Hamburg · Schlei Fjord and Angeln Loop

A 323 km loop from Neumünster

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Why this ride

Baltic fjord light, small ferries and polished touring pace. A 323 km loop that starts and ends near Neumünster, about 5 h 35 of riding. On the way it passes Schleswig harbour sight, Geltinger Birk coast edge and Kappeln Schlei bridge. It keeps to quiet secondary roads.

Roadbook

1. Neumünster fuel escape fuel

   Neumünster is not a town people ride to, but it is a very good town to ride out of. It lies in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, where the motorways from Hamburg, Kiel and the north meet, and it has the practical, working feel of a place built by industry. For centuries it was a centre of cloth and leather, and the textile mills lined the little Schwale river, though most of them closed in the twentieth century. The town grew from a monastery, founded in the early twelfth century by the missionary Vicelin, and his name is still borne by the main church.

   This is a place for filling tanks and starting days. With more than seventy-eight thousand people, Neumünster has plenty of fuel stations, supermarkets and bakeries open early, and it is easy to find a quick breakfast. There is nothing here you would call romantic, but the practicality is a relief, and it saves you worrying about whether the village ahead has a pump. Riders heading north to the Baltic coast, or the Danish border beyond, often gather here before the long run into the quiet country of Angeln.

   The roads leaving town to the north and east are the part worth noting. They quickly turn into small country roads through low, rolling farmland, with Knicks, hedged fields and red-brick villages, and the traffic thins within a few kilometres. The land is gently hilly, a leftover from the ice age, with patches of woodland and some small lakes. The surface is mostly good, and the corners are open and easy, so the first hour of the day is a good chance to warm up the tyres and settle into the rhythm.

   Weather in Schleswig-Holstein changes fast, with bright sun, a squall and sun again within an hour, and the wind is a constant companion. Take a waterproof layer. If the day is long, tank up properly before leaving, since the countryside to the north has plenty of villages but fewer petrol stations than you might expect. In the early morning, with mist lying in the hollows and the first light coming across the fields, this plain stretch of Holstein is surprisingly pleasant.

2. Schleswig harbour sight sight

   Schleswig lies at the head of the Schlei, a narrow, winding arm of the Baltic that reaches forty kilometres inland and looks more like a river than a fjord. The harbour is small and cheerful, with sailing boats, a few pleasure steamers and a promenade where people stroll and eat fish rolls. Across the water you can see the roofs of the old town, and above them the slim spire of the cathedral, whose tower rises to well over a hundred metres and dominates the skyline for miles.

   The cathedral holds a treasure, the Bordesholm Altar, a huge carved oak altarpiece made in the early sixteenth century by the sculptor Hans Brüggemann. Not far away, on a spit of land by the water, is Holm, an old fishermen's village of tiny, brightly painted cottages and narrow lanes, with its own small church and graveyard. It is the sort of place where the clocks seem to run slowly. Further out, Gottorf Castle, once the seat of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, now holds major museums.

   The roads along the Schlei are some of the finest in the region for a relaxed ride. They wind through villages, past reed beds and small harbours, with the water glinting through the trees, and the traffic is light outside the summer. The country is flat but never dull, with big skies and plenty of birds, including herons, swans and the occasional sea eagle. Wind is the main factor, since the water funnels the breeze, and the weather can change in minutes.

   Schleswig is a town of twenty-four thousand, with fuel stations, supermarkets, bakeries and a number of good restaurants, many of them specialising in fish. Smoked herring and Schlei fish are local favourites. Neuberend and Fahrdorf, smaller villages nearby, have a few cafés. If you have time, walk along the harbour and look at the boats, then choose a table with a view. The water, the light and the birds will do the rest.

3. Geltinger Birk coast edge photo

   The Geltinger Birk is the north-eastern tip of Angeln, a low, windy peninsula that pushes out into the Baltic where the Flensburg Fjord opens to the sea. It is one of the largest nature reserves on the Baltic coast of Schleswig-Holstein, a landscape of dunes, salt meadows, lagoons and old alder woodland, with large areas given over to semi-wild grazing. Hardy cattle and small horses roam the meadows, and their grazing keeps the land open and rich in flowers and insects. On a clear day, you can see across the water to the Danish island of Als.

