Die Krautsand-Runde

The start and finish of the extended day's stage is the tourist information office in Stade. From there, the route heads out of the city via Hansestraße and the Stade Snow Trail towards the Elbe: just out of the hustle and bustle of the city, the rural expanse that cyclists will encounter again and again on this tour becomes apparent, before beautiful half-timbered farmhouses and enchanted little houses lead the way along the Elbe dyke. The first stop could be the village of Bützfleth with its St. Nicolaikirche church, whose special feature is a free-standing wooden bell tower.

Further along the dyke, the historic Grauerort fortress offers the opportunity for a worthwhile stop for a visit. At the weekends, the volunteers from the dedicated operating association serve coffee and homemade cakes here. The listed building was once built to protect against enemy ships and is now a lively cultural venue. In addition to events, changing art exhibitions, a fossil exhibition and a caravan site contribute to the fact that the site has long since escaped its slumber.

The view over the Elbe dyke at this point offers a small sandy beach with passing ships. The supposed other bank of the Elbe river, which is already quite wide here, is actually the bank of the Elbe island of Pagensand. If you have now worked up an appetite for the highlight of the tour, namely the extensive white sandy beach on Krautsand with its beach bar, you might want to pedal a little harder.

A short stop on the way there is at the Ruthenstrom barrage with a view of the skipper boats of the Drochtersen and Ritsch water sports clubs based there. Another of the region's maritime flagships is just a short distance away: the Hatecke boatyard is the world's largest producer of lifeboats. Around 400 lifeboats are built every year in nine production halls, including for large cruise ships.

Almost unnoticed, the Elbe island of Krautsand, which is now connected to the mainland, has been reached. Krautsand is considered the pearl of the Kehdinger Land with plenty of nature: pure vacation feeling and yet no mass tourism. Here you can enjoy refreshing drinks and delicious food right on the beach and take a breather with a view of the water. Although the special atmosphere invites you to stay a little longer, at some point you will probably be tempted to set off on the second and longer part of the route with numerous other surprises.

On the Elbe island, we discover lighthouses, art locations, a tree house hotel and idyllic gems such as the small village of Plüschenworth along the route before we reach the mainland again via the bascule bridge at Dornbusch. The moorland area that follows is now mainly used for agriculture. Cows and horses graze on lush green meadows. The Kehdinger Land is known for both horse breeding and dairy farming. It is not without reason that we are now following part of the Lower Saxony Milky Way.

The small farming villages along the route are very varied. Birdsong and natural expanses dominate the scenery, interspersed with modern farmhouses and old thatched farms. In this idyllic setting, time seems to slow down considerably as you cycle. Pure deceleration.

One waymark is the village of Hüll with lovingly tended front gardens and a farmstead open on event days, the Heimathof Hüll, where the life and work of moorland farmers in the old days is recreated.

You also feel transported to another world when you pass the village of Rönndeich, where houses and farms surrounded by greenery dominate the scene and the small waterway that runs between the road and the polite estates makes it seem even more idyllic. A sign on the side of the road points out that this area is also known as "Krimiland", as the "eerily beautiful region boasts an unparalleled density of crime writers and fictional crime scenes".

The Oste River, which you have now reached, marks the westernmost point of this tour. The 150 km long river is the longest tributary of the Elbe. A short stop with a view over the dyke should not be missed here either.

Another stage destination is the picturesque St. Marien church in Großenwörden. As a half-timbered church, it is a real eye-catcher from the outside. Inside the single-nave church, visitors are greeted by friendly colors: Yellow walls, red benches and the sheltering flat ceiling with wooden beams invite you to take a contemplative break. The church is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the season.

Now it's time to pedal a little more before reaching the starting point, the Hanseatic city of Stade, again. On the way there, we pass the agricultural villages of Engelschoff, Hammah and Groß Sterneberg. In Stade, we cross the Schwingewiesen meadows, pass the grounds of the open-air museum on Burggraben Island on reaching the ramparts before finally reaching the tourist information office on the edge of the old town.