North German coast/Baltic cycle route

[Brains]

Anyone cycled the North German coast / the Danish or German sections of the Baltic coast cycle route ?

We are thinking about a 10 day B&B trip starting by taking the Ferry to Esbjerg and then getting the train to somewhere Kolding ? Flensburg ? Lubeck ? And then heading east from there to somewhere (Rostock ? Polish border ? And then maybe if time heading back via the Danish islands, or something like that.

Anyone got any do's and don'ts ?
Places to see or avoid
If you could only do one section which one would it be ?
Places (not!) to stay

I have ordered the Estebauer Bike line books, any other recommendation with maps or routes ?
especially anything in English as I don't speak German or Danish

 

[steveindenmark]

As I am in Denmark my first thought is why are you taking the ferry from Harwich and not flying with Ryanair from Stansted to Billund. I would think Stansted is easier to get to for you than Harwich, the flight will be quicker and you may get the flight a lot cheaper than the ferry.

Drop me a line and I am pretty sure I will be able to help out. When do you intend to start your trip?

Steve

 

[Brains]

We are thinking of the last 2 weeks of June

flight vs Ferry

the ferry is easier in terms of you just ride on and ride off so no dismantling and packing of bikes
Also the actual door to door time is much the same as with a ferry you leave the evening before and are on the cycle path by the following lunch time.
With the plane you leave at silly o'clock in the morning have all the hassle of the airports and if you are lucky you may be on the cycle path by lunchtime

So as long as the price is not silly (seeing the other thread on the subject) the ferry is the preferable option

 

[Brains]

Just thinking. If the Harwich/Esbjerg ferry costs are silly, then what we may do(as we have done in the past) is to take the Harwich/Hook of Holland ferry with the car and the bike on the rack and then drive up from Holland to a start point on the Baltic coast.

If we were to do this where would you recommend as a start point ?

 

[Brains]

Having done the research, the Harwich/Esbjerg costs are silly with or without a car, so we are doing Harwich/Hook of Holland for a quarter of the cost with the car and then driving up from there. (Door to door time will be much the same)

So I'm still looking for reconsiderations of where to start on the Baltic cycle route Flensburg and then go east looks like a good idea, but would Kolding, Kiel or Lubeck be better

I'm also after a friendly B&B/Hotel in the area where we could leave a car for a week

 

[Saskia]

Hi, my husband and I cycled on the Danish islands of Langeland, Ærø, Møn, Falster and Lolland in 1997, the Baltic coast from Lübeck to Greifswald (and via train to Usedom because my pedel axle gave out) in 2004. In 2009 we cycled from Flenburg via Sønderborg, ferry to Fyn, around the southern edge of Fyn to Odense, train to Korsør, across Sjælland to Copenhagen, north to Helsingør, south over Møn to Falster, down to Gedser, ferry to Rostock, train home. In 2010 we cycled from Warnemünde north to the three islands of Fischland, Darss and Zingst and from there back to Rostock.
Some observations:
Denmark: We bought a map of Lolland, Falster and Møn during our first trip (published, I think, by the Dansk Cykel Forbund). For the second trip, we had a brochure (given to me by my Danish teacher) detailing the national cycle routes and were planning to buy maps as we entered new areas. As we were unable to find maps from the DCF, we kept cycling according to the signs and our brochure until we got to Møn and Falster. When we got our old map out, we found that the numbers of two of the routes had been switched. Thus, we cycled practically the whole trip without a map and with virtually no navigation problems. The national routes are described in Danish at: http://www.rejseavisen.dk/danmark-de-nationale-cykelruter.html
www.opencyclemap.org will show you the national and regional routes.
Highlights: Fåborg and Svendborg in southern Fyn, Roskilde (Viking museum), Copenhagen, because it's Copenhagen, Møns Klint, Ærø (absolutely charming island), beaches on the east coast of Falster.
Baltic Sea Coast: When I found this route described as one of the three best tours in Germany in a cycling magazine, it immediately went on to my list. With such high expectations, I was disappointed. We used the Esterbauer guide with few problems. (Occasionally small corrections in the route are made and differ from the book.) The surfaces are highly problematic: You cycle on the tank tracks used in GDR times to patrol the sea coast for escapees, uneven concrete slabs across fields, cobblestone streets ... Plan accordingly. You won't be able to cycle as fast or as comfortably as in other areas. (Or re-route onto the roads, see below.) Parts of the route are on the beach promenades. Here the surfaces are fine, but full of pedestrians.
Be aware that a Kurtaxe is levied in coastal areas in Germany. You pay this with your lodging and are given a Kurkarte valid for the local beach. In the high season, there will usually be checkpoints where you show your card before going onto the beach. In the off-season there may just be spot checks. This means, however, that if you want to stop along the way and use the beach, you may end up paying the fee again. (Sometimes they're lenient and will let you in if you explain that you're just passing through.)
We camped, so I can't say anything about B&Bs, just this: We didn't see signs advertising free rooms until the 15th of August. Also: We met a family who was camping because they were unable to get B&Bs for one night only. This may have changed in the last 9 years. In other areas, B&Bs actively cater to bike tourists.
As I said, I was disappointed with the Baltic coast: too Wilhelminian, too crowded. Darss and Zingst have somewhat isolated areas that are lovely, the hinterland south of Zingst (around the town of Barth) is delightful. Lübeck, Stralsund and Greifswald are impressive cities. Stahlbrode, a nest with a little ferry to Rügen, was charming. Have a beer and a plate of Matjes Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes with herring) at the Molenstube down at the ferry landing.
The island of Rügen is beautiful, but known for its tree-lined, cobblestone streets. Cycling is nightmarish.

