Weserbergland Long Sweep from Hamburg

A 476 km loop from Hamburg south-west edge

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Why this ride

A serious day for riders who want bends, not harbour posing. A 476 km loop that starts and ends near Neu Wulmstorf, about 9 h 55 of riding. The stops in between: Rotenburg, Nienburg river road and Hameln. The climb of the day is Rinteln Weser bends. The line favours views over speed.

Roadbook

1. Hamburg south-west edge start

   Hamburg does not end so much as thin out, and this is where it happens. Out here on the south-west edge, between the Elbe and the heath, the port's industrial yards give way to a landscape of commuter villages, motorway interchanges, fields and low wooded hills, and the town of Neu Wulmstorf, with about twenty thousand people, is the nearest place of any size. Behind you lies Harburg, once a separate town on the south bank of the river, and ahead is the flat green country of Lower Saxony.

   The ground is a glacial one, a sandy ridge of moraine left by the ice age, called the Harburg Hills. Pine and beech woods, heathland and old sand pits cover the slopes, and on a clear day you can see the cranes of the harbour from the top of the ridge. To the west lies the Altes Land, the largest continuous fruit-growing area in Northern Europe, a strip of apple and cherry orchards along the Elbe marshes, and in late April the blossom turns the whole district white and pink. The old farmhouses, with their half-timbered fronts and carved gate arches, are among the finest in northern Germany.

   A ride from here to the Weserbergland is a long sweep south through the plain. The first stretch is the busy road out of the city, with traffic lights, roundabouts and a lot of lorries heading for the port, and then the pace eases as the fields open up. The roads across the heath are long and straight, with tree-lined avenues and farms, and wind can be a nuisance on exposed sections, particularly from the west. The hills of the Weser, with their gentler curves, are a day's ride away.

   Fuel and food are no problem in Neu Wulmstorf and the surrounding villages, and the supermarkets and bakeries here open early, which suits an early start. Try a Franzbrötchen, Hamburg's cinnamon pastry, from a bakery on the way out, and a fish roll if you have time. Late spring and early autumn are the best times, and the Altes Land is a fine detour. Check the weather, because the north German coast is changeable, and a sharp shower can arrive with little warning.

2. Rotenburg fuel gate fuel

   Rotenburg an der Wümme is a quiet district town of about twenty-two thousand people on the river Wümme, halfway between Hamburg and Bremen, and a convenient place to fill the tank on the way south. The landscape here is typical of northern Lower Saxony: flat or gently rolling, with heath and pine, wet meadows and the dark, boggy ground of the moors. Everything is green, and the sky is large.

   The Wümme runs north-west through broad meadows to join the Lesum and then the Weser near Bremen, and the countryside around it is a mosaic of meadows, small woods and farms. The Wümmewiesen are a protected area with wet grassland, rich in birds, and storks and cranes are not unusual. The Teufelsmoor, the Devil's Moor, lies further west, and was settled in the eighteenth century by colonists who drained the peat bogs, cut turf and built long, low farmhouses along straight canals. The moor later attracted a school of painters, the Worpswede artists, who found something strange and beautiful in its misty light.

   The riding is easy and pleasant rather than exciting. Roads run straight through the pines, with occasional bends around villages, and the surface is mostly good. Wind is the main variable, and it can be strong on the open land. The best time is spring, when the heath is waking up, or late summer, when the heather blooms purple. Early morning mist hangs over the meadows and gives the scene an almost Dutch air.

   Rotenburg itself has a pleasant old church and a small museum, and the town is known for a large hospital and care foundation. Its position on the railway and the main road between the two big cities means that traffic is dense on the through roads, so leave them for the quiet lanes as soon as you can. There are plenty of cafes and bakeries around the market, and the fuel stations on the main roads are open late. Hemsbünde, a village a few kilometres away, has little more than a pub.

3. Nienburg river road swim

   With some thirty thousand people, it is a proper town with fuel, supermarkets and cafes, and with a pleasant, slightly sleepy old centre of brick and half-timber. The river here is broad and slow, lined with willows and meadows, and it makes a good place for a stop and a flask of coffee.

   The Weser is the great river of this part of Germany, formed at Hannoversch Münden by the meeting of the Werra and the Fulda and flowing north to the North Sea at Bremerhaven. Along the way it passes through a string of attractive towns, and Nienburg is one of the most relaxed. The region is famous for asparagus, and from April to the end of June, the traditional end of the season, restaurants all over the area serve it with ham and new potatoes. The German Asparagus Route passes right through here, and you will see roadside stalls selling the white stalks by the kilo.

   The riding here is flat and easy, along the river through fields and small villages. The dike roads are quiet and the surface is generally good, with long, straight stretches and gentle bends. There is not much shelter, so wind can be a factor, and the wide views over the meadows and the river are lovely in the evening, with the light low and golden. A cycle path follows the Weser for most of its length, and cyclists are common, so give them room.

   Drakenburg, a village about five kilometres away, is on the river, and the surrounding area has a number of lakes and gravel pits, some of which are used for swimming. Look for signs before you plunge in, as the Weser itself has currents and shipping, and is not recommended for swimming. The Steinhuder Meer, Lower Saxony's biggest lake, is a short ride to the east, and offers beaches, sailing and a good place for smoked eel.

