The Sachsenwald is the largest forest in Schleswig-Holstein, a broad sweep of beech, oak and spruce on sandy ground just east of Hamburg, and it has an unusually personal history. In 1871 Kaiser Wilhelm I gave it to Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor who had united Germany, as a reward for his services, and Bismarck made his home on its edge, in Friedrichsruh. He lived there for much of his later life, entertained statesmen and walked the forest paths, and he is buried in a mausoleum a short distance from the old house, in a simple chapel in the trees.
The forest road runs at about fifty-five metres above sea level, across a gently rolling surface of glacial sand and gravel. The corners are soft, the surface is mostly smooth and the trees press close on both sides, giving the ride a rhythmic, tunnel-like quality. In autumn the leaves of the old beeches turn bronze and fall in drifts on the verges, and in spring the forest floor is carpeted with wood anemones. Deer and wild boar are common, and the forest has a reputation for fine mushrooms.
Because the Sachsenwald is a working forest, you will meet timber lorries, cyclists, walkers and horse riders, so slow down on blind bends. Weekends can be busy near the car parks. The villages on the edge, Witzhave, Wohltorf and Dassendorf, are small, with quiet streets and a handful of bakeries. Aumühle, a short ride away, is where Bismarck's estate lay, and the local museum tells his story.
Reinbek, a town of twenty-five thousand about seven kilometres off, has a Renaissance castle, a mill, and plenty of fuel and food. It is the sensible place to refuel, since the forest villages have few pumps. A good approach is to ride the forest on a weekday morning, when it is quiet, and to bring a little water. When the sun comes through the high trees and the light falls in shafts on the road, it is hard to want to be anywhere else.