The ride back toward Eutin at the end of the day has its own light. The sun is low, the colours deepen, and the lakes of Holstein Switzerland turn from blue to a deep pewter or a burnished gold, depending on the sky. The road comes in from the north through beech and farmland, past Kasseedorf and the small lakes, and the town appears with its church tower and palace roofs above the trees. On a still evening the water is like glass, and the only sound is the tick of the engine cooling.
The lakes here were made by ice. The glaciers of the last ice age scoured out deep basins and left behind a jumble of hills, and the meltwater filled the hollows, creating the chain that now stretches from Eutin to Plön. The Great Eutin Lake is the biggest in the immediate neighbourhood, and the smaller lakes around it are linked by streams and channels. Reed beds line the banks and hold warblers and rails, while on the open water swans, coots and great crested grebes are easy to see. Late in the day, fishermen in small boats sit motionless, and rowers practise off the shore.
For the riding, the return road is one of the gentlest in the state. The bends are open and smooth, the surface mostly good, and the gradients are no more than a long slope up from a lake or a short rise through a wood. The lanes around Eutin are popular with cyclists in the evening, so keep to a measured pace and give plenty of room. Deer come out of the woods at dusk, and a collision with one is a real risk, so scan the verges and ease off when the light fails.
For services the town offers everything a tired rider needs: fuel stations at the edge, supermarkets, bakeries, and a variety of cafés and restaurants in the centre, with outdoor tables around the market in summer. With about seventeen thousand people, it is easy to find a bed if you decide to stay. A short walk down to the lake gives a view of the palace across the water, with its reflection in the evening light. Allow time for a drink at the water's edge before the last leg of the day.