Eckernförde Bay is a long, narrow arm of the Baltic that cuts into the coast of Schleswig-Holstein between the Danish Wohld and the Schwansen peninsula, and the little port of the same name sits at its head. The water is shallow, the beaches are wide and sandy, and the whole place has the relaxed air of a north German seaside town, with a promenade, a harbour full of boats and a smell of smoked fish. The altitude here is a modest eight metres, and the horizon is all sea and sky.
The town is known for its smoked sprats, the Kieler Sprotten's nearest rival, which are sold hot from small smokehouses near the harbour. The bay was also a naval base for many years, and the German navy still has a presence nearby, a reminder that this quiet coastline has long had strategic importance. Behind the town, the land is a mix of low hills, farmland and woods, with small villages and the traces of Viking-age and medieval history never very far away. Windeby, a few kilometres inland, is famous for the Iron Age bog body found nearby in the 1950s.
The riding along the bay and across Schwansen is gentle, not a challenge. Roads run between fields of rapeseed and wheat, often lined with trees, with long straights and occasional bends, and the surface is usually good. In summer the coast road can be busy with holidaymakers, and the wind off the Baltic can be strong, so be ready for gusts on exposed stretches. Early mornings and evenings are the best times, when the light over the water is soft and the beach is almost empty.
Swimming is the draw here. The Baltic is not warm, and the water takes time to heat up, but on a calm summer afternoon it is clear and calm, with a shallow slope and sandy bottom, and a dip after a long ride is a good reward. Eckernförde, with over twenty thousand people, has petrol stations, cafés and restaurants in plenty, and a fish roll by the harbour is a classic lunch.
The ride combines the bay with the Schlei, the long inlet to the north, where small villages and coffee stops invite a slow pace.