Weser
Tour
Overview: August, 1999, but portions have been covered again in later years.
Our eight-day 292-mile (471 km) ride from Kassel to Bremerhaven follows
the Fulda River from Kassel to the beginning of the Weser at Hann. Münden.
From there, we follow the Weser to its end near Bremerhaven. In addition
to seeing a beautiful part of Germany off the beaten tourist track, you
will notice the different styles of home building starting with the half-timbered
or Fachwerk homes in Central Germany to the brick and straw roofed
homes of the north.
Signage: As with many river valley tours, the signage will change in appearance several times over the tour. It depends on which local government the route goes through. Different governments give different levels of priority to these long distance bike routes. Nevertheless, the route is generally well signed and getting lost is difficult but possible. (We managed it twice but for only short distances.) But then, my wife and I are not the world’s best Boy or Girl Scouts.
Accommodations: There are plenty of places to stay even if they are fewer per kilometer and a little more expensive than river valleys in Bavaria. The recommended guidebooks graphically show the locations of hotels, Pensionen, and Gasthäuser or guesthouses. For an in-depth discussion of different overnight accommodations, click the link.
Stops: Obviously, we are parcel to Kassel since we live there when in Germany. Other interesting stops include Hann. Münden, Bad Karlshafen, Polle, Bremen, and Bremerhaven.
Route
Maps: BDR Deutsche Rad-Tourenkarte, 1:100,000, you will need maps number
6, 11, 15, and 21. Another map that includes a guidebook is the Esterbauer
bikeline – Radtourenbuch Weser-Radweg,
1:100,000. This guidebook is worthwhile because it lists the sights, their
location, hours, and a short description. Interestingly, one map will occasionally
show a slightly different route than the other. Both routes work well.
Day 1: Kassel to Bad Karlshafen
Day
Overview: Today’s ride takes you from Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe Bahnhof to the
banks of the Fulda and follows the river to Hann. Münden. From there, it
follows the Weser River North to Reinhardshagen. The only mentionable hill
today is the 90-foot rise just before you cross the Weser at Reinhardshagen.
Today’s ride is 46 miles (74 km) and it will take 8 to 10 hours including
a short stop in beautiful Hann. (Hannoversch) Münden.
Riding conditions are quite good. Once we get through Kassel and onto the river path, you will be away from automobile traffic most of the day. North of Hann. Münden you ride on a lightly used road but it is more pleasant than the heavy traffic on the other side of the river. All but about 3 miles (in short chunks), are paved.
Special
Note: If you have read the Fairytale Tour,
you will notice similarities between the beginning of that ride and this
first day’s ride to Bad Karlshafen. It is the same route description but
we extended the first day from the 27 miles to Reinhardshagen all the way
to Bad Karlshafen, a total of to 45 miles. Just know that you have the option
to cut the ride shorter if you want to. Hann. Münden is well worth the stop
and you can overnight there, or just up the road in Reinhardshagen.
Mile 0: We start at the Kassel-Wilhelmshöher Bahnhof and ride east down Wilhelmshöher Allee toward the Fulda River.
Mile
1.8 (2.8 km): Here are two matching old buildings that are gate watchtowers.
Unlike other watchtowers, these were not connected to a city wall because
Kassel has not been a walled city since its very early history. Here too
is the Kassel Städtisches Museum that holds exhibits on art, architecture,
the history of wallpaper manufacturing, and a history of man since the dawn
of mankind. (If you have read Jean M. Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear, you
get the impression that she may have done her research right in this museum.)
Mile 1.9 (3.0 km): Turn right on to Friedrichs Strasse for one block then left one block to Obere Karl Strasse then right again on Fünffensterstrasse to the tunnel. Take the tunnel under the arterial and turn left or north. (This street changes its name several times in a few kilometers but if you follow the arterial, you’ll be on the right street.) For background, if you know a little German, you may wonder why anyone would name a street Fünffensterstrasse (five-window-street). In the days when the street was named, houses with more than five windows facing this street were taxed.
When you exit the tunnel, you’ll be at the Brüder Grimm Museum. This museum is interesting but it is really helpful to be able to read German to understand everything. There are no English translations as of 1999.
Mile
3.0 (4.8 km): As you make your way through Kassel, you may pass the
Orangerie, which was planned by Landgrave Karl in 1722 but not completed
until 1830. I wonder if he go a building permit from the city and had to
keep extending it.
When you get to the river, ride down river looking for the R-1 bike path signs. By the way, R-1 begins just north of the Bavarian border and ends in Bad Karlshafen. On some maps, this route is alternately marked HR-1, which stands for Hessischer Radfernweg or Fernradweg (Hessia’s long distance bike route) or Fuldaradweg. We follow these R-1 signs all the way to Bad Karlshafen (except between Hann. Münden and Reinhardshagen). If you miss it one place, just get to the river on the next cross street, you’ll find the path.
