Höxter sits on the west bank of the Weser, one of the old river towns of the Weserbergland, and its centre is a close-packed cluster of half-timbered houses and a church tower. This is the view you want: the roofs, the river and the forested hills beyond. The town has thirty thousand people if you count its surrounding villages, and a long history that began when the Franks built a river crossing here.
The great monument is just outside the town, at Corvey. This Carolingian abbey, founded in the ninth century, has a massive westwork, a fortress-like entrance hall, that survives almost unchanged, and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Corvey was one of the great centres of learning in medieval Germany, and later its library became one of the richest in the country. The poet Hoffmann von Fallersleben, who wrote the words of the German national anthem, worked as librarian here and is buried in the abbey grounds.
The roads around Höxter are a pleasure. The Weser valley is broad and green, and the road follows the river, with low hills and forests rising on both sides. Further on, the Solling opens into a huge area of beech and spruce forest, with quiet roads that wind through the trees and over low passes. The bends are gentle and flowing, with very little traffic, and in the early morning there is often mist on the river. Autumn and late spring are the best seasons.
Fuel is easy in Höxter, which has several stations and supermarkets, and Boffzen and Fürstenberg are smaller villages along the river. Fürstenberg is known for its porcelain, made there since the eighteenth century. Park near the old town, walk to the river and find a bench, and you have the best view in the area. A bakery coffee and a slice of cake is the right reward for the miles, and there are plenty of places to buy them. The light in late afternoon on the old roofs is lovely.