Cucumber cycle path: Enjoy the Spreewald
Just set off and glide along, almost like the barges on the rivers. The Spreewald also has something calming for cyclists. For more than 260 kilometres, the sign with the cycling cucumber shows the flat route through the biosphere reserve, through tranquil villages, along meadows, fields and canals and repeatedly over small bridges and locks. You should plan around five to six days for the entire tour. Then there is still time for a boat trip or a visit to the gherkin museum in Lehde.
There is no shortage of inviting inns along the cucumber cycle path.
In addition to lard bread with gherkins, quark with potatoes and linseed oil is probably the best-known dish in Spreewald cuisine. However, fish and meat dishes such as fish in Spreewald sauce, beef with horseradish sauce or braised gherkins are also on the menu in the Spreewald.
Journey:
Several possible starting points, such as Lübben, Lübbenau, Vetschau and Cottbus, can be easily reached by train from Berlin. www.bahn.de
Tour combinations:
The cucumber cycle path can be complemented well, for example, with the Fürst-Pückler-Wegthe Lower Lusatian mining tourthe Spree cycle path and the crane tour.
Accommodation tips:
Cycling barn in Burg, www.radler-scheune.de
Sagritz estate in Goißen-Sagritz, www.gutshof-sagritz.de
Hotel Spreeblick in Lübben, www.hotel-spreeblick.de
Hotel Zum Goldenen Löwen in Peitz, www.hotel-peitz.de
Hotel Stern in Werben, www.hotel-stern-werben.de
Culinary tip:
Cucumber museum with tasting at the Starick hotel complex in Lehde.
In the Babben brewery and guesthouse in Lübbenau, you can enjoy a tasty beer as well as unusual flavours such as horseradish spirit and wild hop spirit, www.babben-bier.de
Private brewery since 1788 at the Spreewald Resort Seinerzeit in Schlepzig, with brewery tour and beer garden, www.seinerzeit.de
Organised trip:
A five-day "Gurkentour Land & Leute" is organised by Radreisepartner Spreewald und Lausitz in Cottbus, Tel. 0355/87901012.
Maps and literature:
An overview map with suggested stages is available as a pdf download at www.spreewald-info.de/rad/gurkenradweg.php
Publicpress cycle map "Gurkenradweg Spreewald" on a scale of 1:50,000 for 11.99 euros.
Information:
Spreewald Tourism Association, Tel. 035433/72299, www.spreewald.de
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 6/2016. You can download the issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play ) or in the DK-Shop order.
