South of Hamburg, on the far bank of the Elbe, a ridge of low, wooded hills rises to a little over a hundred metres, and Hamburgers treat it as their mountains. The Harburger Berge are what is left of a glacial moraine, covered in beech, oak and pine, with patches of heath and sandy soil. The highest point, the Hasselbrack, reaches 116 metres, which makes it the highest natural point in the whole city state of Hamburg, a fact that Hamburgers recite with a mixture of pride and self-mockery.
The country here is a surprise after the flat marsh of the Elbe. Roads climb and dip through forest in gentle bends, with the surface generally good and the speed limits strict, because this is a commuter zone with a lot of cyclists and walkers. In the middle of the hills the Wildpark Schwarze Berge, a wildlife park, keeps native animals in large enclosures, and families come at weekends for the native animals. Dog walkers and joggers fill the forest paths on dry mornings, so ride with care.
Harburg itself has been a separate town for much of its history, and only became part of Hamburg in 1937. It has an old harbour on the Elbe, a former industrial area of rubber and oil mills, and a university of technology. The big cities of the Elbe, Hamburg to the north and Lüneburg to the south-east, have spread into the villages, and Seevetal is a patchwork of residential settlements of over forty thousand inhabitants. Fuel and shops are plentiful on the main roads, and a coffee in Harburg's old streets is a good start.
For a rider, this is the gentle beginning or end of a longer day, the transition between city and heath. A short ride south brings you to the Lüneburg Heath, with its open, sandy landscape, junipers and heather, and the roads there are quieter and flatter than here. In late summer, the heath is purple, and the light is lovely. If you want a short ride before dinner, loop through the Harburger Berge on a weekday evening, when the woods smell of resin and the light filters low between the trunks.