Lauenburg is built on a steep bank above the Elbe, and its old town is a strip of narrow, cobbled lanes squeezed between the cliff and the river. It is the most southerly town in Schleswig-Holstein, a small place of about twelve thousand, and its position as a crossing point of an important river explains everything about it. Ships have passed here for centuries, and a museum devoted to Elbe river shipping, housed in an old building on the waterfront, tells the story of the barges and steamers that once carried salt, timber and grain between Hamburg and Magdeburg.
The old town stands at about twenty metres above sea level, only a little higher than the river, and the Elbe has often claimed it. Marks on the walls of houses in the lower town record the heights of floods, including the great flood of 2013, when the water rose to levels not seen for centuries. The buildings are narrow and often half-timbered, with steep stairs leading up to the upper town, and walking along the riverside, you can watch the barges pass close enough to count the cargo.
The ride has crossed Schleswig-Holstein by way of the Wingst forest, a low wooded hill on the other side of the Elbe, and the Elbe ferry crossings. It also visits Schaalsee, a deep, clear lake that lies right on the former border between East and West Germany, and the Ratzeburg lakes, a chain of waters where the cathedral stands on an island in the middle of the town. The roads in this area are narrow and winding, with oak avenues, farm fields and frequent views of the water.
In Lauenburg itself, the cobbles can be slippery, and the street layout is awkward for a large bike. Parking at the riverside is easy and the walk is short. At the Elbe, the Elbe-Lübeck Canal begins, a historic waterway that was dug in the Middle Ages to carry salt from Lüneburg to the Baltic, and it is a pleasure to ride along its towpath roads.
Fuel and food are easy, with stations on the main road and a few cafes and fish restaurants by the river. Try a plate of smoked eel or a bowl of fish soup if you want to eat in the local way.