North of Berlin the Brandenburg countryside dissolves into lakes, and Lindow sits between three of them, a small town of cobbled streets, brick houses and old trees. The ruins of a Cistercian nunnery stand on the shore, and Theodor Fontane, the great chronicler of the Mark Brandenburg, wrote about the nuns of Lindow in his travels through the region. It is a quiet, slightly melancholy place, and on a summer evening, with the light on the water, very beautiful.
The stop itself is a short way from the town, among the lakes and forests of the Ruppiner Land. Swimming is the main attraction here: the lakes have sandy beaches, reed beds and wooden jetties, and the water is clean and warm in summer. The Gudelacksee, next to Lindow, is one of the larger lakes, with an island and a camping ground.
Gransee, a few kilometres east, has a fine Gothic church and a memorial to Queen Louise of Prussia, whose coffin rested in the town overnight on its way to Berlin in 1810. The monument, designed by Schinkel, is a delicate cast-iron canopy over a sarcophagus.
The riding in Brandenburg is famous for its tree-lined avenues, the Alleen, where old lime, oak and chestnut trees arch over the road, creating tunnels of green. They are beautiful but unforgiving: the trees stand close to the edge, and accidents are often fatal. Ride within your limits, and watch for cobbles in the villages, which can be slippery when wet.
Gransee is where to fill the tank and buy groceries. Lindow is the place to stay put: buy a piece of smoked fish from a lakeside stall if you find one open, sit on the jetty and let the reeds rustle.