The Hils is a modest range of wooded hills in southern Lower Saxony, and it offers some of the best quiet riding in the region. The roads run along ridges and through beech forest, with gentle, flowing bends, a decent surface, and views that open suddenly over the farmland of the Leine valley. It is a landscape that never quite makes a fuss, and for that reason it is a pleasure to ride, with almost no traffic on a weekday and the smell of damp leaves in the shade.
Duingen, a small town at the foot of the Hils, is known for its pottery. The clay found here has been used since the Middle Ages, and by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the town was producing stoneware that was sold across northern Europe. Potters still work in the area, and a small museum tells the story of the trade. Old clay pits and kilns appear in the landscape, now overgrown, a quiet reminder of what the town was built on.
The forest is the main attraction. Beech and oak dominate, with a scattering of spruce, and in autumn the colours are spectacular, with a carpet of golden leaves beneath the trees. Roe deer are common, and red kites circle overhead, a bird that Lower Saxony is proud of. The roads here can be wet and slippery under the leaf cover, and mud from forestry work can appear on the surface, so ride carefully, particularly in the hollows where the sun never reaches.
Duingen has a few shops and cafes, but if you need fuel, Alfeld, about eight kilometres away, is the better bet, with stations, supermarkets, and restaurants. Brüggen, a smaller village nearby, has basic services only. A bakery stop in Duingen is a good way to start or end the day. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and in winter, ice can linger on the shaded roads. Wear a warm layer, because the hills catch the wind, and carry a map or a charged phone, since signs in the forest are not always clear.