Langenhagen, on Hannover's northern edge, is known for its airport, and the occasional rumble of jets overhead is a reminder that this is the city's door to the outside world. The district's flat suburbs, business parks and long, straight roads belong to the plain, but Hannover itself has more to offer than most visitors expect. Between 1714 and 1837 the rulers of this small German electorate were also kings of Great Britain, from George I onward, and the baroque gardens at Herrenhausen, once their summer residence, are among the grandest in Germany, with a spectacular fountain that shoots up to about seventy metres.
The city also has the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who served the court and is commemorated by a famous biscuit named in his honour, and the New Town Hall, a huge building of 1913 with a dome and a model of the city in the lobby. Much of Hannover was destroyed in the Second World War, which explains its modern look, and the surviving old streets are a small fraction of the earlier town.
North of the city, the land opens into the Südheide, a region of pine forest, heath and sandy soils that stretches toward Celle. The roads here run between pines in long, easy lines, with gentle bends and an occasional dip over a stream, and in late summer the heather blooms in purple patches. This is quiet riding, good for relaxed days and for a rhythm without hurry. Surfaces are mostly good, with some patched sections, and deer and wild boar cross at dusk, which is a real hazard. Autumn mist and winter ice make the heathland roads treacherous in the early hours. May to September is best.
In the other direction, a long day takes you toward the Teutoburg Forest and the Externsteine, a group of tall sandstone pillars near Detmold that have been a sacred and mysterious place for centuries. Nearby stands the Hermannsdenkmal, a giant copper statue completed in 1875 to commemorate the Germanic leader Arminius, who defeated three Roman legions in the forest in AD 9. The ridge road along the Teutoburg is lovely, with curves through beech forest and wide views over the plain.
Fuel and services are abundant near the start, with Langenhagen and the surrounding suburbs offering stations, bakeries and supermarkets. Fill up before heading into the heath, where villages are small and stations are far apart. Check the speed limits, because Lower Saxony has many fixed cameras, and carry a layer for chilly mornings.