The Kiel Canal is one of the busiest artificial waterways in the world, and you can stand beside it on a quiet country lane and feel entirely alone, until a container ship the size of an apartment block slides past at head height, a few metres from the bank. Opened in 1895 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, it cuts across the base of the Jutland peninsula from the Elbe estuary to the Baltic at Kiel, a distance of about ninety-eight kilometres, saving ships a long and stormy trip around Denmark. Today, thousands of ships use it each year.
The view from the bank is a strange mix of pastoral and industrial. Cows graze in meadows right up to the water, cyclists and walkers use the towpaths, and the ships are huge and silent, almost seeming to float through the fields. Car and passenger ferries cross the canal at numerous points, many of them free of charge, and they run at set intervals, though they stop when large vessels pass. High bridges, built tall enough for sea-going ships, carry the main roads. Ship-spotters bring thermoses and binoculars, and some sites have signs listing the name, origin and cargo of each passing ship.
The roads along the canal are flat, quiet and pleasant, with long straight stretches, tree-lined lanes and low traffic, and the surrounding area, the Danish Wohld, is an undulating landscape of fields and woods with small villages. The wind is typically from the west and fresh, and weather changes quickly, with sun, showers and a rainbow within an hour. Late afternoon and early evening are lovely, with long shadows and golden light, and in summer the sun sets late, giving plenty of time for riding.
Services are modest on the immediate bank, with a few cafes and kiosks near the ferries, but the village of Gettorf, about six kilometres away, has fuel, a supermarket and a bakery, and Kiel itself is not far. Check the ferry timetable, because a missed crossing can add a long detour. Bring a layer for the wind, and a bit of patience: watching a giant ship pass slowly by is a surprisingly good way to unwind after a day of corners.