Mile 8.7 (14.0 km): Continuing, we cross a cute covered bridge over one of the many streams that flow into the Fulda. We note a sign indicating that a bike friendly Gasthaus is to the left in Simmershausen. The river bends back on itself here and we are on the outside of the bend. Across the river, inside the bend is Gut Kragenhof. A Gut is a set of buildings for a large farm. A Hof is also building for a large farm but the building for a Hof is of the kind that includes dwelling for people and the barn all in the same structure. A Hof typically forms an L or a U shape with the barnyard in the middle.
Simmershausen is part of Fuldatal, the town where the Grimm fairytale Hans in Luck is based. In this fairytale, Hans, who had just completed his 7-year vocational apprenticeship was paid a lump of gold. As he made his way through Fuldatal, he traded his hard earned gold first for a horse, and then he traded the horse for a cow, then the cow for a pig, then the pig for a goose and finally the goose for a grindstone. Obviously, one would question the business acumen of someone who traded away 7-years work for a grindstone, right? Well, it gets worse. Upon losing the grindstone down a well, Hans proclaimed, “I am the luckiest man on Earth.” And with a light heart and no weight of wealth upon his shoulders, he walked home to his mother.
The message? Perhaps people unburdened with wealth can have a happier life. I know that some, perhaps most, of us are happier than the brightest of mankind.
Mile 16.0 (25.7 km): After crossing a bridge over a small creek, we see a Grenzstein on the right of the path. These tombstone-like markers were used on the boundary of properties such as kingdom and fiefdoms in the past. In this case, the date is 1838 but nothing else is readable.
Mile
18.6 (29.9 km): Turn left at the Altstadt and Werratal sign. This will take
you into the old town part of Hann. Münden (Hannoversch Münden). This is
one of the best-preserved Fachwerk or half-timbered towns in Germany.
The town was established before 1247. There is a small Schloss
or palace here and on the hill overlooking the town is a defensive structure
called the Tilly Schanze. In the Rathaus (town hall), there are
murals that tell of floods, of being conquered by the Swede Tilly in the
17th Century, and a doctor Eisenbart who died here in 1727. Doctor Eisenbart
was thought to be a quack. Many thought his methods were ill advised and
some of his patients died. However, later some of his methods were held
to be correct, or nearly so, and ahead of their time. Not soon enough though
to prevent a catchy tune about his quackery becoming popular among school-age
children. The Rathaus glockenspiel plays this tune at Noon, 3:00 PM and
5:00 PM daily.
You
may want to visit the confluence. It is a public park on a spit of land
between the Werra and the Fulda. There, under the big tree you will find
a couple of poems in German, one of which every school child in the region
had to memorize; "Wo Werra sich und Fulda Küssen; sie ihre Name
Büssen Müssen. Und heir entsteght durch diesem Küss; Deustch biss sum Meer
der Weser fluss. And all that roughly translates to: Where Werra and
Fulda kiss, it gets its name. And from here because of this kiss, it is
German until the Weser flows into the sea. And there you have it - don'tchaknow.
Mile 19.9 (32.0 km): Back on the path and traveling north from the confluence of the Werra and the Fulda rivers, the beginning point of the Weser. The path joins the primary arterial headed out of town for a block or two. We recommend crossing the Weser at the next bridge and turning left at mile 20.6 (33.2 km) just on the other side. The sign will be for the Wesertal Radfernweg (Weser Valley Long Distance Bike Route). There is less traffic on this side of the river making the ride more enjoyable.
On the upside, using this path will give you the opportunity to use one of the small ferries that cross the Weser at Reinhardshagen. On the down side, there is a hill over here. Hey, nothing is perfect, ask Hans. We are riding between two of the largest forests in this part of Germany. On the left is Bramwald and to the right, across the river is Reinhardswald. Reinhardswald is the setting of the fairytale Hänsel and Grethel. In that forest, poor Hänsel and Grethel got lost after the birds ate their trail of crumbs. It is where the hapless children stumbled upon a gingerbread house in the forest, the home of a witch. The wicked witch would have cooked and eaten them had not they used their wits and escaped her nefarious plan.
Mile
26.9 (43.3 km): Cross the ferry to Reinhardshagen. The ferry will cost €1.00
each (1999 Euros). Reinhardshagen is a town that combines the two older,
smaller towns of Vaake and Veckerhagen. There is an information booth in
the center of Veckerhagen on Müllerstrasse. It is about two blocks east
and two blocks south of the ferry. We take accommodations tonight in a
Privatzimmer or a “room for rent.” It has a community room in which
we take our breakfast the next morning (breakfast is included in the price).
The room includes its own bathroom, something that is not always the case
with Privatzimmer. The cost is considerably less than we normally
spend and the building and furnishings are almost brand new. Our hosts have
remodeled an older building that used to be a bakery. They do not speak
English but they are friendly and help us secure the bikes for the night.
