Berlin to Baltic Cycle Tour

1 – 10 September 2009


Tuesday, 1st September

06:40 - 08-10

0 km

Zürich – Berlin via Air Berlin

ca 10:00

0 km

Leave Berlin Airport

10:20

3 km

S-Bahn Jungfrauheide

ca 17:45

3 km

Bach (near Bernau)

ca 19:00

23 km

Helenas Pension, Bernau bei Berlin

The flight to Berlin went well, and the bikes arrived undamaged. By the time we had reassembled them (we dumped the cardboard boxes), it was about 10:00, and we set off for the nearest S-Bahn station at Jungfrauheide, some 3 km away. Then it was a hassle with the S-Bahn followed by a very short cycle ride to Helga's, where we arrived at about 11:00.

We visited Herbert's grave with Helga and her brother, deposited the stone, which we had brought from the Gelmer Hut on the grave, had lunch in a local Croatian restaurant, and were given a tour of the city by Helga's brother. While we were on the tour of the city, we also had to find a mobile phone shop to fix Georg's broken phone. At about 17:00, we set off on the cycle tour via the S-Bahn. We travelled NE to the limit of the A+B fare zone at Bach. From there, it wasn't too far to Bernau, but time was getting on and so we were under some pressure to get to our hotel, Helenas Pension, as quickly as possible. The pension was some 6 km out of Bernau in the middle of the forest and hard to find.

There was some hanging around and telephoning to do before we could get the key to the room. The pension turned out to be an ex-Stasi training camp – quite sinister, really. The rooms were in wooden cabins, and there was a bar, bowling alley, and restaurant. We had schnitzel and chips for the evening meal, and there was quite a wait for that too. At least we didn't go hungry.

Georg is having credit card problems as a result of mixing up his PINs before his mobile phone was repaired. Hopefully we'll have enough cash! It's very “East German” around here.

Wednesday, 2nd September

09:35

0 km

Helenas Pension, Bernau

10:45

18 km

Biesenthal

11:50 – 12:20

35 km

Rosenbeck

13:30 – 14:05

?

Joachimsthal

15:15 – 15:40

69 km

Bathe in Wolletzsee

16:50 – 17:30

82 km

Peetzig - beer

18:05

92 km

Stegelitz

After a rather large evening meal, there wasn't much need for a big breakfast, but that's what we got. It was very good, with fresh rolls and lots of meat, cheese and jam to put on them. We made one each to take with us for lunch. It had, by the way, rained in the night, but the morning was fine, if a little cool.

After a little work on the bicycles, improving things which we had not managed to get quite right at the airport, such as, in my case, a front mudguard which had a rattle and, in Georg's case, cow horns which had been mounted totally incorrectly, we set off back to Bernau and the Berlin – Usedom long-distance cycle route (Fernradweg).

The cycling was a dream, the route well marked. Mostly it was a strip of asphalt along an old, cobbled, forest track. But the tracks come in all sorts: cobbles in the middle with “Verbundstein” edges, cycle tracks along normal roads, gravel tracks, etc. It was not particularly hilly. The route went roughly north through Biesenthal, and along the Werbelinsee to Joachimsthal, where we had an ice cream and beer. On the way, we crossed a canal with lock gates at Rosenbeck – it was quite a novelty for Georg.

From Joachimsthal, the route made a big loop to the east through Wolletz, where we had a short bathe in the lake. The track got gradually worse, with more stretches of cobbles. We had phoned ahead from Wolletz to a pension at Stegelitz, so our bed was guaranteed. We just had to get there.

We stopped for a beer in Peetzig, a very 19th century looking village, and then the last 4 or 5 km were on a dirt road. The coutryside had also got a bit more hilly. All in all, we had had enough by the time that we reached the pension in the “Old Schoolhouse” in Stegelitz. The very friendly owner made us a simple, but adequate, evening meal of salad and spaghetti bolognese. Then we just had to pass the evening in a tiny village with nothing but a few houses. Fortunately, there was beer available in the schoolhouse.

The countryside has become more and more “DDR” as the day has gone on. There are big, but not very well groomed, fields, and the villages have a general run-down feel about them, despite the many newly renovated houses. The scenery is very pleasant though and, as mentioned above, it is super cycling country.

Thursday, 3rd September

09:15

0 km

Stegelitz

09:45 – 10:30

7 km

Seehausen

12:00 – 13:45

33 km

Prenzlau

16:00

69 km

Pasewalk

It was quite an easy day, except for the weather. It rained heavily in the night, so the roads and tracks were quite wet at first. At least we started out with a good breakfast, even if the bread rolls were a bit light for Georg's taste.