   The Birk is a bird place first. In spring and autumn huge flocks of migrating geese, ducks and waders pass through, resting in the shallow waters, and in winter the area holds many species that come from the far north. Birdwatchers set up scopes along the paths, and a quiet visitor can see white-tailed eagles, cranes and a wide variety of ducks. The sound of the wind in the reeds and the cry of gulls is constant. The air smells of salt, seaweed and cut grass.

   The reserve itself is for walkers, so you leave the bike at the edge and go in on foot. Paths lead through the grazing land to the beach and the dune, and it is a flat, easy walk of an hour or two. Do bring a windproof jacket, as the wind blows hard from the sea, even in summer. The roads to the area are quiet and flat, with open views over fields and sky, and large windmills turn slowly in the distance. Farm vehicles are the main hazard, and gusts can push a light bike sideways.

   There is little in the way of services at the coast edge. The villages of Gelting and Steinberg have small shops and a few places to eat, but for a full range of services the nearest larger town is Kappeln, on the Schlei, about twelve kilometres away, with fuel stations, supermarkets and a pretty harbour with a lifting bridge. Plan fuel before you head out to the coast, and take some water. Late afternoon, when the low sun brings out the colour in the meadows, is a lovely time to be here.

4. Kappeln Schlei bridge food

   Kappeln lies on the Schlei, a long narrow inlet of the Baltic that reaches forty-odd kilometres inland, like a fjord that forgot to be steep. The bridge itself is the town's emblem: a lifting bridge from the 1920s that opens to let ships through, so be prepared to wait a few minutes while the roadway rises and the sailing boats glide past.

   Kappeln is the capital of Angeln, the rolling, hedge-patterned peninsula between the Schlei and the Flensburg Fjord that gave England its name. The Angles, a Germanic tribe who migrated to Britain in the fifth century, are said to have come from this region, and you will see the name on signs and shops. The country is a landscape of low hills, farms and thatched cottages, with winding lanes under old trees and hardly any traffic. The surface is generally good, and the bends are gentle, making it a very pleasant place to ride slowly.

   On the water, the Heringszaun is the unique sight. This is the last herring fence in Europe, a long line of stakes and nets in the shape of a funnel that traps herring as they swim in during spring, and it has been used for centuries. Fresh and smoked herring are sold from stalls and small restaurants nearby, and a roll with smoked fish and onion is the thing to eat while watching the boats. A Dutch-style windmill stands on the harbour, and there are cafes along the waterfront.

   Gelting, ten kilometres away, is the gateway to the Geltinger Birk, a nature reserve of heath, dunes and grazing cattle on the Baltic coast, where the land is flat and the wind is steady. Go in the morning, when the air is bright and the reeds shine. The old harbour and the maritime atmosphere make Kappeln a good stop for a long lunch, and for an excursion boat down the Schlei.

5. Back to Neumünster finish

   Neumünster is a town of seventy-eight thousand, the biggest between Hamburg and Kiel, and it earns its keep as a place where roads, railways and fortunes cross. It grew rich on cloth, and for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries its mills and tanneries made it one of the great textile and leather towns of northern Germany. A museum of cloth and technology tells that story, and the old industrial buildings still stand in the quarters near the river.

   It is not a pretty town, and does not pretend to be, but it is honest. The centre is built of brick and concrete, with a pedestrian zone, a covered market and the usual high-street shops, and the people are friendly in the dry, no-nonsense way of the north. Neumünster also has a lake on its edge, the Einfelder See, where families come at the weekend to swim, walk and sail, and a few green corners among the housing estates.

   For a rider, it is a practical finish, and a useful one. The roads in from the west, from the Schlei and the Angeln countryside, pass through flat farmland and woods, with the odd bend and a lot of straight, and the final miles are on busy roads that lead through suburbs and shopping centres. Traffic can be thick at rush hour, with the nearby motorways feeding in lorries and commuters, so give yourself time and keep your lane discipline.

   Fuel is not an issue, since the town has stations all around its ring roads, and bakeries, cafés and supermarkets on every main street. Padenstedt and Bönebüttel, smaller villages near the town, offer quieter places for a stop, though they have little to offer beyond the basics. If you have time to spare, park near the central square and take a short walk. After the water and wide horizons of the north, the town feels solid, and welcome.

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