Preetz sits on the Schwentine river between two lakes, and its old convent is the reason to slow down. The Benedictine nunnery of Preetz, founded in the early thirteenth century, survived the Reformation by turning into a Protestant convent for unmarried daughters of the Holstein nobility, a role it still plays today, and its Gothic brick church and cloister stand on a peaceful spit of land beside the Kellersee. The nuns, or rather the ladies, are not in view, but the buildings are lovely, and a short walk around the grounds is a quiet pleasure.
Preetz is a town of nearly sixteen thousand, and it has a straightforward market square and a handful of cafés. It also marks a gateway: from here the hills and lakes of Holstein Switzerland begin to the east, and the road toward Kiel starts to fill with traffic to the west. That makes it a convenient spot to regroup before the last leg of a ride.
The return line runs through a landscape of low moraine hills, fields and small woods, where the glaciers of the last Ice Age dumped their load and left hollows that have filled with water. The roads dip and rise in a pleasant rhythm, with sharp but forgiving bends. At twenty-two metres above the sea, the point is hardly high, but the views can be wide. In May the rapeseed fields flare yellow, and in autumn the beech woods turn gold.
Schellhorn, a small village on the edge, and Raisdorf, a larger one with shops, are close by. Fuel and supermarkets are right in Preetz. If you want a place to sit and catch your breath, the lakeside is only a few minutes' walk from the centre, and swans are always on the water. The light in the evening is soft here, and the whole district takes on a gentle, tired glow. Kiel is half an hour on, and you will find the traffic lighter if you wait until after the evening rush.