In the footsteps of Theodor Fontane along the Havelland cycle path
Theodor Fontane described this region in detail in his famous novels. And even today, cyclists to the north-west of Berlin, amidst endless meadows, fields and woods, seem to be travelling in the setting of a novel. Mystical landscapes characterise the Westhavelland Nature Park, such as the Havelländisches Luch, with its impressive meadows and lowlands along the bend of the Havel. Small villages nestle into the picture as if painted.
The Havelland Cycle Route, which is classified as "easy" by the ADFC, runs for around 115 kilometres from Schollene, near the border with Saxony-Anhalt, mainly on asphalt farm tracks to Berlin-Spandau or vice versa. Due to its low gradients, the route is also highly recommended for families with children. Cyclists should plan a break for places worth seeing such as Ribbeck in the Mark Brandenburg, Rathenow, Nauen or Glien, as they offer not only historical gems but also numerous interesting stories.
The Havelland Cycle Route is well signposted throughout and is perfect for a lovely weekend tour from the capital. If you would then like to experience more of the Havelland, you can extend your tour to include the Havel Cycle Route or the Tour Brandenburg, for example.
The GPX track for retracing the Havelland cycle route is available free of charge on the MYBIKE tour portal:
Journey
Some places along the route such as Nauen, Rathenow (close to the starting point of Schollene) and Berlin-Spandau (destination) are easy to reach by train. www.bahn.de
Tour combinations
Havel Cycle Route, Hamburg-Berlin Long-Distance Cycle Route, Tour Brandenburg, Otto Lilienthal Cycle Route, Elbe Cycle Route, Berlin Wall Trail
Worth seeing
Westhavelland Nature Park with Havelländisches Luch,
Old town of Nauen,
Ribbeck Castle near Nauen,
Rathenow,
Schönwalde-Glien
Overnight stay
Hotel Lavendelhof in Nauen, www.lavendelhof-nauen.de
Antique hotel in Rathenow-Semlin, www.antik-cottage.de
Havelhöfe Garz in Havelberg-Garz, havelhoefe.de
Refreshment tip
Schwanenkrug Inn in Schönwalde-Glien. Historic inn from the 18th century.
www.schwanenkrug.com
Literature / Maps
Bikeline cycle tour book with map 1:50,000 "Havel-Radweg. With Havelland cycle path", 140 pages.
Bikeline cycle map "Havelland", 1:75,000.
More info
Havelland Tourism Association, www.havelland-tourismus.de, Tel. 03323/859030
The tour planner "Autumn tours" with the Havelland cycle path was featured in MYBIKE issue 6/2018.
You can view the output in the MYBIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK-Shop order.