After just 7 km, as we reached Warnitz, it started to spit, and we were just able to get into an inn in Seehausen for coffee before the rain got too hard. We stayed there for quite a while waiting for it to stop, but eventually put on rain coats, took off our socks, and set off in the rain. It stopped after a while, though, but started again as we were entering Prenzlau. There are, by the way, wind turbines everywhere. On the way into Prenzlau, I put Georg under a bit of pressure to get there for 12:00. He needed to get to a bank to sort out his credit cards and get some Euros, and I was afraid that the banks might close for lunch – they didn't, as it happened. Since it was raining again, we had a leisurely lunch in the town and didn't do any sightseeing. The huge church would probably have been the sole attraction.

The afternoon trek to Pasewalk started off along roads, so there was a bit more traffic than we have been used to. The Berlin – Usedom cycle track is incredibly well routed to avoid traffic. We only had to do about 30 km or so, but it turned hard towards the end because the route became a very sandy track. We got there eventually, and had a quick look in the town's biggest church – all red brick but still very impressive and tasteful – before finding a hotel. In the end, the hotel was more expensive than we have been used to (EUR 41.50 each), but it is a very nicely renovated old mansion. It reminds me very much of Coseners' House in Abingdon. It is the Hotel Villa Knobelsdorff.

Then it was a shower, beer in the hotel bar, and a long walk around quite a dreary town looking for somewhere to eat, other than in the hotel. Eventually we found a Chinese restaurant and had a very cheap but tasty buffet meal (EUR 12 each!).

Friday, 4th September

09:40

0 km

Pasewalk

11:05 – 11:30

20 km

Torgelow

12:15

34 km

Ueckermünde

15:25 – 16:15

63 km

Kamp Ferry

16:50

70 km

Usedom

It's hard to imagine an easier day than this. There were no hills, a strong tail wind, and fine, if occasionally cool, weather. The cycle track followed the main road more or less all the way to Torgelow, and we just sailed along.

Then, after a coffee, with ice cream for my sweet tooth, we continued along the minor of the two roads to Ueckermünde. The cycle track was rough and through the forest, but quite easy really.

Ueckermünde is a very nice touristy town, and we had a simple breaded fish and roast potato lunch on a boat in the harbour. It was just the right quantity.

The afternoon was spent tootling through the flooded coastal flats to the ferry and ruined railway bridge at Kamp. There were lots of geese and cormorants on the water, and what looked like a sea eagle soaring around overhead. There was certainly something that caused the water birds to panic at one point. There was a 30 minute wait over a beer at the ferry, and then a short trip across to the island of Usedom. From there, it wasn't far to the town of Usedom, where it wasn't too easy to find a room – weekend and a tourist island, no doubt. In the end, we found a nice room in the Gasthaus Natzke.

It was definitely a very pleasant day. We finished off with a walk around the town to find somewhere to eat. We ended up at the harbour pub and had smoked haddock. Georg wasn't too thrilled, but I found it very good, once I had sorted out its anatomy. It has turned into a beautiful full-moon evening, and the wind has dropped. There's a 50th birthday party with live music in the hotel - I hope that we'll be able to sleep.

Saturday, 5th September

09:15

0 km

Usedom

09:45

6 km

Stolpe

10:45

23 km

Kamminke

13:15

?

Heringsdorf

14:00

40 km

Bonsin

15:15

train

Peenemünde

17:30

51 km

Wolgast

This was really the first terrible day. It started well, after rain in the night and the minor disturbance of the party. We set off in the direction of Stolpe, and made good time through Stolpe and on to Zirchow. There, mainly for my sake, we chose the road to the Polish border at Kamminke, with the intention of making a short foray into Poland to look at Swinemünde (Swinoujscie).

We got to the ferry terminal (from Ueckermünde) at Kamminke without any problem, and set off for the Polish border, first across a field, and then along a dyke, and then over the border across a blue footbridge. Unfortunately, the heavens opened as we crossed the bridge. As a result, our trip into Poland was just a short stretch along the Polish side of the border, and then back into Germany, without having got into Swinemünde at all.

By the time that we got to Ahlbeck on the Baltic coast, we were really wet and the going had become quite hilly. We persevered onto Heringsdorf along a very unpleasant, busy road, where we stopped for lunch. We both chose a children's menu, which turned out to be too small.

Then we finally found the coastal cycle track to Bansin, checked on the times of the ferry from Peenemünde to Rügen (every morning at 09:00), and continued NW towards Peenemünde. Then the heavens opened again, the track appeared to stop, and Georg had had enough. We turned round and headed for the railway station, where we caught the train to Peenemünde, both rather wet and bedraggled.