We eat our evening meal at Hotel Peter. It is nice but we think not as nice
as the Brauhaus would have been. Consider eating at the 500-year-old
Historiches Brauhaus (“Historical Brewery”) in Veckerhagen, Kirchplatz 9.
This is also a hotel and is great value for overnighting. Our experience
here in Reinhardshagen proves our theory that staying in the smaller villages
is less expensive than staying in the larger towns and cities.
Mile 30.1 (48.4 km): We ride north from Reinhardshagen on the R-1 bike path staying on the west side of the river.
Mile 31.1 (50.0 km): As we ride through these rolling hills slightly above the river we notice two wooden Hochstände in the field below us. Hochstände (high stands) are a common sight in this part of Germany, especially in areas where deer abound. Hunters erect them and sit in them for hours during hunting season. I understand hunting deer by walking around is not done here.
Mile 33.2 (53.4 km): You are across from Bursfelde. What appears to be a double spired church is actually two churches the western church was originally built sometime before 1104 as a Benedictine cloister. The eastern most church was build between 1130 and 1140. Both churches have frescos according to our Baedeker guide. We cannot get there from here because there is no bridge or ferry. However, I have it on good authority from a reader of this travelogue, that if one wanted to see these buildings, one should ride on the other side of the river. There is no "bike path" per se, but there are good, low-traffic roads you can use. Yes the hills are a little steeper, but it is nice riding, beautiful, and worth the detour. Also, across from the church, you will find a restaurant that specializes in pfannkuchen (pancakes ). The reader who told me about these buildings considers them as his "favorite sacred buildings." He was raised in the area and assures me that the detour is well worth it. (Thanks, Jens!)
Mile 40.4 (65.9 km): North of Oberweser we lose the trail for a while. The signs here are a little confusing here. I have a theory that little kids sometimes change the signs, then hide in the bushes, and giggle watching the confused tourists. Whenever we get confused, we try looking at the signage as if we are coming from the other direction. It doesn’t always help but sometimes you can hear the kids. No kids here though. We ride on.
Mile 40.8 (65.7 km): We are across the river from Wahmbeck. Here is a steep and dangerous drop to the ferry landing and tertiary road that is the continuation of the bike path. Don’t lose control or you’ll end up tangled in the fence. The sign says “Radfahrer absteigen” that means “bicyclists dismount” and walk your bike down. There is a sharp turn at the bottom.
Mile 42.0 (67.6 km): From here the path parallels but is separate from a heavily used road the rest of the way into Bad Karlshafen.
Mile
45.8 (73.7 km): Enter Bad Karlshafen. We notice a sign to the Bahnhof
and a Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) as we get close to downtown.
This town has an interesting history but it is most notable for Americans
as one of the ports from which German mercenary soldiers departed for the
United States during our American Revolution. The mercenaries were called
Hessians because of the 30,000 or so mercenaries employed by the British
crown to put down the revolting colonists in America, 13,000 were from the
German state of Hessia (Hesse). The rank and file of these men
were conscripts pressed into military duty because they owed loyalty to
a landgrave or because they were in debt or in debtors prison. Some were
criminal prisoners guilty of violent crimes. Of the 13,000 Hessian troops
shipped to America, about 7,000 did not return to Germany but settled in
the new United States of America. Why? Well, some were criminals who simply
were not welcome back in the old country but many others were bribed to
stay by an act of congress who sought new citizens to settle the west, which
at that time was Pennsylvania and Ohio. Others were bribed, again by an
act of congress, to desert and they were given land in Pennsylvania as a
reward.
We
take a break on the benches lining the Inner Harbor and eat our lunch. The
blocks in this town laid out in squares rather than the helter-skelter plan
of typical ancient German villages. Bad Karlshafen was designed by and for
a community of Huguenots. If you do not already know, the Huguenots were
a sect of early Protestants who were persecuted in Catholic France and invited
by Landgrave (similar to a Duke) Carl (aka Karl) from Hessia to resettle
in northern Hessia. The Huguenots were renown artisans, farmers, and architects.
The landgrave wanted them to design and build the town of Bad Karlshafen
as a showplace of his wealth and power.
Day 2: Bad Karlshafen to Polle
Day Overview: Today’s 32-mile (51 km) ride is mostly level except for a 60-foot rise at mile 3. The path in nearly 100% paved.
You
are riding in Central Germany but headed north. Here is a good time to notice
that most buildings are of half-timbered style with painted stucco between
the timbers. The stucco used to be held in place with a mixture of straw
on a framework of woven sticks. Nowadays, the stucco is smeared over wire
covered light-weight masonry blocks. The roofs are usually made from red
tiles although other colors are less frequently used.
Mile 0: Today (August 22, 1999) the citizens in Bad Karlshafen are having a street fest. These are common in the summer all over Germany; they are for the citizens more than for the tourists. Germans love to celebrate and they go to great lengths to have a good time. Of course, a good time always includes, Bier and bratwurst; and frequently dancing and singing. From the center of town around the Inner Harbor, go northeast two or three blocks to the bridge over the right bank of the Weser. Then turn north at Brückenstrasse (no street sign here but the bridge is easily seen); you will see signs for R-1 and R-4. Bad Karlshafen is one end of R-1 – from here, it goes back to Kassel and on to the south. So turn left following R-4 also signed as the 'Weser Radweg' or Bike Path.
