Eschershausen is a small town at the foot of the Hils, and its main claim to fame is a writer. Wilhelm Raabe, one of the great German novelists of the nineteenth century, was born here in 1831, and his books about small-town life, with their humour and melancholy, are still read, particularly the Chronicle of Sparrow Alley and The Hunger Pastor. A modest museum in the town honours him, and the place has a quiet pride in its son. You do not need to have read a word of his work to enjoy the town, but the connection adds some weight to the plain streets.
The Hils itself is a broad, forested ridge of Lower Saxony hill country, running between the Leine and the Weser, and the road over it from Eschershausen is a long, steady climb through beech and spruce forest. The highest point is just under five hundred metres, which is not alpine, but the ridge is exposed to the weather and the temperature on top is noticeably cooler than in the valley. The forest is dense and quiet, with few buildings, and you pass long stretches without a house in sight.
The road is a good one, with a smooth surface for the most part and long, flowing bends that suit a relaxed rhythm. At the top, the road flattens and runs along the ridge for a few kilometres, with glimpses through the trees of the countryside below. Traffic is light, apart from timber lorries and the odd cyclist. In autumn, leaves and wet needles lie on the corners and demand care, and in winter, ice can linger in the shaded sections long after the lowlands have thawed. Mist is common on the ridge, and visibility can drop quickly.
Services in the forest are nonexistent, so the best approach is to fill the tank and stock up beforehand. Stadtoldendorf, about five kilometres away, has about six thousand people, with fuel stations and supermarkets, and Holzminden, farther west on the Weser, is larger. The area is also full of small monuments to the past, including the ruined monastery at Amelungsborn, founded in the twelfth century, and fine old half-timbered villages. Early on a weekday in October, with mist in the valleys and colour in the trees, this is a quietly splendid road.