Why this ride
Leave the city behind and spend the day on roads with texture. 453 km round from Ketzin - plan on about 7 h 35 of riding. On the way it passes near Dahme, Tauche and near Chorin. in Roskow is the high point.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Potsdam Havel and Havelland
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 453 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 35
- Journey
- Loop
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Ketzin
Planning note
Next is High point in Roskow.
2. High point in Roskow
Planning note
You top out here; the road stops climbing. Next is Food stop near Dahme.
3. Food stop near Dahme
Dahme/Mark sits at the eastern end of the Fläming, where the low hills meet the lowlands of Lusatia, and its castle ruins and old town walls hint at a more important past. The town is small and quiet, with a church, a market square and a park around the ruins of the castle, which burned in the early twentieth century. The surrounding landscape is a mix of forests, fields and small villages, with gentle hills that offer views over the plain.
Read the complete High point near Dahme write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Berlin motorcycle escapes return.
4. Near Tauche, on the way back
The Spree flows through here on its way from the Spreewald to Berlin, and its slow brown water, edged with reeds and willows, shapes everything. Along its banks stand the usual boathouses, jetties and campsites that tell you the river is used for paddling and fishing.
Read the complete Berlin motorcycle escapes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Berlin motorcycle escapes return, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Chorin.
5. Photo stop near Chorin
Chorin Abbey rises out of the trees like a red brick cathedral that someone forgot to finish. Cistercian monks founded it in the thirteenth century as part of the German settlement of Brandenburg, and its towering west front is one of the finest examples of north German brick Gothic. After the Reformation it fell into ruin, and the Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel was among those who campaigned to save it in the nineteenth century. Today it hosts a well-known summer concert season and has a gentle, almost romantic air.
Read the complete High point near Chorin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop near Chorin sits at 247 km, about halfway. Next is Scenic stretch near Eberswalde.
6. Scenic stretch near Eberswalde
Planning note
Scenic stretch near Eberswalde comes up about 351 km into the recorded legs. Next is Potsdam Havel and Havelland checkpoint 8.
7. Spandau
Spandau is older than Berlin. It was granted town rights in the thirteenth century, and its people still say they are going to Berlin when they cross into the city centre. The old town sits at the confluence of the Havel and the Spree, and its great fortress, the Zitadelle, is one of the best-preserved Renaissance fortifications in Europe, a star-shaped stronghold with bastions, a moat and the medieval Juliusturm, where the German imperial war treasure was once stored.
Read the complete Spandau write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Potsdam Havel and Havelland checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is Back to Potsdam Havel.
8. Back to Potsdam Havel
The land is flat and watery, with the Havel winding through meadows, reed beds and shallow lakes, and the old fishing town of Ketzin sits on its bank, with a small harbour, a church and a ferry across the river. The air smells of mown grass and mud, and herons stand in the shallows.
Read the complete Potsdam Havel write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Back to Potsdam Havel. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
High point in Roskow to Food stop near Dahme
High point in Roskow → Food stop near Dahme rides best with patience. Coastal roads change character with wind and visitors; keep overtakes boring and take the photo from a proper stop.
Food stop near Dahme to Near Tauche, on the way back
Food stop near Dahme → Near Tauche, on the way back is the logistics leg. Watch junctions, villages and speed changes, then let the roadbook do its job: move you out of the clutter without spending your best attention too early.
Photo stop near Chorin to Scenic stretch near Eberswalde
Photo stop near Chorin → Scenic stretch near Eberswalde can flow quickly, but only if you keep village limits and junction sightlines sacred. Fast connectors are where rides get untidy when fatigue creeps in.
Scenic stretch near Eberswalde to Spandau
Scenic stretch near Eberswalde → Spandau is the reward section in Berlin motorcycle escapes. Look through the bends, use legal pull-offs for photos and keep a little margin for tractors, cyclists and damp shade. The best ride here is smooth, not noisy.