Mile 1.8 (2.9 km): You are in Würgassen. There is a ferry crossing here but make an S turn and cross the bridge to the left bank of the river. On the other side of the river, there is an extremely steep (18%) drop back down to the riverbank. The sign “absteigen” here strongly suggests that you dismount and walk down.
Mile 10.4 (16.7 km): We stop for a snack in Wehrden. If you look across and down river, you will see a castle on the hill about a mile north. That is Fürstenberg, a porcelain factory and museum nowadays. It is a good destination for a side trip if you like climbing hills. You can take the ferry across the river here in Wehrden. If you split your group to take in this famous porcelain factory, I suggest you meet up again at the bridge in Holtzminden.
Mile 17.2 (27.7 km): You ride on the outskirts of Höxter and pass close to Schloss Corvey, a palace and museum. Höxter is an extremely old city. Settled first as a fort and named Huxori in the seventh century, this town has been a self-standing city-state wielding both religious and political power through the reformation and the Middle Ages. In 1948, the Baroque Schloss Corvey, a former monastery founded originally in 822, was converted to a museum. We do not stop for this museum but it might be interesting given the age of the city.
Mile 23.0 (37.0 km): This is Holtzminden. We take yet another break for Kaffee and Kuchen here; I down a dish of Eis, with two flavors of ice cream, three types of chocolate sauce, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream. Maxa enjoys a hot apple strudel with hot vanilla sauce. As we eat, we watch the activity in the Marktplatz where housewives and restaurant owners purchase their farm-fresh foodstuffs.
Mile
31.2 (50.2 km): Take the road to the left at the “Y” and ride three quarters
of a mile to the ferry (1 €each) across the Weser at Polle. We stop for
the night here at mile 32.0 (51.5 km). You can find a place to spend the
night at the Haus der Gäste or Verkehrsamt at the castle
ruin. The German words 'Haus der Gäste' and 'Verkehrsamt'
mean House of Visitors and Traffic Office, respectively. We choose Haus
Radefeld, a regular family home with a large front yard full of apple trees.
We arrive early enough in the day to check out the village culinary offerings.
The best quality restaurant is Graf Everstein at the castle ruin. The second
best choice is Alter Fritz (Austrian food) followed by the Weser Terrasse
on the river. We choose the Weser Terrasse because of its great view and
outside dining. We believe that best food does not always translate to the
best total experience.
Frau Radefeld, owner of Haus Redefeld, rents a small apartment in her basement to travelers and vacationers. The accommodations include breakfast. Frau Radefeld proves to be a sweet lady who doesn’t drive; so to save her an early morning walk to the bakery the next morning, I volunteer to pick up the fresh Brötchen or hard rolls with my bike.
Day 3: Polle to Rinteln
Day Overview: There are no hills today; it’s all flat or gradually down hill. The path is mostly paved, but there are a couple miles of roads thatyou must share with automobiles and some street riding in the towns.
Mile
0: In the morning we take the ferry and backtrack the three-quarters of
a mile to the “Y.” Here we turn left and ride up the short hill. You are
on a back road and your next probable stop is Bodenwerder, former home of
the famous or infamous Baron von Münchhausen. (Have you ever heard of the
psychological syndrome called 'Munchhausen by Proxy' or MBPS? It
is named after the Baron from here. Google it.)
Mile 7.1 (11.4 km): In Rühle there are three Gasthäuser in case you wanted to stay here rather than Polle. Or, perhaps you want to stay in Polle and here after only riding 7 miles – it’s OK of course, but at this rate, you’ll need a month to get to Bremerhaven. A little further, at mile 10, you ride on a busy highway for a half-mile. It has only a narrow shoulder to ride on. At least it’s short.
Mile 10.5 (16.9 km): Bodenwerder. We leave the path here because we want to check out the home of the Baron von Münchhausen across the river in the center of Bodenwerder. The baron was thought to be a teller of tall tales, many of which have been published. Although the stories are told long after his death by family members who may have put the old fellow into an undeserved bad light, according to the locals here.
Mile 15.6 (25.1 km): You are across from Schloss Hehlen, there are Pensionen here not shown in our guidebook. At mile 16.6 in Hajen, there are at least two more pensions; one is a Heu Ubernachung or a barn type of affair where you sleep in the hay. The other is Ritterhof Munk Gaststätte.
Mile 18.7 (30.1 km): I note with interest the two types of electrical power producing machines here. A wind power machine is to the right and a nuclear power plant is on the left. Germany has many operating nuclear power plants but wind machines are becoming more prevalent. My brother-in-law, who is knowledgeable on the subject, informs me that by law, the electric utility companies must subsidize wind power generation. Kirchohsen, across the river, is where the Emmer River conflates with the Weser.
