Some stops exist to fill the gap between one good road and the next, and the coffee road in Rinteln is one of those. It runs along the edge of the town where the Weser valley is flat and the lanes are lined with orchards, plain houses and the occasional old half-timbered farm. Nothing here is dramatic, which is exactly the point. After the bends of the hills, it is a pleasant way to slow the pulse.
Rinteln is a good place to find coffee, because it is a town people actually live in rather than a tourist set. The market square has half a dozen bakeries and cafés with tables outside in fair weather, and the Saturday market brings farmers from the surrounding Schaumburg area with vegetables, eggs and sausage. The regional taste leans to the plain and hearty: rye bread, ham, and in autumn plum cake, which Germans take seriously, sold in huge trays by the slice. The pastries are very good, and the prices are low compared with a big city.
The riding in and out is simple. The roads from the hills drop gently into the valley, and a few kilometres of straight, quiet road run along the river. Sheep and horses graze on the meadows by the water, and in spring the verges are full of dandelions and cow parsley. Expect cyclists on the river path and farm vehicles at harvest time. The surface is generally fine, with a few patches near the old bridges.
You will not struggle for services. Rinteln has fuel, supermarkets and restaurants, and the market square is within a short walk of any parking place. Look up at the buildings around the square, where carved beams show the old trading wealth of the town. The Nikolaikirche, a large Gothic church, stands close by and is worth a brief visit if it is open. Take your time with the coffee and enjoy the pause, because the next stretch of road into the Weser Hills is a great deal more serious.