Nortorf will not make anyone's list of great European destinations, and it does not pretend to. It is a farming town of about six thousand people in the middle of Holstein, set on the edge of the Geest, the sandy, gently rolling ridge of central Schleswig-Holstein, halfway between Neumünster and Rendsburg. Its job, in a riding day, is a useful one: a place to fill the tank, get a decent breakfast, and set off along quiet back roads.
What you find here is practical northern Germany. The market square is small and tidy, there are bakeries that open early, supermarkets, and a good number of cafes, and the main road makes for easy access from the A7 motorway. Beyond the town the landscape is classic Holstein, with fields enclosed by knicks, the old earth banks planted with hazel and oak that farmers have used as hedges for centuries. The land is low and rolling, and the sky is huge, with big cloud formations that cross the horizon in slow processions. The Naturpark Aukrug lies just to the south, with a mixture of woodland, heath and lakes that make for winding, shaded riding.
The roads around Nortorf are mostly flat to gently undulating, with long bends and short straights between villages. The surface is generally good, but tractors and farm vehicles are common during harvest, and the occasional gravel or mud patch can appear at field entrances. Wind is a feature all year, as the North Sea and the Baltic are both only a short distance away, and rain squalls move through quickly. Mornings in early summer are lovely, with mist in the hollows and cows grazing, while October brings the smell of woodsmoke and ploughed earth.
The Kiel Canal is only a few minutes north, and crossing it by ferry or bridge is a pleasant part of any loop. Fuel is easy here, and a town of this size also has banks and pharmacies, so it is a good place to take care of the small things before heading out. In the shops you will find the staples of Schleswig-Holstein: smoked fish, rye bread and strong black coffee, so a slow breakfast is a good way to begin.