Mile 25.5 (41.0 km): On outskirts of Hameln, we ride through small plats of ground where people cand grow their own vegetables and flowers. It is called a Schrebergarten. These mini-farms were the brainchild of Herr Doctor Daniel Schreber, who is an interesting character. More about him in my Miscellaneous About Germany page.
Mile 25.7 (41.4 km): Now in Hameln and riding through an industrial area, we watch carefully for Weser path signs. We are riding on city streets and it is less enjoyable than country riding. At the end of Kubrucken Strasse, turn left and follow bike path signs along a red brick path through more of this industrial district. When you leave this area, you’ll be back at the river and in the hotel district. At mile 27, we take advantage of delicious looking pastries in the hotel Konditorei and wash it down with a Kännchen Kaffee.
Hameln is the town where the Pied Piper of Hamlin (Rattenfänger von Hameln) first rid the town of plague causing rats, then after being refused payment for his services by recalcitrant city officials, rid the town of its children too. This is moral lesson to those who renege on promises. Even the McDonalds restaurant is located in a half-timbered house.
Mile 27.9 (44.9 km): We ride past a Jugendherberge a Youth Hostel.
Mile 38.6 (62.1 km): We are in Grossenwieden.
Mile 45.0 (72.4 km): We are tired now after a long day (it is 7:00 PM) and we follow a large group of cyclists. After checking in to our hotel, we take a walking tour of the city following a guide provided by the hotel. Historically, Rinteln dates back to the thirteenth century. It was an outpost for nonresident landgraves for most of its early existence. The Rathaus, or town hall, is an example of what the guidebook calls “Weser Renaissance” which is a style often repeated in public buildings along the Weser.
Day 4: Rinteln to Stolzenau
Day Overview: There are two short stretches of shoulder riding on heavy traffic roads and several short stretches of riding on light traffic streets or roads. There are no hills today and only a small portion of the path is gravel. Overall, the conditions are good.
Mile 0: The street is named Pferdemarktplatz, which means horse market place. Do you suppose that this area was where horses were bought and sold for farm use or perhaps horses were used for meat, which was common during the Middle Ages. Just out of town, we ride past the Doctorsee (a See is a lake in German), which is recreation area with several campgrounds or Campingplatz.
Mile 5.4 (8.7 km): For those of you who ride past Rinteln in search of inexpensive overnight accommodations, here is a Pension at Veltheim owned by Family Mueller (€20 with breakfast but share bathroom) – Phone 05706-612, the address is Am Lohne 6 PW, Veltheim. Ahead and to the east, there is a large structure on the hillside in the distance. It is a bronze statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I above Porta Westfalica. You will ride right underneath this Denkmal or monument in another 10 miles.
Mile 12.2 (19.6 km): After you cross under the Autobahn the signs are confusing. Go straight and cross the railroad at mile 12.6. Whenever we get to an area where the signs seem to be missing or make little sense, look at them as if you were coming from the other direction. Normally, but not always, you will come to understand what was meant.
Mile 17.4 (28.0 km): Take the hairpin right on the sidewalk. Follow the signs across the Weser towards a suburb called Barkhausen. A few miles further and we come to Minden. In the fifteenth and sixteenth century after Minden joined the Hansa League, the red brick architectural style of houses in the far north of Germany was brought to this area because of the influence of the Hansa League. Minden, an important manufacturing city, was significantly destroyed during World War II.
Mile 23.6 (38.0 km): Cross the river at the locks.
Mile 29.5 (47.5 km): We turn off the path to ride 500 meters to the palace or Schloss at Petershagen. Built in 1306, it was the residence of Bishop of Minden. In 1545, the Schloss was rebuilt in Weser Renaissance style. The same family has owned the Schloss since 1901. The hotel here cost €100 per person per night and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is more than we like spending. But perhaps, once in a vacation, it would be a nice way to give yourselves a treat. Judging from the wine list, they have a nice wine cellar. This town has a great website at http://www.petershagen.de/ if you want to see all of the restaurants click on Gastronomie and if you want overnight accommodations click on Unkünfte. websites like this will make my job easy. I just wish they would give us a choice of languages in which to view the site.
Mile 33.2 (53.4 km): We ride through Glissen and miss the turn in the path. We ride straight and get lost. I suggest you turn right and take a route that is better signed than the one we take. Getting lost is no big deal if you have a map. Just ride to the next town, find where you are, then go back to the bike path. Towns in western Germany are seldom far apart.
Mile 43.3 (69.7 km): For the second day in a row we ride for 8-hours. We enter into Stolzenau and take the first hotel we come to. Hotel and Gasthaus Burgmannshof turns out to be a good choice, but not the only option. After a nice dinner at Hotel Zur Post down the street, we return to our hotel for a nightcap in their bar. There we complain to our host of some bicycle maintenance problems we are encountering and he immediately telephones the local bike shop owner. The bike shop owner comes to the hotel at 9:00 PM, joins us for a beer and looks at my bike. He invites me to stop by his shop before opening the next morning for repairs. What a nice experience. If Gasthaus Burgmannshof is full, try Hotel Zur Post. For about the same price (€55), it is a little larger and has a nicer restaurant.
