Ride through the middle of Germany – Unstrut-Werra Cycle Path

Right through the middle? Yes! The Unstrut-Werre Cycle Path takes you right through one of the official ‘surveyed’ middle points of Germany. You can find out where and why we’re talking about ‘surveyed points’ in the Tour description of stage two and, of course, as you ride.

The Unstrut-Werra Cycle Path connects two rivers – the Unstrut in Thuringia and Werra in Hesse. You mostly cross the northern part of Thuringia, a beautiful state. The official route is just under 120 kilometres (74.5 mi), but my version includes a few small detours to highlights along the route as well as the section to the start of the signposted path. Officially, the cycle path starts in Schönfeld, but I’ve started a few kilometres to the east of Artern, which has a train station.

Waymarked with a white sign, green wave and cyclist symbol, the route mostly leads along quiet side roads and traffic-free cycle paths. You ride to Bad Frankenhausen, Sondershausen, Ebeleben, Mühlhausen/Thuringia and finally arrive at your destination on the Werra River. Often, you ride along railways that are far away from any traffic, so you can really enjoy the picturebook landscape. On clear days, the views over the Kyffhäuser hills and as far as the Brocken are really impressive.

Make sure you have the right bike: a sensible touring bike with wide tread for gravel segments is ideal. It also makes sense to have appropriate gears for a few climbs – you have to ascend for a couple of kilometres at a time.

A small tip for the end: once you reach the town of Heldra, stay an extra night in Treffurt nearby. This means you can enjoy the second stage even more as you don’t have to clockwatch to catch the train and you get to enjoy Treffurt’s wonderful old town. You can still get home the next day by train from Eschwege. It’s about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) following the Werra – a lovely short Tour along the river before you start your journey home.