Hamburg · Lüneburg Heath Early Flow
Heather country, clean morning lanes and less drama than the coast.
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Why this ride
Heather country, clean morning lanes and less drama than the coast. 182 km round from Buchholz in der Nordheide - plan on about 3 h 08 of riding. On the way it passes Wilseder Berg heath, Soltau and Lüneburg old town. It keeps to quiet secondary roads.
Roadbook
- Buchholz fuel gate
fuel
Buchholz in der Nordheide is not a place that anyone writes songs about, but it is a useful one. It sits on the southern edge of the Hamburg metropolitan area, where the suburbs give way to heath and pine forest, and it is the town where the Lüneburg Heath begins for anyone coming out of the city. With about thirty-seven thousand people it has everything: fuel, supermarkets, cafés and a station, and it is a sensible place to begin or end a ride from Hamburg.
The name Nordheide refers to the northern part of the heath, a landscape of sandy soil, heather and juniper that was created by centuries of grazing and wood-cutting. Without grazing, the heath turns into forest, so the local sheep, the grey horned Heidschnucken, have become a conservation tool as well as a symbol. In late summer, usually in August and September, the heather flowers purple and the country around Buchholz becomes a landscape of pink and violet.
The riding south and west of town is relaxed. Roads wind between pine woods and farmland, past thatched farmhouses and small ponds, and the surface is good. Corners are gentle, traffic is moderate, and there are several small villages such as Jesteburg and Bendestorf that offer cafés and a pleasant stop. On this ride the heath is a first act, before the long run to the North Sea dikes, where the land flattens out and the wind picks up.
Early mornings in autumn, when mist lies over the heath and the first light catches the heather, are particularly lovely. Midday in summer can be busy with day-trippers from Hamburg, and weekends fill the cafés. Take small roads where you can, and watch for horse riders and cyclists, which are everywhere in this region.
Buchholz itself is a pleasant but unremarkable town, with a pedestrian centre, a few restaurants and an easy-going feel, and it works best as a gateway. Fill up, grab a coffee, and then head for the lanes.
- Wilseder Berg heath
photo
The highest point of the Lüneburg Heath is 169 metres above sea level, which sounds like nothing until you stand on top of it and look out over a sea of purple. Wilseder Berg is a gentle swell in a landscape that otherwise rolls like a calm ocean, and from the summit you can see miles of heather, birch, and juniper stretching to the horizon, with the occasional church spire or farm roof. In late summer, when the heather blooms, from about mid-August to September, the whole heath turns a deep, vivid pink, and it is the kind of sight that makes Germans of all ages take out their cameras.
The heath is not natural in the way a mountain is. It is the result of centuries of human use: farmers cut the forest, grazed their sheep on the thin sandy soil, and cut the heather for fuel and bedding. The sheep that do the work, the Heidschnucken, with their curled horns and shaggy grey coats, are still grazed here to keep the landscape open. The nature reserve, one of the oldest in Germany, protects the heath, and the traditional villages in it, such as Wilsede, have thatched farmhouses and are largely closed to cars.
That is the practical point for a rider: you cannot ride up. Wilsede is a car-free village, and the way in is on foot, by bicycle, or by horse-drawn carriage, from car parks at places such as Undeloh or Döhle. Leave the bike there, put on some walking shoes, and allow an hour or two for the walk. The rest of the heath roads, on the other hand, are lovely: narrow, quiet, and lined with birch and pine, with gentle bends and a surface that is generally good. Traffic is heavy on sunny weekends in August, when the coaches arrive.
Fuel is available in Bispingen, about ten kilometres away, and Egestorf is a smaller village nearby. There are cafes and inns in Undeloh and Wilsede, serving buckwheat pancakes, sweet or savoury, and heath lamb. In winter the heath is quiet, brown, and often frosty. Mornings in September, when mist lies over the heather, are very good. Carry a rain layer, because the weather over flat country can change fast, and the wind has nothing to stop it.
- Soltau lunch window
food
Soltau is a practical northern German town, and it makes no apologies for that. It sits on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath, on the Böhme river, and it has a pedestrian centre of brick buildings, a modest market, and a reputation as a place where families come for a day out, since a large amusement park and a thermal bath complex are nearby. For a rider on the roads of the heath, it is the best place for a lunch and a refuel.
The town grew around the salt trade, as many in the region did, and its name is thought to be related to salt, though its history is mostly that of a market town in an agricultural region. The surrounding countryside is heath, pine forest, and farmland, and the sandy soils support asparagus, potatoes, and sheep. Heidschnucken, the heath sheep, are a speciality, and the meat is dark and strong, often served with beans and potatoes.
The roads around Soltau are quiet and straight, with the sort of gentle bends that suit an easy afternoon. The minor roads through the heath are a classic route, with birch and pine alleys, open views, and a surface that is generally good. Speed cameras are common in towns, and the limits are strictly enforced, so keep an eye on the signs. In late summer, the heather draws crowds, and weekends are busier, with cyclists, cars, and horse-drawn carriages. Midweek mornings are quieter.
Soltau has everything you could need. Fuel stations are on the edges of town, supermarkets and bakeries are plentiful, and there are cafes and restaurants on the main streets. Neuenkirchen, about ten kilometres away, is a smaller place with fewer services. It is worth stopping for a proper German bakery stop, with fresh bread rolls, cake, and strong coffee. In winter, the weather can be cold and damp, with fog and frost, and the roads can be icy early in the morning. The best season is late summer and early autumn, when the heath is in bloom and the light is soft.
- Lüneburg old town
sight
Lüneburg got rich on salt. Beneath the old town lies a salt dome, and from about the tenth century until the 1980s, brine from it was boiled into the white stuff that Hanseatic ships carried across the Baltic to salt herring in Scandinavia. The wealth that flowed back paid for a town of high red-brick gables, stepped roofs and ornate town hall, and the result, intact to a rare degree after the war, is one of the loveliest old towns in northern Germany. With about seventy thousand people, it is a city, but the old centre feels like a village in places.
The salt has left its mark in another way. Because the mining and pumping hollowed out the ground, many buildings have sunk unevenly over the centuries, and houses lean at alarming angles, with floors, walls and windows out of true. Some streets look as if they are leaning into each other for support. Around the harbour on the Ilmenau river, an old wooden crane stands on the quay, a reminder of the barges that once loaded salt here. The market square, Am Sande, has fine gabled houses, and the town hall has medieval chambers that are open to visitors.
Riding to Lüneburg from Hamburg is a gentle run through farmland, and the best part comes after the town, in the Lüneburg Heath, the great region of sandy heather moor and juniper stretching south and west. The roads here are flat and quiet, with long, easy bends, avenues of oak and birch, and occasional villages with thatched roofs. Late August and September are the best time, when the heather blooms purple, and bees hum in the fields. Out of season it is a subdued landscape, and mist often lies in the hollows.
In the old town, you can find everything. There are cafes in the courtyards, small bakeries and bars, and fuel stations on the ring road. Cobbles in the centre are slippery after rain, so ride slowly and park at the edge of the pedestrian zone. Try a Heidschnucken lamb dish, from the heath's own sheep breed, or a slice of buckwheat cake, and walk along the river in the evening. Lüneburg is a place to slow down and look up.
- Back to Buchholz
finish
Back at Buchholz. That is the ride.