Day 5: Stolzenau to Magelsen
Day Overview: Today you will ride 30 miles (48 km) on paved path and road. There are no hills today. The cathedral in Bücken is worthwhile to see.
Mile 0: Leaving Stolzenau, we ride north toward Nienburg.
Mile 4.3 (6.9 km): We follow the Hauptstrecke” or main route across the Weser to Landesbergen rather than following the alternative route to Liebenau. The alternative route looks fine on the map and may have even less traffic than we encountered. Hindsight is 20/20 they say.
Mile 4.8 (7.7 km): Once you are over the bridge, loop around to the right and back under the bridge. Here is Landesbergen.
Mile 13.6 (21.9 km): Enter Nienburg. On Thursdays, they have a public market in the center of town (right on the bike path). This town has many half-timbered homes and in general, it seems much older than Stolzenau. The guidebook says that Nienburg was founded around 1025. It started life as a burg or castle and the name “Nienburg” come from Neue Burg or “New Castle.” Apparently, there is nothing left of that castle today. St. Martin’s Kirche was built in the 15th Century. It was constructed upon a 12th century foundation. This is in the North German Brick Gothic architectural style.
Mile 15.3 (24.6 km): As we ride by, a group of elderly gentlemen are drinking beer at a table and they point the way for us. They are cute in their non-verbal communication – both pointing and hoisting a beer in a friendly greeting. This is just another example of how friendly the Germans are to cyclists. If the beer-drinking group is not there when you ride by, just stay close to the river – that is where the bike path is.
Mile 28.0 (45.1 km): Enter Bücken. My wife Maxa (very wise indeed), will tell you that there is always a bakery close to any tall steepled church and there is. Why is there a bakery close to the church? Because the preacher needs a cup of coffee and a piece of cake to help with the creative process of writing his weekly sermon. In this case, the pastry was good, the church is well worth a quick peek inside and it was much nicer to come all the way into town instead of staying on the Weser bike path. As always, with a good map you can pick up the trail again just as we did just north of Bücken on the outskirts of Hoya. The double spire Abbey Church of St. Maternian and St. Nicolas in Bücken was first built in 882. About 1050 the original wooden church was replaced by a smaller stone building. The rest of the church was built in stages and was completed about 1500. The stained glass windows are from before 1250 and the mural paintings inside are from 1867.
Mile 30.1 (48.4 km): We ride through Hoya. After 30 miles, we are getting tired but we encounter two sets of Weser bike path signs and we are confused. One took us out of town towards a town named Hassel. It sure was a hassle. We rode 2 miles toward Hassel before we realized we were following the wrong path and we had to come back, (4 miles round trip). The trick is to leave town on the north end and take the brick road toward Weinbergen, Niederboyan and Magelsen. The maps we have do not reflect a change in the route signage. The path used to bypass Magelsen but now it goes right through this small community. No doubt, the Greater Magelsen Chamber of Commerce promoted this change. Anyway, it is a good thing because we feel the need to stop for the night and we find a great place in Magelsen.
Mile
38.3 (61.6 km): We stay overnight at Adelheid’s Hof Pension. Adelheid and
her husband have converted a complete set of farm buildings, a Hof,
into a small, quaint and picturesque resort. They cater to bicyclists and
groups of people who come to retreat from the stress of city life. Adelheid
is an expert on women’s issues as they relate to German law and society
but she will only discuss these issues if you ask her. Mostly she and her
husband are gracious hosts, willing to cook you Bratkartoffeln,
(fried potatoes with onions and bacon) for your dining pleasure. The will
serve you cold beer (as much as you want) and friendly conversation. All
this while you watch the rabbits nibble on the garden greens and the birds
busy with their duties of raising their young and clearing the air of insects.
Because we mentioned we enjoy flute music, Adelheid put on a CD by Mark
Grauwels and we watched the sunset.
As an aside, if you have not yet eaten Bratkartoffeln in a restaurant, you are missing one of the best cyclist foods ever invented. It has everything you need to survive any ride, and more.
Day 6: Magelsen to Bremen
Day Overview: Another day without hills. Actually, I miss them a little. The path today will be mostly paved and away from traffic except for a stretch at the start of the day.
Mile 0: We leave Magelsen after enjoying an authentic farm breakfast. As luck will have it, we have a rainy day ahead of us but I would rather ride in the rain than work in an office any day. We take the back roads west following the signs to Verden. The cool rainy weather does not dampen our sprits. Living in Seattle as we do, we are used to the rain. We say that the light is more diffused and the colors in the scenery are subtler. Rationalizations. But rain or shine, Oiste at mile 4.7 is cute with its narrow winding streets, red tiled roofs, and half-timbered homes and shops.
