horses are as much part of the landscape as the pines.
For riders, Celle makes a good stop for lunch or a night, with a good choice of cafes and restaurants around the square, and a pleasant walk along the Aller. The roads north and east, through the heath and the Aller valley, are quiet and flat, with long straights, an occasional bend around a village and sandy verges. The surface is mostly good, but watch for sand on the corners. Adelheidsdorf, six kilometres away, has fuel and a small centre. In late summer the heather flowers, and the whole area glows purple, and if you can, time your visit for August or September.