The great Harz foreland tour

The great Harz foreland tour really shows its best side in spring 🌸🚴‍♂️ The start along the Holtemme was particularly idyllic – the calm water, the fresh green and the morning atmosphere immediately made you want more. The approximately 65 km with about 510 meters of altitude difference offer a beautiful mix of nature, small climbs and wide views. With an e-bike, however, the route can be ridden very pleasantly and the altitude differences can also be easily managed. For a perfect half-time break, we went to the Kartoffelhaus Blankenburg – a great stop and exactly the right refreshment for the second part of the tour. On the way back from Blankenburg to Wernigerode, we were accompanied by light rain 🌦️. This rather added extra charm to the tour and rounded off the day in a special way. Overall, a beautiful spring round that is really fun with an e-bike.

The star tour leads from Wernigerode to Blankenburg and from there via the town of Langenstein with its cave dwellings of the same name to Halberstadt until it goes back again. From the old town roundabout in Wernigerode, the tour follows the R1 European cycle path via the Michaelstein Monastery, which is well worth seeing, to Blankenburg, where a detour to the Great Castle is worth it. From there the tour leads north over the sandstone cliffs of the northern Harz foothills to the interesting cave dwellings in Langenstein, which are carved into the rock. We continue cycling over the Thekenberge and the Spiegelsberge landscape park to Halberstadt. The most striking landmark is the Halberstadt cathedral and cathedral treasure, which should definitely be visited. On the Holtemme cycle path, the tour follows the river of the same name in a relaxed manner through northern Harz villages and past the Derenburg glass factory back to the starting point in Wernigerode.

This tour is based on the "Great Harz Foreland Tour" proposed by the Wernigerode Tourism Association. The tour is quite demanding in terms of stamina and the condition of the route and we were once again happy that we were on the road with mountain bikes. Especially in the second half, the signage is patchy, and we were glad that we had the tour description but also a mobile phone available for orientation. Unfortunately I couldn't take many photos at the end of the tour because my battery (that of my cell phone!) Was almost empty. In Blankenburg, as in many other places in the region, there were many houses worth seeing, so the tour was never boring.

We were not deterred by the wind forecast (brisk, 25kWh and gusts of up to 55 km/h) and were rewarded with a golden October day in a colourful, varied landscape with a clear sky and warming sun. The Holtemmer cycle path is a pleasure except for the stretch of road from Mahndorf. Here, however, there is an alternative right through the Feldmark, which we will use next time. Halberstadt with its churches and its cathedral square, especially the Cafe Stephanus, is worth a longer break. No sign of wind!! It gets really steep up the Hoppelberg. You can then rest and enjoy the sun in Blankenburg Park. The landscape between the Ziegenberg near Heimburg and the northern Harz is beautiful, especially now in autumn due to the varied colors of the leaves. This bike course is always a poem!