Unfortunately, 3 km and almost 1 hour later, Peenemünde turned out to be a god-forsaken place, where we definitely didn't want to spend the night. Georg had studied our train ticket, and seen that it was a 24 hour family ticket for Usedom, so we could travel further on the train. After waiting 45 minutes (beer time!), we took the train to Wolgast, where we found a very nice, if expensive, hotel for the night (Hotel Schilfhaus). We went out to eat (pizza) and had lots to drink – good wine.

Sunday, 6th September

09:45

0 km

Wolgast

11:30

25 km

Greifswald

13:45 – 14:30

44 km

Mesekenhagen

15:40 - ???

56 km

Stahlbrode Ferry

17:50

81 km

Bergen Bus Station, Rügen

This was quite a tough day because we had a strong wind, mainly from the side, but also quite a bit against us, most of the day. Fortunately, we were able to shelter from the only real shower, which hit us on leaving Greifswald, and a wind is better than being wet, on the whole.

The first few km out of Wolgast were unpleasant due to heavy traffic and no cycle track but, once we were able to turn off on the minor road to Katzow, things were much more pleasant, even if the wind made it slow going.

Eventually we reached Greifswald and stopped for a coffee on the way into the town. The town is quite big and has a very beautiful centre. Unfortunately, we missed the signs for how to get out of the centre and ended up taking the wrong road. Fortunately, the heavens opened just then and, while we were sheltering, we were able to discover our mistake, and get onto the right road once the rain stopped.

For the first 15 km out of Greifswald, there is a new tarmac road for the cars running parallel to the old cobbled DDR road for everyone else. It was rough, slow, going alleviated by a stop for omelette and chips in Mesekenhagen. Eventually we reached Reinberg and the turn-off to the ferry over to Rügen. The wind was then mainly behind us, and the surface was tarmac – quite a treat. The weather had also turned much nicer, with warm sun while on the short ferry trip over to Rügen. Then it was simply a question of keeping Georg going for the remaining 25 km to Bergen, our goal for the day (he is having saddle problems), but with a helping wind, it wasn't too difficult.

The evening meal in the town was disappointing, at least for me. Georg seems to have a knack of choosing much more appetizing things from the menu!

Monday, 7th September

09:30

0 km

Bergen

11:00

18 km

Binz

13:15 – 16:00

-

Boat trip to “White Cliffs”

18:00

27 km

Jagdschloss Granitz

18:30

37 km

Back in Binz

Today was essentially a rest day. After a good night's sleep in a room which was a bit smaller than we have become used to, and a good breakfast, we started off by going to the station and getting our tickets to Berlin for Thursday. Then we set off for the coastal resort of Binz. There was only occasionally a cycle track and, when there wasn't, it was unpleasant because of the heavy traffic. We're not used to being somewhere that is so popular.

We started off at the Tourist Office to find a room for two nights, which worked perfectly. Then we tootled around the town, ending up on the pier and finding that a boat trip to the “Kreidefelsen” (White Cliffs) was about to leave. Georg wanted to see them, so we went. It was a 2 hr 45 min trip! And the cliffs are not that spectacular.

Then it was time for some culture – a ride up to the Jagdschloss at Granitz. We were lucky to get to see the Rasender Roland, a steam train, on the way. We were too late for the Schloss, though, but the cycle ride did us good after the long boat trip. Then it was a case of going back to the hotel for a shower, and out for evening meal. At last, Georg found a Rote Grotz, a dessert that looks like stewed fruit and custard, that met his expectations. My plate of grilled fish and fried/roast potatoes was also excellent.

Tuesday, 8th September

??

0 km

Binz

11:50 - 12:20

25 km

Königsstuhl Restaurant

12:30 - 13:40

28 km

Königsstuhl

19:05

25 km

Hotel in Binz

This was a beautiful day, weatherwise, and very scenic, but it was really missing a goal. In my mind, we are just waiting now to get the train to Berlin on Thursday morning.

After writing and posting a few cards, we set off along the cycle track to Sassnitz with the view point of Königsstuhl, which we had seen from the boat yesterday, as our goal. It all went well, passing some incredible DDR military barracks in ruins on the way. The last 8 to 10 km from Sassnitz through the forest of the Jasmund Nature Reserve were very nice, but we had the feeling of being led round in circles by the cycle track signs.

Anyway, just before getting there, there was a good pub for a beer and, when we did get there, they wanted EUR 6 to go onto the viewpoint. That was too much for a view, so we went down wooden steps to the seashore instead – 110 m of elevation drop. It would have been more appropriate to charge to use the steps, which were quite an engineering achievement, than to charge for the view. It was nice down there, but not tempting for a swim. The jellyfish in the sea have put me off bathing anyway.

