The Schleswig-Holstein Cheese Road in 8 stages
Road Cycling Collection by komoot
8
Tours
32:17 h
458 mi
8,900 ft
The extensive landscapes to the west bring with them a fresh breeze — something that can prove to be an occasional challenge as you skirt along the North Sea coast. In the east, lush meadows and beautiful hills offer great views of the surrounding countryside and over to the beaches of the Baltic Sea. And with green pastures all around — where cows, sheep and goats graze — the region presents the perfect backdrop for extensive road rides in Schleswig-Holstein, while our four-legged friends provide the raw material for a specialty of the far north: cheese.
Cheese production has a long tradition in Schleswig-Holstein. Milk has long since been processed in the numerous small dairies plotted around the landscape before being turned into cheese. In fact, more than 100 types of cheese are produced in Schleswig-Holstein. Many companies today still, or again, rely on traditional production with a lot of manual work, natural raw materials and according to organic principles. Cheese-makers are the winegrowers of the north, one could say. They conjure up a wonderful variety of flavors on the table, which you can discover on this culinary and sporty round trip. Around 30 artisanal cheese dairies have joined forces to form the "Cheese Route Schleswig-Holstein", which served as inspiration for this 456-mile (735-kilometer) round trip in eight stages. You will discover the whole variety of the beautiful north with your road bike. Again and again, you have the opportunity to look around idyllic farms, get to know the country and its people, learn a lot about cheese making and taste all its variations.
But above all, you'll enjoy eight magnificent road rides through breathtaking scenery. All stages are relatively short at around 60 miles (100 kilometers), so you can do them easily with average road cycling fitness and still have enough power left to discover the cheese dairies and exciting stage finishes for the rest of the day. There are many cozy hotels and guesthouses, all kinds of shopping facilities and sights for the evening programme in all the stage towns. In addition (except for Föhr) there is a connection to the German railway network at all stops so that you can shorten or cancel your ride at any time without any problems.
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Last updated: March 31, 2022
Tours Along The Cheese Route
- Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may be unpaved and difficult to ride.Intermediate03:4255.0 mi14.9 mph1,200 ft1,275 ft
Our first stage along the Schleswig-Holstein cheese road starts at the Flensburg train station and entices you with a total of three delicious cheese stops.
From Flensburg it goes first to the north, where you stop for a short while on the Baltic Sea beach and otherwise enjoy the wonderful view of the…
by komoot
- Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may be unpaved and difficult to ride.Intermediate04:0758.7 mi14.3 mph1,550 ft1,450 ft
After a relaxing night on the fresh Baltic air, we continue on the second leg of our cheese tour. Today, three cheese dairies are on the way, and the route also leads through Kiel, the provincial capital of Schleswig-Holstein. So it does not get boring.
The tour starts right on the shore of the Baltic…
by komoot
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- Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.Intermediate03:3948.3 mi13.2 mph1,425 ft1,450 ft
The third stage of our tour along the Schleswig-Holstein cheese route is relatively short, but it surpasses itself at regular intervals itself, as far as the scenic beauty is concerned.
Even the start could hardly be idyllic. After leaving the beautiful Bad Malente, you will follow the shore of the Kellersee…
by komoot
- Expert road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.Difficult04:0659.3 mi14.5 mph1,900 ft1,800 ft
From the Timmendorfer beach it is not far to the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, which is the first major intermediate destination of the fourth stage of our cheese tour. Before you discover, however, the beautiful old town of Lübeck, we lead you to a cheese dairy of a special kind. On the outskirts of Lübeck…
by komoot
- Expert road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.Difficult03:3849.4 mi13.6 mph675 ft800 ft
Today's route is like a short break - away from the action and in perfect dysentery. But that's what makes the appeal of the rather short fifth stage.
After the start in Ahrensburg you drive in a large arc on the northern edge of the Hamburg suburb, then continue towards the northwest. As a rule, you…
by komoot
- Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The Tour includes a crossing by ferry.Intermediate04:3065.2 mi14.5 mph850 ft850 ftFerry
Today's sixth stage of the tour along the cheese road is a bit longer than the previous day, but a bit flatter. You are now in the middle of Nordfriesland and if you encounter resistance while driving today, then the stiff wind that blows over from the sea.
Today's trip is very rural, but the small towns…
by komoot
- Expert road ride. Very good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The Tour includes a crossing by ferry.Difficult05:0267.3 mi13.4 mph700 ft675 ftFerry
Today, a true North Sea adventure tour is on. It leads you to the "Gray City by the Sea", in the county seat of Nordfriesland Husum. Then you drive to the peninsula Nordstrand and about Kooge and dams almost "middle" through the water. It can not be fresher, the sea air that you are tempting here.
Highlights…
by komoot
- Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The Tour includes a crossing by ferry.Intermediate03:3254.5 mi15.4 mph650 ft575 ftFerry
An idyllic start to the day is absolutely guaranteed - after all, you are on the island of Föhr. Surrounded by the rough North Sea, beautiful meadows, picturesque brick houses and a fresh breeze you should quietly fulfill the desire to stay here for a while. The last stage back to Flensburg is a good…
by komoot
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Collection Stats
- Tours8
- Distance458 mi
- Duration32:17 h
- Elevation8,900 ft
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