Elfingerhof is a farm, and the pond that bears its name is a reminder that a monastery of this kind was also a very large agricultural business. Maulbronn owned villages, fields, forests, vineyards and farms across the region, run by lay brothers and later by tenants, and the estates produced grain, wine, wood and fish in quantities that kept the whole enterprise rich. The monastery's grange farms were outlying centres, where animals were kept and crops stored, and Elfingerhof is a descendant of that world.
The land around is the western edge of the Stromberg, with its loess soils, which give good wheat and sugar beet, and rows of fruit trees along the roads. Cherry blossom in April is a local event, and in autumn the apple and plum harvest fills the farm shops. The pond lies in a hollow among fields, with a tree-lined shore and a view across open farmland that is rare in the forested hills. In the evening the sun sinks behind the ridge and the sky turns pink, and the wind drops. You may see a buzzard circling above the fields, and in winter flocks of geese pass overhead.
The ride here is mellow. Country roads connect the farms and villages, quiet and smooth, with long straights over the fields and a few bends where they enter a wood or cross a stream. Farm traffic is common, especially at harvest, and mud on the road after rain can be slippery. A few of the lanes are unsurfaced or have rough patches, and signs of local access restrictions are worth respecting. Speed limits are enforced in villages, and cameras operate at some junctions.
Maulbronn, about two kilometres away, has fuel stations, bakeries and a few inns. A farm shop on the way may sell eggs, honey and local fruit juice, and in season fresh asparagus from spring, strawberries in June and pumpkins in autumn. Spring is lovely when the fields turn green and the blossom opens, and early autumn brings a golden light. On a still evening, the quiet is so deep that you can hear the church bell from the town.