4. Rinteln Weser bends pass

   Rinteln is a small Weser town of about twenty-eight thousand people, set where the river swings in a series of wide bends between the hills of the Weserbergland. The old town is full of half-timbered houses and handsome buildings in the Weser Renaissance style, a distinctive form of gables, bay windows and decorated stonework that spread along the river in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

   The Weser here is slow and wide, flowing past wooded hills on either side, and the landscape is soft and green, with orchards and small villages tucked into the valleys. Luhden, four kilometres away, sits in the hills, and the road up to it climbs in a series of gentle bends. The Weserbergland is not high, but it is lively, with hills, forests and ridgeline roads that offer long views over the valley. The traffic is light, apart from the weekend crowds, and the road surface is generally good.

   Hameln, twenty-five kilometres upstream, is the town of the Pied Piper, the legendary rat-catcher who, when the town refused to pay him, led its children away. The story, which the Brothers Grimm included in their collection, is said to relate to a real event in 1284. Hameln has a pleasant old centre with a daily show on the town clock and rats on every souvenir. Rinteln makes a quieter alternative for a rest, with fewer coach parties.

   The river is the thread, and a ride along its banks is a gentle way to pass an afternoon. Ferries still cross in a few places, and the old road along the foot of the hills passes small villages and chapels. In autumn, the beech woods turn gold and the river mist lingers in the morning. The weather in this region is mild, with frequent showers, so a waterproof layer is a good idea. A glass of Weser region beer in a small inn makes a good end to the day.

5. Hameln food stop food

   Everyone knows the story, and Hameln has not tried to hide it. According to the legend, in 1284 the town was overrun by rats, and a stranger in colourful clothes offered to rid it of them in return for payment. He played his pipe, the rats followed him into the Weser and drowned, and the town refused to pay. So he played again, and this time the town's children followed him out of the gate and were never seen again. The Brothers Grimm wrote it down, Robert Browning wrote a poem, and the Pied Piper became one of the best-known figures in European folklore. The historical record does record some tragedy in 1284, though what actually happened is still a mystery.

   The town deals with it cheerfully. Rat motifs decorate bakeries and shops, a rat-catcher's house with a carved front stands in a street that is closed to music, and on summer Sundays actors perform the tale in front of the Hochzeitshaus, the old wedding house. Apart from the legend, Hameln is a fine example of Weser Renaissance architecture, with ornate gabled houses of stone and timber, richly carved, standing along the main streets and lanes. The town lies on the Weser river, which has carried goods and people through the region for centuries, and the old centre is a pleasant place for a walk.

   For the rider, Hameln is the practical kind of stop. It has about fifty-eight thousand people, so fuel, groceries, and repair services are all available, and cafés on the old town squares are well suited to a long coffee break. The countryside around is gentle hill land, with the roads leading toward the Lippe hills and the Harz mountains winding through woods, villages and fields. The surface is generally good, with some bumpy patches, and traffic can be heavy in town at midday. Weekends in summer bring tourists and cyclists on the river path.

   Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with fresh green or golden colour in the hills, and clear air. Summer is warm, with the occasional thunderstorm. Try the local sausage and potato dishes in the old town, and leave time for a stroll along the Weser embankment in the evening, when the light turns the river gold.

6. Celle return reset food

   Celle is a town that looks like it has been preserved in a jar. More than four hundred half-timbered houses, with carved beams, painted inscriptions and crooked upper storeys, line the streets of the old centre, and the whole place has survived with very little damage because it escaped bombing in the Second World War. About seventy-one thousand people live here, on the banks of the Aller, at the southern edge of the Luneburg Heath.

   At the centre stands the Schloss, the castle of the dukes of Brunswick-Luneburg, a large building with a baroque theatre inside, said to be the oldest in Germany still in use. It has a sad link with Danish history, because Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark, banished after a scandal at the court of Copenhagen, spent her last years here and died in 1775 at the age of only twenty-three. A small memorial stands in the castle garden.

   The Heath, a broad area of heather, juniper, birch and sandy soil, begins just north of the town. In late August and September, the heather blooms purple, and the whole country glows. Flocks of Heidschnucken, a hardy local breed of sheep with curling horns, graze the heath to keep it open. The landscape has been shaped by centuries of grazing and burning, and it is a rare habitat, protected as a nature reserve.

   For riders, Celle is a place to fill the tank and have a coffee. Fuel stations are on the roads into town, the old town is closed to most traffic and parking is easy near the edge. A walk past the half-timbered houses and a cake in a cafe makes a good break. From here, the roads north and south run straight and smooth, with long views over farmland, forest and heath, and traffic is moderate. Wind can be strong over open ground, and on summer weekends, the heath roads fill with day-trippers. Early morning light on the heather is the finest, and a thermos of coffee helps on cool days.

7. Back to Hamburg finish

   Hamburg's high ground is not very high. The highest point in the whole city, a wooded hill called the Hasselbrack, reaches only about 116 metres, and it lies in the Harburg Hills, just a few kilometres from this point on the southern edge of the city. Still, in a country as flat as north Germany, those hills are a real change of scene, and the road that runs through them is one of the best for riders on the south bank of the Elbe.

   The heath is the remnant of a landscape created by centuries of grazing, and the sheep that graze it now keep it open. Paths wind through it, and on a clear evening the light on the heather is extraordinary.

   The roads around here are small and winding, running between hedgerows, over gentle rises and through patches of pine and birch. After the open flatlands of the Elbe, the bends come as a pleasure, and the soft, sandy smell of the heath is quite different from the damp air of the marshes. Traffic is light outside commuting hours, though the main roads towards Hamburg are busy at rush hour.

   Seevetal and Harburg both lie within ten kilometres, with plenty of fuel and food. Neu Wulmstorf itself has supermarkets, bakeries and a few cafés, and the surrounding villages are quiet and neat. If the weather is good, stop for a walk on the heath, and take your helmet off for a few minutes. The silence and the open sky make a good end to a ride, and the city is only a short run away.

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