Uckermark Lakes Quiet Day · short arc

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Fuel stop near Potsdam

   Frederick the Great wanted a place without cares, sans souci, and he built one in Potsdam: a summer palace on a terraced vineyard, surrounded by a vast park of gardens, temples, follies and more palaces. Sanssouci is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the other palaces and parks of Potsdam and Berlin, and it draws visitors from all over the world. Frederick himself is buried on the terrace, and visitors still leave potatoes on his grave, a tribute to his promotion of the crop.

   Read the complete Fuel stop near Potsdam write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Uckermark Lakes Quiet Day is where the day begins. Next is High point in Werder.

2. 2. High point in Werder

   Every spring, when the fruit trees blossom, Werder throws one of the biggest parties in Brandenburg. The Baumblütenfest, the tree blossom festival, draws huge crowds to taste the local fruit wines, and the town on its island in the Havel becomes a sea of people, music and stalls. For the rest of the year, Werder is a pretty, quiet town, with an old centre on the island, a church, a windmill and views over the water.

   Read the complete High point in Werder write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   High point in Werder comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Uckermark Lakes Quiet Day checkpoint 8.

3. 3. Near Wilhelmstadt

   Spandau was a town in its own right for centuries before it became part of Berlin in 1920, and its people still sometimes say they are going into Berlin when they head for the centre. The finish is near Wilhelmstadt, a district on the western bank of the Havel, south of Spandau's old town, and it is a calm place to finish rides that have spent the day in the lakes of the Uckermark or around Bad Saarow.

   Read the complete Near Wilhelmstadt write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 293 km. Next is Scenic stretch near Wandlitz.

4. 4. Scenic stretch near Wandlitz

   During the years of East Germany, the name Wandlitz meant something sinister to many citizens. In a guarded estate in the forest near the lake lived the members of the ruling Politburo, Erich Honecker among them, cut off from the population behind walls and guard posts, with access to Western goods that ordinary people could only dream of. When the estate was opened after the fall of the Wall in 1989, people were surprised by its modest, almost petty privileges. Today, the houses are part of a clinic, and the forest has reclaimed its quiet.

   Read the complete Scenic stretch near Wandlitz write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Scenic stretch near Wandlitz, about halfway. Next is Photo stop near Marienwerder.

5. 5. Photo stop near Marienwerder

   Marienwerder is a small village north of Berlin, set among forests and canals in the Barnim district. The landscape here is shaped by water, both natural and man-made. The Oder-Havel Canal, which links the two rivers, passes close by, as does the older Finow Canal, built in the early seventeenth century and often described as the oldest artificial waterway in Germany that is still navigable. Its locks and towpaths are a charming reminder of the past.

   Read the complete Photo stop near Marienwerder write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Photo stop near Marienwerder sits at 199 km, about halfway. Next is Berlin motorcycle escapes return.

6. 6. Berkenbrück, on the way back

   Berkenbrück is a small village on the Spree, between Fürstenwalde and Frankfurt an der Oder, in the east of Brandenburg. The river here winds slowly through meadows and forests, and the village, with its houses scattered along the water and among the pines, has a sleepy, summer-holiday feel. On the way back towards Berlin, it earns its place with a swim in the river or in one of the small lakes nearby, such as the Dehmsee.

   Read the complete Berkenbrück, on the way back 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 comes up about 253 km into the recorded legs. Next is Food stop near Storkow.

7. 7. Food stop near Storkow

   East of Storkow, a string of shallow lakes and reed beds known as the Groß Schauener Seen forms one of the most important bird sanctuaries in the region. Ospreys, sea eagles, cranes, bitterns and many ducks breed or rest here, and an observation tower gives a view over the water and the reeds. The lakes have been fished for centuries, and a traditional fishery on their shore still sells smoked fish, a delicious lunch for anyone passing through.

   Read the complete Food stop near Storkow write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Food stop near Storkow closes the day.