Mile 7.8 (12.6 km): Here is a nice looking Bed and Breakfast where prices start at €17. Undoubtedly that is for one and probably involves sharing a bathroom. It is less than what we paid in Magelsen but we remain happy with our experience. From Oiste to Verden we ride on primary roads with rush hour traffic but there are wide shoulders designed for bikes. It has stopped raining but the trucks are splashing dirty water on us just to remind us that we are not completely sane. As we cross the Weser into Verden, we note a sign to a tourist/historical site that is undoubtedly the early settlement at the confluence of the Aller and the Weser. There have been people living here since pre-history. The first mention of a settlement here is in the seventh century.
Mile 8.2 (13.2 km): Verden has a nice cathedral and a picturesque downtown shopping district. You exit town on the north end of the downtown quite close to the river (in case you lose track of the bike path as we did while we were site seeing). Oh well, that is normal for us. We picked up the bike path at the Kaufhalle (a discount store on the north edge of the downtown area) and ride towards Achim.
Mile 22.8 (36.7 km): This is the small community of Thedinghausen. We are starving since we have not stopped for sustenance since breakfast. At the Imbiss or snack kiosk, we meet a family of bikers who have camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) They have been biking for several days already. They have had no trouble finding free camping spots along the way. But they are natives and speak the language. If you don’t mind paying a few Euros, there are plenty of campgrounds or Campingplätze along the Weser. Campgrounds are safer than open fields too, especially if you are traveling alone. We left the trail a couple miles back because we went into Thedinghausen for lunch. The trail runs along side a busy road but to find it again we ride the field paths and zigzag through the farming country. We join the bike path again just north of Thedinghausen and ride the dike into the outskirts of Bremen.
Mile
37.2 (59.9 km): We stop at Hotel Werdersee on the outskirts of Bremen. It
costs about €57 for double occupancy (the cost for two people to spend one
night) , which is on the upper limit of our budget. Hotels will just get
more expensive as we get closer into town so we opt to stay here. This is
a classic hotel built in the late fifties. It has pressed white sheets,
is as clean as a whistle and has a good restaurant. (Added later: A reader
told me that about one mile further and right on the trail, the he, Dieter
König, and wife Adelheid operate a Privat Zimmer and Ferienwohnung
where double occupancy (the cost for two people to spend one night) is only
€45 the first night and is discounted thereafter. Make contact by e-mail
koenig_dieter@t-online.de.)
We did not take advantage of the restaurant though. Instead, we bike the 2.5 miles or so into Bremen and check out the Altstadt or Old Town. We are caught in another shower just as we get into the Schnoorviertel. This town quarter is a tourist attraction nowadays but formerly it was a rundown area that attracted artists, etc. with cheap rents. Today the rents are expensive and it shows in the high quality (and high prices) of the merchandise in the shops. There is a legitimate theater here and the theatergoers are dressed “on the edge” of the fringe. We linger over Bier und Bratwurst, waiting for the rain to stop. We end up riding home after dark. If you ride after dark, you must have lights on your bike.
Day 7: Bremen to Rodenkirchen
Day Overview: Today is a long 43-mile ride but it is all flat and paved. There is quite a bit of riding on the shoulder of roads or on bike paths next to roads. Fortunately, they are not high traffic roads.
You
are now in northern Germany. There are small draw bridges used to cross
canals and small rivers. Also, perhaps you have noticed that the majority
of buildings are no longer half-timbered with stucco between the timbers.
Instead most of the buildings are made of brick and if they are half-timbered,
they have brick between the timbers. Bricks were preferred by the Hansa
League, which was a tightly knit trading group that existed between 1300
and 1800. They preferred bricks because they aged better than stucco. Roofs
too have changed in character. Here you are likely to find many roofs partially
or entirely of thatch. A well installed thatch roof will last as long as
a tile roof and until 50 or so years ago, was a locally produced material
by harvesting thatch from the many bogs and lakes ubiquitous in the north.
Mile 0: Take the dike route into Bremen. There is an island in the river with bike path access but we do not take it. The island might be nice to explore but we have “miles to go before we sleep, and miles to go before we sleep,” as Robert Frost would say.
Mile
2.6 (4.2 km): Cross the bridge into Bremen. Turn right on the other side
to go into the Schnoorviertel or Schnoor Quarter. Turn
left to stay on the path, which winds through the Altstadt. The
cathedral is St. Petri Dom. It is appealing with gothic architecture and
beautifully intricate stained glass windows. For €1, in 1999 prices, you
can walk up into the bell tower. The bike path signage in downtown Bremen
is spotty at best but the path eventually crosses the Autobahn
bridge to the north. (Actually on a separate footbridge suspended below
the car deck.) On the downtown side of the river, stay as close to the river
as you can as you approach the bridge. You will be on Schlachte.