If you choose to re-route from the "official" Baltic Sea route to other roads, the Esterbauer book won't be of much help - the scale of the maps is too small and the bike paths aren't shown. Maps published by the ADFC are good.

Another option would be the Danish national route 5 from the Svendborg north. I've only cycled in the vicinity of Aarhus, so I can't say much about it, but you get - I think - coastal scenery without the quite the crowds you have in Germany and without the Kurtaxe.

Hope this helps. If I can answer any other questions, I'll be happy to.

 

[Brains]

Many thanks for that report - just what I was after!
I'll now compare all that to the maps - when Amazon deliver

 

[steveindenmark]

Brains, i am just outside of Haderslev. If you wanted to fly to Billund, I could collectief you and you could stop over at our place and set off from here. I would ride over to Als and Them ferry over to Faarborg and then onto the Islands. Alternatively, you Can leave your car at our place.

Steve

 

[Brains]

Saskia

What month did you do the German section in where the B&Bs were all full ?

 

[Brains]

Brains, i am just outside of Haderslev. If you wanted to fly to Billund, I could collectief you and you could stop over at our place and set off from here. I would ride over to Als and Them ferry over to Faarborg and then onto the Islands. Alternatively, you Can leave your car at our place.

Steve

We might well take you up on the car parking offer

 

[Saskia]

Brains,
It was August. After the 15th, things opened up a bit, but just a bit. And caution: In 2004 people were unwilling to take guests for just 1 night.
Steve's plan sounds good and the Danish islands are beautiful. If you're into higher mileage than we are, you'll run out of island pretty quickly on the small ones and be spending time on ferries. Langeland, for example, is only 60-65 km long.

 

[mcr]

Brains,
And caution: In 2004 people were unwilling to take guests for just 1 night.

Don't forget the Bett und Bike website - 'approved' cycle-friendly accommodation, one of the conditions of listing being willingness to take 1-night bookings (though they might charge a higher per-night rate).

Also, don't rely solely on the Esterbauer books/maps, good as they are - bookshops over there sell several competitors' publications that can be just as good (and are often lighter to carry!) as well as region-by-region maps that show all the cycle options so you can make up your own route (the ADFC ones are on sale in Stanfords). The local cycle networks are so dense that there's no need to feel bound to one of the named tourism routes if they don't go where you want to.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Eat Marzipan in Lubeck ...niederegger ...anything you want in marzipan they have it..!

Bit of path but the islands of Fohr, Sylt and amrum are nice.

 

[Saskia]

Brains, what became of these plans?

 

[CopperBrompton]

I recently cycled Hook of Holland to Esbjerg, and can highly recommend the route.

Video and trip report with shed-loads of photos here:
http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/tripreports/northsea/