Beech trees cover the hills of the Kellerwald in north Hesse, and they are old ones. This is one of the places where UNESCO recognised the ancient beech forests of Germany, listed in 2011, because here the trees have been left largely alone, and the forest has the feel of what Central Europe looked like before farming took over. The trunks are smooth and grey, the canopy is high and the floor in spring is covered with a sheet of white wood anemones. In autumn, the leaves turn copper and gold, and the forest is full of light.
The Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, created in 2004, covers the best parts, a rolling country of steep slopes and narrow valleys above the Eder reservoir. Wildcats, black storks, woodpeckers and bats live in the woods, and the park is also home to herds of red deer that are heard roaring in autumn. A network of marked trails leads through the trees, and a treetop walkway gives a view of the forest from above.
The Edersee, the lake at the northern edge of the park, was created by a dam finished in 1914, one of the biggest in Germany at the time. In May 1943, British bombers breached the dam in the Dambusters raid, and flooding killed many people in the valley below. When water levels fall in dry years, the ruins of villages that were flooded when the dam was built can re-emerge from the lake, which makes for an eerie sight.
The roads of the Kellerwald are a pleasure for riders. They wind through forest and over hills, with easy bends, and there is little traffic during the week. Surfaces are generally good, though leaves, damp patches and forestry vehicles can complicate things. In summer, weekends around the lake are busy. Frankenau, a small town about five kilometres away with a few thousand inhabitants, has fuel, a baker and a few inns, and Bad Wildungen, a larger spa town, has more. Autumn is the best season for colour, and spring for flowers. Bring a layer, because the forest can be cool and damp.