Follow it to the bridge. By the way, you do need to cross this bridge because
it is the last bridge over the Weser before the North Sea. To cross the
river north of here, you have to take one of the several ferries.
Mile 4.3 (6.9 km): You will pick up the signs for the Weser bike path at the end of the bridge as it winds through the residential areas on the left bank of the river.
Mile 11.8 (19.0 km): Cross the Ochtum River and just a half-mile down the path on the left is a monument to some local dignitaries who fought and died (along with their serfs) in 1234. They were probably defending against either the Saxons or the Prussians.
Mile 23.6 (38.0 km): In the small picturesque town of Ohrt, you can decide to take the dike route up to a small drawbridge and cross the Hunte River at that point or turn left over the railroad bridge. However, the drawbridge up the dike is normally open for boat traffic, therefore closed to us. It opens to us (bikers, etc.) only once per hour on the hour between 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM. This information is marked on the map but it’s in German and I miss it. So, we ride a total of 4 miles out of our way to find that the bridge just closed. On the bright side, we see some pastoral landscape including some sheep on the dikes. The ride in the sunshine is pleasant and we are having fun – what more do we want?
Mile 29.8 (48.0 km): Enter Elsfleth. There is a Zimmer just over the bridge.
Mile 37.4 (60.2 km): You are in downtown Brake (pronounced like broccoli without the “li”). There is a Pension and a museum here as well as a hotel just down the street. We are tired but we continue anyway. We want our ride tomorrow to be short. Besides, the weather is as good as it gets for bikers – sunshine but cool.
Mile 43.2 (69.5 km): Enter Rodenkirchen. There is an information sign next to the Bahnhof. You can choose your own hotel from this sign. We choose one out of town but while in the process of riding towards it we find ourselves in a sudden cloudburst. It rains so hard the water can’t run off the streets. We are riding in a lake. After donning our rain gear, we can’t find a place to get out of the rain, so we turn around, ride back into Rodenkirchen. We take what turns out to be the last room in Hotel Albert. What an experience. We are glad to be safe and dry again. We enjoy a typical German supper, meat and potatoes. The shower is a real circus. We don’t attempt to read the directions (all in German) this evening. But in the morning, we find this particular type of shower has its own built-in heater and pump. You have to turn-on the heater portion 5 or 10 minutes before you shower. Even then, adjusting the water temperature turns out to be a learned skill that one acquires just as you finish your too hot/too cold shower. Breakfast is wonderful here. In Hotel Albert as in most hotels and pensions, the breakfast is included in the cost of the room. The table set in a cute farm motif including a wicker chicken sitting on a cloth nest. All the usual breakfast breads, Wursts, cheeses and other condiments are present, as we have come to expect. However, we are typically served a soft-boiled egg with the breakfast. This day we don’t see any eggs at our place setting. Reaching back into my childhood experience of gathering eggs on the farm, I remember to look under the chicken for the eggs. There they are – staying warm under the chicken. Just like back home in Montana.
Day 8: Rodenkirchen to Bremerhaven
Day Overview: Today is a short eleven-mile ride to the ferry then about another few blocks to the Bahnhof and you are at the end. The route is paved and mostly on roads. The shoulders and the bike lanes are wide and safe however.
Mile 0: Hotel Albert in Rodenkirchen. Ride east toward the dikes and the river. We took the street named Zu Dem Dichen (literally “to the dikes”). In 2 miles, you will be out of Rodenkirchen.
Mile 7.4 (11.9 km): There is a bicycle store here if you need repairs. More probably, you will need the Konditorei or bakery that is here as well. Once you’ve consumed your second breakfast, continue toward Blexen Fähre (ferry) or follow signs to Blexen itself, either way will lead you to the ferry.
Mile
11.4 (18.3 km): The Blexen Ferry. Buy your tickets inside the Bahnhof
here at the ferry. You will probably find English spoken, at least well
enough to get a ticket to the only place the ferry goes, Bremerhaven. The
ferry departs every 20 minutes except at night. Once across, follow the
cars and the Alle Richtung (All Directions for all traffic) signs.
Once you get to the street, you will find directional signs to the train
station or Bahnhof. If not, feel free to ask directions. It’s less
than a mile and it’s in the center of town.
Mile
12.7 (20.4 km): Bremerhaven Bahnhof and the end of the tour. Today’s
ride took just over two hours, including the ferry ride. At the Bahnhof,
we buy a “Schöne Wockenende Ticket” or a “Happy
Weekend Ticket.” They cost €8.00 (in 1999)
but the price has gone up a lot since 1999. They are good all weekend, anywhere
in Germany, for up to five people. We pay another €6.00 for our two bikes
but it is still a good deal. We change trains three times to getting back
to Kassel. The trip lasts almost five hours but we enjoy the ride – just
as we enjoyed the bike ride to get here.
* An asterisk after a link indicates that that link will open in a new window. That way, you will maintain your place in the Bicycle Germany website.
Revised: February 25, 2012