At Prerow the road meets the Darß forest, and the sense of being at the end of something sets in. The village is a former seafarers' settlement, with long, low houses with reed roofs and a church that holds model ships hanging from the ceiling, a custom that tells you how many men from this coast went to sea. Beyond the village a protected national park begins, a wide wilderness of forest, dune and bog that is among the wildest stretches of the German Baltic. The old forest has trees bent by wind into strange shapes, and the ground is carpeted in moss and fern.
The beach at Prerow is one of the broadest and finest on the coast, a long band of white sand stretching away on both sides, backed by dunes and pine, and the water is clean and shallow for a long way out. In summer, families fill the beach, and the Baltic warms to a pleasant temperature in July and August, though it is still cool compared with the Mediterranean. Strandkörbe, the wicker beach chairs with hoods, line the sand and are the traditional shelter against wind. In autumn, the beach empties and the light turns steely, and a walk along the tideline in a jacket is an honest pleasure.
The road into the forest is narrow and quiet. East of Prerow, cars are restricted, and the track toward the Darßer Ort lighthouse is open only to walkers and cyclists, so the bike stays behind. That keeps the forest peaceful and means you can wander without traffic. Deer and wild boar live here, and in autumn the red deer rut can be heard from far off. On the ride in, watch for deer at dusk and slow down on the forest road, where the surface can be damp and covered in needles.
Barth, about thirteen kilometres away, is the nearest town with a full range of services, and Zingst, a bit closer, has shops and fuel. Prerow has cafés, bakeries and fish stands, so you can eat well without leaving the village, but fuel should be topped up before you arrive.
Be prepared for wind and sudden showers, and keep a dry layer in the pannier. After a swim, the warm sand and the smell of resin from the pines make a good place to sit and watch the sea.