After that, things got a bit aimless. We would have liked to go on to Kap Arkona, but it was another 35 km, and not clear if we could put the bikes on the bus for the way back. In the end, we drifted along up and down some quite steep sandy tracks through Lohme and Sagard, and ended up at the beach of the Jasmunder Bodden at Lietzow. Jasmunder Bodden is almost a lake but is actually open to the sea, just. Again, there were jellyfish, but the water was in any case too shallow for adults to bathe sensibly.

As a result, we just sun bathed, then had a beer, and tried to find the way back to Binz. It should have been simple, but the path between the railway track and the lake got narrower and narrower until it was finally blocked by a group of fishermen. So we turned round, crossed the railway, and got taken here, there and everywhere by the signposting, through sand where we had to push, up and down hills, until we eventually reached the coastal cycle track to Binz, with still 7 km to do. It was 19:00 before we got back to the hotel, feeling quite exercised.

The evening meal of turkey steak (it should have been pork according to the menu) was good, and we caught the tail-end of a pop-concert on the seafront – a Robbie Williams impersonator – afterwards. Then we sat outside a bar over a beer watching all the well-dressed people promenade by; then to bed.

Wednesday, 9th September

11:00

0 km

Binz

12:45

17 km

Putbus

13:40

30 km

Garz

?? - 15:30

36 km

Samtens

17:25

59 km

Strahlsund Bridge

18:00

65 km

Strahlsund

The weather was perfect again. While Georg went shopping for a present for his wife after breakfast, I spent a bit of time giving my bike a clean. Then we set off for Strahlsund via Putbus. This went well, although the first stretch out of Binz seemed rather convoluted.

Putbus is a very pretty town with parks and a “Circus”. The Circus is a circular park with obelisk, apparently modelled on Bath, but it wouldn't have occurred to me if I hadn't read it on a notice.

Generally, our cycling on Rügen has been hampered by our not having a proper cycle map. We keep on ending up on roads with traffic, or following windy tracks according to the occasional signpost that we see. If I come to Rügen again, I'll make sure to get a map of the cycle tracks before I come.

After leaving Putbus, we had a bit of excitement. We had studied a tourist map near the Circus, and then set off trusting the signposting. It worked well until I stopped for a leak, and Georg went on ahead. I then pedalled like mad to catch up, and missed him. I followed the intended cycle track to Garz – very beautiful – but Georg, who didn't have a map, ended up in Bergen, way off the planned route. Fortunately, in the age of mobile phones, we were able to meet up again in Samtens, where we had some lunch.

In Samtems, of course, we were off any official cycle track, and had to devise our own. We started off along the main road to Strahlsund, and then turned off it about 2 km outside the town, and made our way cross-country along very bumpy farm tracks to Altefähr by the bridge over to Strahlsund. But for the bumpiness, the cross-country route was very enjoyable. We had hoped to be able to bathe at Altefähr, but it wasn't really inviting. We then thought of taking the ferry over to Strahlsund to avoid traipsing over the bridge, but that meant waiting for over an hour, so we cycled it in the end.

Once in Strahlsund, we headed for the station, since that's where we have to catch a train tomorrow morning, and then headed into the old town, hitting lucky first time at the Nord Deutscher Hof Hotel. Evening meal was a Chinese buffet at a restaurant in the Neuer Markt, followed by a beer at a restaurant in the Alter Markt. The town is very much worth a visit with its red-brick Gothic architecture.

Thursday, 10th September

10:16 - 13:25

0 km

Strahlsund - Berlin by train

21:15 – 22:45

7 km

Berlin – Zürich with Air Berlin

23:20 - 23:59

7 km

Zürich - Riniken by car

After breakfast, Georg went into the old town to take some photos, while I went for a dash up to the top of the tower of the St Marien church across the road from the hotel. Then it was off to the station to catch the train to Berlin. Fortunately we were early, and so had time to load the bikes in peace before all the others with their bikes boarded the train. Despite the semi-chaos, the trip to Berlin went smoothly, and we arrived on time at the Berlin main station.

There was disruption on the S-Bahn due to some problems with rolling stock, so we ended up cycling out to the airport, which was no problem. The check-in was also easy. We just had to take off the pedals and turn the handle bars of the bikes, but there was no need to pack them in any way. As an extra precaution, I disconnected the gear change of my bike and left it hanging on the chain to reduce the chance of it getting damaged.

Since our train ticket was a “Quer-Durch's-Land” ticket, also valid on Berlin buses, we then caught the bus back into the centre of Berlin to do a bit of sight-seeing. The flight was not until 21:15, so we had plenty of time. We returned to the airport for evening meal, since we were a bit anxious about the times of the buses. The meal was rather disappointing.

The flight was OK, and Georg's wife had left his car at the airport for us, so we were able to get back home without problem despite the late hour. The bikes and all the bags arrived safely.


The End