North of Munich, the land rolls gently through the valleys of the Glonn and the Ilm, a quiet country of fields, forests and villages known as the Dachauer Hinterland. Petershausen is one of its towns, with a railway station linking it to the city, and a church and old farmhouses. It is a practical place, and the surrounding countryside is pleasant, with meadows, woods and onion-domed churches.
A few kilometres south lies Dachau, a town with an old centre, a castle and an artists' colony that flourished in the late nineteenth century. Its name, however, is forever linked to the concentration camp built there in 1933, the first in Nazi Germany and the model for many others. The memorial site, on the grounds of the former camp, is a sombre and important place to visit, with an exhibition, the reconstructed barracks and memorials of different faiths. Allow time for it if you plan to stop.
The riding around Petershausen is relaxed. The roads roll over the hills and through the villages, with gentle curves, good surfaces and moderate traffic. The landscape is green and pastoral, a pleasant contrast to the busy roads around Munich. Watch for agricultural vehicles and cyclists, and for the occasional sharp bend at a farm corner.
Petershausen has fuel, shops and inns, making it a good place for a short break. A Bavarian lunch in a village inn, with a view of the church tower, is a pleasant way to pass an hour. The Grossglockner and the high Alps lie far to the south, beyond Munich.