This one is a boundary rather than a destination: the place where Hamburg stops being a city and the roads become something a rider might enjoy. The east side of the metropolis frays out through Stormarn district, with Stapelfeld just a few kilometres away, and the motorway and the main roads funnel in toward the centre. For a returning rider, it is a moment to take stock, check the fuel and slow down after a long day of countryside.
The land to the east is gentle, a mixture of Holstein farmland, small woods and commuter villages with brick houses. A few kilometres to the north-east is Ahrensburg, whose Renaissance moated palace, built in the later sixteenth century, is the most notable building in the area, a neat white and red brick pile with a water-filled moat and a long avenue of trees. To the south-east lies the Sachsenwald, a large forest that once belonged to Bismarck, who lived at Friedrichsruh. Its roads are quiet, shaded and good for an hour of relaxed riding.
Practical matters are simple. The towns around here have all the fuel you need, with stations at the main junctions and along the roads into the city, and supermarkets and bakeries open early. Hamburg's rush hour, which can last from about half past six to nearly ten in the morning and from three to seven in the evening, is the thing to avoid, as the arterial roads clog and the motorway can crawl. If you are coming from Mecklenburg, as this ride does, a Sunday evening return can be very slow, so consider stopping for a coffee and letting the traffic pass.
For comfort, this is a good place to put on or take off layers. Northern Germany is flat, wide open and windy, and the temperature drops quickly after sunset, even in summer. The light in the evening over the fields is often beautiful, and a short pause at the edge of town is worth it.