A ruined gable of red brick is all that remains of the church of the Premonstratensian monastery at Gramzow, founded in the twelfth century and one of the oldest in the Uckermark. It stands alone on a rise, framed by trees and sky, a striking reminder of the medieval colonisation of this land. The village around it is small and quiet, and it also houses a museum devoted to the small private railways that once crisscrossed the region.
The Uckermark is one of the most sparsely populated regions of Germany, a land of rolling hills, lakes, fields and forests in the north-east of Brandenburg, near the Polish border. The landscape was shaped by the glaciers of the last Ice Age, which left moraines, kettle lakes and boulders scattered across the fields. The villages have fieldstone churches, cobbled streets and old manor houses, some restored, others crumbling.
The roads roll over the hills and wind around the lakes, with gentle curves and long views. Traffic is very light, and the landscape is open and varied. Watch for agricultural vehicles, cobbles in the villages and trees close to the road. Wildlife is abundant, with deer, wild boar and cranes common, and sea eagles soaring over the lakes.
Do not expect a pump in Gramzow. Prenzlau, Angermünde or Schwedt covers fuel and food. Prenzlau has a huge brick Gothic church, and Angermünde has a lovely old town. The Fläming, with its forests and skating trails, lies far to the south, on the other side of Berlin.