Here the Wadden Sea comes right up against the dyke. This is the coast of the Wurster Nordseeküste, between the Weser and Elbe estuaries, a country of low sea walls, drained farmland and wide skies, and the mudflats outside the dyke are part of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park. Together with the Dutch and Danish parts of the Wadden Sea, the area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, valued above all for the sheer scale of the tidal flats and the millions of birds that pass through on migration. When the tide goes out, it goes a very long way.
The nature here is the thing. At low water the flats are alive with worms, mussels and shrimp, and flocks of oystercatchers, curlews, knots and godwits probe the mud in long, nervous lines. Barnacle geese and brent geese arrive in autumn from the Arctic, and in some years the sky is dark with them. Seals sun themselves on distant sandbanks, though from the dyke they look like grey logs. The smell is salt, mud and seaweed, with an edge of diesel from the fishing cutters. Wadden walks with a licensed guide are popular, and it is vital not to wander out alone, because the tide returns fast and the channels fill from behind.
Riding along the coast is simple and rewarding in its own way. Narrow roads run behind the dyke, fields of wheat and cabbage lie on one side and the grass slope of the sea wall on the other, and a gentle climb over the crest gives a view of the sea or the mud, depending on the hour. Wind is a constant factor, often sideways, and the weather can change from sunshine to rain in minutes. Expect little in the way of bends, and a number of speed cameras in the villages.
The nearest sizeable town is Cuxhaven, about twenty kilometres away, with plenty of fuel, restaurants and a long beach at Duhnen where the wadden trips to Neuwerk island begin. Nordholz is closer and has the usual supplies. The fishing villages along the coast serve fresh shrimp rolls, and a plate of Nordseekrabben with bread is very hard to beat. Late summer and early autumn bring the best light and the best birds.