East of the Kiel Fjord the shore settles into the long, open sweep of the Probstei, and the coast road gives you the Baltic in small glimpses between dike and field. The most famous landmark of the area stands at the fjord's mouth: the naval memorial at Laboe, a tall, narrow brick tower, around eighty-five metres high, shaped like the stern of a ship, that can be seen from far across the water. It was built in the 1930s as a monument to German sailors and was reopened after the war as a memorial to seafarers of all nations, and a lift takes visitors to the top for a view over the fjord and the sea. Beside it lies a Second World War submarine, which can be visited.
From Laboe the road runs east along the coast through Stein, Wendtorf and Schönberg, between the sea dike and the open fields of the Probstei. The farmland is among the flattest in the region, and there are long, straight sections where you can see the church tower of the next village a long way before you reach it. The sea often appears as a thin silver strip beyond the dike, with ferries and cargo ships gliding across the horizon toward Kiel.
The riding is gentle and open. The surface is mostly good and the bends, when they come, are broad, though the wind off the Baltic can push a light bike sideways on exposed sections, and sand blown from the beach car parks sometimes gathers on the tarmac. On summer weekends the road is crowded with cars and cyclists, and the villages fill with holidaymakers, so an early morning ride is a big improvement. Out of season, on a bright day in spring or autumn, the whole coast belongs to you.
The beaches are the reason for the traffic. Long stretches of sand and shingle front the sea at Wendtorf and Schönberger Strand, with grass-covered dunes and kiosks selling fish rolls and ice cream. Swimming is pleasant in summer, with calm, shallow water, though jellyfish are common in late summer. For services, Laboe has about five thousand people, with fuel, shops and cafés, and Kiel offers everything else. Fill the tank before heading out along the coast, and keep a windproof layer ready for when the sun goes down.