Cycling between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Schleswig-Holstein is the land of cyclists. And with its long coastal cycle routes along the North Sea and Baltic Sea, there is plenty for experienced cyclists to discover and enjoy along the way. But Schleswig-Holstein is more than just coastline. There is also the land between the seas to explore, and its wide-open spaces are best discovered by bike. Another distinguishing feature of northern Schleswig-Holstein is its centuries-old history. The Jutes, Angles and Vikings have all left their mark here, as have, in more recent times, the followers of the Danish kings. Numerous traces of this past can be found in today’s German-Danish border region, and cycling enthusiasts can explore them along two cycling routes.
Nord-Ostsee-Radweg
Photo: © Boysens Buchverlag
We introduce two cycling guides describing different routes between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Published by Boyens Buchverlag, the cycling guide “North–Baltic Sea Cycle Route/Border Route” combines the North–Baltic Sea Cycle Route and the Border Route into a circular tour of around 200 km. Both cycle routes also provide ideal connections to the region’s popular long-distance routes: the Baltic Sea Coast Cycle Route, the Ox Road, the North Sea Coast Cycle Route, Denmark’s Baltic Sea Cycle Route and Danish National Route 8. This offers plenty of options for combining routes and extending your ride as you wish. Between Flensburg on the Baltic Sea fjord and the Wiedau lock near Højer, the circular tour along the North–Baltic Sea Cycle Route and the Border Route offers a wealth of natural, cultural and historical highlights. In keeping with the prevailing westerly winds, the guide describes the tour so that cyclists first head west on the North–Baltic Sea Cycle Route, the “express route,” then ride from west to east on the Border Route, which is about twice as long, with the wind at their backs.
Horst-Dieter Landeck
German-Danish Cycling Guide: North–Baltic Sea Cycle Route/Border Route
100 pages, numerous maps at a scale of 1:100,000, numerous colour and historical black-and-white photographs
Spiral binding, €9.90
ISBN 978-3-8042-1243-5
Boyens Buchverlag 2008
A classic is the cycle tour book for the North–Baltic Sea Canal Route, published by Esterbauer. This book turns the canal’s roughly 100-kilometre stretch into more than 300 kilometres of cycle routes. Divided into 26 sections, it presents numerous excursions, circular routes and alternative routes along the canal. Cyclists are therefore not limited to the path that runs alongside the canal. Combined with its user-friendly scale of 1:50,000, this makes it a very useful resource for all cycling enthusiasts holidaying between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
The journey does not begin at the canal’s starting point in Brunsbüttel: the approach from Glückstadt on the Elbe is also described. The route descriptions are very detailed, with numerous mentions of places to visit and background information about the towns along the way. The weatherproof, tear-resistant paper and handy 22.5 x 12 cm format make the North–Baltic Sea Canal Route cycle tour book a valuable guide.
North–Baltic Sea Canal Route Cycle Tour Book
1st edition, 2011
Format: 22.5 x 12 cm
Esterbauer GmbH
ISBN 978-3-85000-298-1
€12.90
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During peak season, be sure to book your accommodation well in advance. You can find some suggestions for holiday homes in Schleswig here!
