White cliffs rise out of a dark beech forest on the north-east corner of Rügen, which is a strange thing to see in Germany. Jasmund is a peninsula of chalk, laid down in the Cretaceous sea some seventy million years ago and then pushed and folded by the ice that covered the Baltic coast. Its best-known point is the Königsstuhl, the King's Chair, where the cliffs reach more than a hundred metres over the water, and the scene was made famous by Caspar David Friedrich's painting of the chalk cliffs, in which small figures peer over the edge in a mixture of awe and fear.
The national park here is the smallest in Germany, but it packs a lot in. The ancient beech woods that run along the cliff tops are part of a World Heritage listing for primeval beech forests in Europe, and the shade under the trees is cool and green, with fallen trunks and moss. Chalk cliffs are unstable, and landslides still happen, sometimes sending a whole section onto the beach, along with flints and fossils that collectors love. Walking the beach below the cliffs is not advised in some conditions, so follow the signs.
Riding on Rügen is gentle and enjoyable. The roads here run through avenues of old trees, past thatched farmhouses and small harbours, with a surface that is mostly good and bends that are relaxed. The island can be crowded in summer, and the roads near Sassnitz and the park entrance fill with cars and buses, so go early. Wind off the Baltic can be strong, and in autumn or winter a grey sea under a low sky has a moody beauty of its own.
Sassnitz, about five kilometres from the cliffs, is a port town of over ten thousand people, with fuel, restaurants and a long harbour where fish sandwiches are a classic lunch. Sagard is a smaller place in the other direction. From Stralsund you cross to the island by the long bridge, and this ride then continues toward Denmark and the chalk cliffs of Møn, which are the same geology on the other side of the sea.
Visit in early morning or evening, when the light on the white face is warmest, and the tour groups have gone.