Schwansen is a low, rolling peninsula in the north of Schleswig-Holstein, tucked between the Baltic inlet of Eckernförde Bay to the south and the long, narrow fjord of the Schlei to the north. The land was shaped by the ice sheets, which left behind a patchwork of gentle hills, hollows and fertile soil, and it is farmed with a care that shows. In May, vast fields of rapeseed turn the whole landscape a startling yellow under a pale northern sky, with the sea glinting on one side. In summer, wheat, barley and maize take over.
The ride across Schwansen is the kind that has no highlight and is all the better for it. Roads wander along field edges, through avenues of beech and oak, and past old manor houses, the estates that have dominated the region for centuries, many with long brick drives and white-painted farmhouses. Villages such as Damp and Waabs lie a few kilometres from the coast, with churches of brick and fieldstone, and small lanes lead to the beach. Surfaces are generally good, with low traffic and long, easy bends, and the wind off the Baltic is a constant companion, often fresh enough to make a jacket welcome.
The area has seen its share of history. This is border country, long contested between Denmark and the German states, and the war of 1864, in which Prussia and Austria took Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark, was fought nearby. Danish heritage is still visible in place names, dialect and a sizeable Danish minority, and the Schlei, a former Viking trade route, leads to the old town of Haithabu, a major trading centre of the Viking age.
For services, the villages are small, so plan your stops. Kappeln, about nine kilometres from here, on the Schlei, has fuel, shops, cafes and its famous herring fence, a traditional fish trap that is the last of its kind in Germany, and Eckernförde on the other side of the peninsula is bigger and busier. In the coastal villages, a fish roll with smoked herring or a slice of cake in a farm cafe is simple and satisfying. Come in May for yellow fields, or on a calm September evening, when the light is gold.