Northeim is a Hanseatic town that gets passed by, which is a pity. It sits on the Leine river, in the broad valley between the Harz mountains to the east and the Solling hills to the west, and it has a long history, with its origins in the early Middle Ages and a time as a member of the Hanseatic League. The medieval counts of Northeim were once powerful in the region, and one of them, Otto, became Duke of Bavaria in the eleventh century.
The old town has some good half-timbered houses, a Gothic church of St Sixti with a high tower, and parts of the old walls, a relaxed place for a short stroll. With about thirty-one thousand people, the town has everything a rider needs: petrol stations, supermarkets, bakeries, and a few decent restaurants, and it is a practical place to stop and fill up. The pumps are on the edge of town, easily reached from the main road.
The surrounding country is rolling and green, with farms and woods, and it makes for pleasant easy riding. The roads along the Leine valley are smooth and quiet, with gentle bends and well-kept villages, and the hills on either side offer a bit of climbing. To the east, the Harz rises in a wooded wall, and the roads leading up to it are among the best in northern Germany, with tight bends, steep sections and fast, sweeping corners.
The weather in this area is changeable, with rain showers at any time of year, and the hills can be foggy in autumn. Summer is warm and pleasant, with long days, but weekends can bring many riders heading for the Harz. If you plan to ride the Harz roads, this is a good place to top up the tank and check the forecast, because the mountain weather is rarely the same as the valley's.