Pedalling into the past

The 425-mile cycle ride from Berlin to Copenhagen offers a fascinating journey through 20th century history, writes John Mcintosh

It’s mid-afternoon on a blisteringly hot summer’s day in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. I’ve been cycling non-stop for around four hours and am ready for a cooling drink. Suddenly, I notice a large wooden horse standing off to my left. It’s about the size of a double-decker bus and looks exactly like the fabled Wooden Horse of Troy. A hallucination?

No. A few seconds later, all becomes clear – the horse is in the grounds of the Heinrich Schliemann museum, set up in the village of Ankershagen to honour the great 19th century archaeologist who grew up here before devoting his life to the search for the location of Troy.

I’d left central Berlin at dawn the day before, spinning along a well-constructed cycle path, past beautifully cared for allotments and the River Havel. Parts of the route follow the line of where the Berlin Wall once stood, with occasional memorials to those who died trying to flee to the West.

It’s largely flat and in three hours I arrived at Oranienburg, home of Sachsenhausen, a former Nazi concentration camp where more than 200,000 people were imprisoned. Today, it’s preserved as a memorial, with its barbed wire fence and crematorium among the chilling reminders of past horrors.

My spirits lift as I speed along canal towpaths and past innumerable inland waterways, exchanging friendly waves with those on boats and barges. And then, after miles of cycling along an idyllic forest track I reach the youth hostel on the outskirts of the town of Furstenberg.

It’s in a beautiful lakeside setting. What’s unusual, though, is that the hostel buildings used to be part of Ravensbruck concentration camp, and were once used to house SS guards. They have since been thoroughly renovated inside, with no trace of their sinister past remaining but I found my night there unsettling. The camp is now a memorial and museum.

Pedalling northwards again, along narrow but well-signed trails, I’m stunned by the beauty of the villages with their cobbled streets and by the quaint cottages with their carefullykept gardens. And, oh my goodness, the peace and quiet, with hours going by before encountering another cyclist or car.

At times the route goes along seemingly endless forest tracks that look as if they are going nowhere but,

suddenly, almost miraculously, lead into small villages that wouldn’t have been out of place in the early episodes of Heimat, the classic TV saga of life in rural Germany 100 years ago.

There are some stunning waterfront resorts too – Waren is bustling and busy, too much so for me, but 25 miles further on stands the quiet lakeside town of Krakow am See. In the Nordischer Hotel in the main square, Russian, Lithuanian and Polish dishes are all on offer.

After three days on the go I reach Rostock, for the two-hour ferry crossing across the Baltic to Gedser at the southern tip of Denmark. Unfortunately the port is about 10 miles beyond the city so I missed my planned ferry and I’m a tired and, the heavens having opened, drowned rat when I eventually reach my B&B outside Stubbekobing.

From there, it’s a 15-minute ferry crossing to the islands of Bogø and Møn – slightly hillier here, akin to the gentler parts of the East Neuk of Fife and there’s always a gentle breeze. But the coastal villages are breathtakingly beautiful and it’s easy to forget that, by car, Copenhagen is just over two hours’ drive away.

Clockwise: the route is cycle-friendly; John Mcintosh on Bogø; the grounds of Heinrich Schliemann museum

Before reaching the capital, I’ve one final overnight stop in the world’s most laid back B&B, the Vangeled Gaard, in the village of Holtug. There’s no check in – you just look for your name on the door and then help yourself to coffee, wine, soft drinks, leaving appropriate remuneration in an honesty box.

Then it’s a final slog up the east coast of Denmark past innumerable beaches, harbours and resorts.

I did the 425-mile cycle in just over four days but wish I’d taken more time to savour the sights. As it was, I reached Copenhagen with just enough time to check out The Little Mermaid before boarding a coach for the seven-hour journey back to Berlin.

The cycle route is well-signed overall and can easily be broken down into shorter daily sections. It’s suitable for any reasonably fit cyclist. n

The hostel buildings used to be part of Ravensbruck concentration camp

Easyjet flies from Edinburgh to Berlin six days a week, and daily from Glasgow. Flixbus runs regular daily coach services between Copenhagen and Berlin. You can hire a touring bike from Fahrradstation in Berlin (www.fahrradstation.com) and drop it off at its sister shop in Copenha

gen for €199 euros a week or buy a second hand bike in Berlin.