Rellingen and Halstenbek lie on the north-western rim of Hamburg, in the Pinneberg district, and for anyone heading toward the North Sea they are the last of the city before the land opens out. This is tree-nursery country: Halstenbek and its neighbours form one of the largest centres for growing trees and shrubs in Europe, and in summer the fields are filled with orderly rows of young oaks, beeches, rhododendrons and roses, which gives the district a clean and scented feel.
Rellingen has a curious claim to fame. Its church, built in the 1750s, is a Baroque Protestant church of unusual elegance, with a bright interior and a high tower, and it is considered one of the most beautiful in Schleswig-Holstein. A short ride away is Pinneberg, a town with a small castle and an old centre, and further south, Wedel offers a view of the Elbe and its ship greeting station, where passing ships are welcomed with their national flag.
The ride's real subject, though, lies a hundred kilometres to the north-west: the dikes of the North Sea coast and the great flat sands of St. Peter-Ording, a seaside resort on the Eiderstedt peninsula whose beach is several kilometres wide at low tide. The road runs across marsh and farmland, with sheep on the dikes, tall skies and the smell of salt. The riding is easy and open, with long straights and plenty of wind, and the beauty is in the light and space.
Getting out of Hamburg is the challenge. The suburbs are dense, traffic is heavy at rush hour and the main roads are full of lights and cameras. The best plan is to leave early, before the commuters, when the roads are empty and the mist lies on the fields. Speed limits are low in the towns, and the Autobahn A23 carries a lot of heavy traffic.
Fuel is easy here, with stations on every main road and supermarkets in each village. Bakeries open early, and a rundstück, a crusty roll with ham, is a good start to the day. Be sure to fill up before leaving the built-up area, because the marshes have fewer stations. North German weather is changeable, so carry a rain jacket. A bright, windy morning in May or September is an excellent time to head west.