Are you saying Germany, ...and then you say gravel. And if you mention gravel in Germany, you really can't ignore the beautiful Harz region. Approximately five and a half hours' drive from Utrecht, you'll find an expansive nature reserve that will leave you speechless. It's like riding through different countries in one day, like you're constantly going up and down, and like you're sometimes going back in time. Do you want to know why you should go gravel biking in the Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony on the border with former East and West Germany? Then read on for more tips for gravel biking in the Harz.

The first days of spring are announcing themselves in the Netherlands as I drive the car to the station early one morning. It's the signal to pick up my travel companion, load the bicycle, and make the trip to the region of Saxony-Anhalt. Our final destination is Benneckenstein, a village deep in the Harz, a stone's throw from the former Iron Curtain. That history intrigues me enormously. It's a history that is almost unimaginable in the present day. We travel almost barrier-free all over the world. But until barely forty years ago, there was a literal wall between the east and west of Europe. In Berlin it was mega-visible, but also in the Harz, a mountainous area that stretches across several German states, you can still see and experience the history.

During our preparations, we'd already spotted the old border post which is on one of our routes later on. It's a classic watchtower with some open ground around it. Ideal for spotting intruders. It's a tangible reminder of a conflict.

Broken everywhere

You notice little of conflict en route; it's a fine journey towards the centre of Germany. Via cities like Hanover and Braunschweig, we slowly dive into the Harz. You can see the mountain range from afar, with the Brocken, its highest point, bathed in sunlight. That highlight is also in our routes. Literally and figuratively.

Explore the Harz

But we're on our way to Benneckenstein, to Pim and Carla. Two people in their fifties, who, during COVID times, saw their search for more peace and quiet suddenly take a turn they might not have expected. The result was, in any case, a house in Saxony-Anhalt, where a B&B, Explore the Harz, is now located. Pim is a keen cyclist and knows the best routes in the region, and the accommodation is perfectly situated for taking in the entire region.

Once we've arrived, we're given a warm welcome. Pim is still busy with DIY, as the following week is an important weekend with many guests. A B&B is never finished, but then, while doing DIY, you suddenly have a shower screen in a thousand pieces. Anyway, never a dull moment.

We unpack, have coffee and quickly get ready for a first introduction. Pim had already created four routes for us beforehand, each with its own theme. Highlights? A bit of GDR history, the Brocken, the Rappbodetalsperre and the Josephskreuz. We can’t wait.

Our first encounter is a loop of approximately 40 kilometres with start and finish in Benneckenstein. What strikes you is that within a kilometre, you're actually on gravel. And what gravel it is. Champagne, crisp, delightful, beautiful gravel. And then there's the surroundings. We twist and turn around hills flanked by trees that are half-chewed. It sometimes feels like you're in an old mining area. If you forget you're in Germany, it could also be the interior of the USA: Colorado, Utah, Arizona. It's likely Winnetou and Old Shatterhand were conceived here, not in Elspe.

Towering

We are driving towards the Carlshausturm, a large viewing tower, of which there are many in this region. On the one hand, they are tourist attractions, but some also have (or had) a more strategic purpose. This one serves as a viewing platform and also as a telephone mast. It was once built in 1901 as a telephone tower for the local narrow-gauge railway company. Now, since 1998, it has also been a viewing tower. You can easily go up with gravel shoes and the view is magnificent. The road to get there was also beautiful, so we've started off well. Our route then turns in the direction of the Hexenbesen, just over the border into the neighbouring federal state of Thuringia. This special viewing tower even has two slides! And we see the witch theme reflected here a lot. Upon returning home, a nice local drink and some snacks await us. Ideal.

In de avond eten we iets verderop bij de Waldhaus Wolfsbachmühle. Een restaurant gerund door een Nederlands echtpaar. Met enkele Nederlandse gerechten, maar zeker ook de bekende Duitse degelijke kost. Het Delfts-blauw aarde werk aan de muur zorgt voor een glimlach. Net als de inkijk in de ondergrondse oude kelder. Top.

East meets West

Sorge is een gehucht van niks. Op een doordeweekse dag zie je enkel wat ouderen hun straatje vegen. Niets op straat doet je denken aan de geografische importantie van dit plaatsje. Het heeft een station, waar de stoomtrein stopt. Maar belangrijker: het was het laatste dorpje voor de grens tussen oost- en west. In het dorp zie je dat bij het station waar ook het grensmuseum is gevestigd. Voor de echte visuele indruk moet je ongeveer twee kilometer buiten het dorpje zijn. Daar staat nog de grenswachterstoren en zie je nog de hekken.

We are welcomed by the former mayor. She also lived here during the Cold War. The stories she tells linger long. Just like the climb up the former watchtower and the visible border. The memorial plaques to the refugees who perished here do the rest. It makes a deep impression. It is a prelude to a special day.

Kever

Do you know the expression “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito”? The equivalent in the Harz Mountains is the bark beetle, a creature only 5 millimetres in size. A louse's head. This beetle, however, has an enormous influence on the landscape in the Harz. A monoculture of conifers, planted as part of post-war reparations and climate change, provides the ideal breeding ground.

Puffs of smoke occasionally rise above the mountaintop. It looks like a flickering campfire. The source of these wisps of smoke? A steam train. The region is home to a real steam train, which is also jokingly called ‘Hogwarth’. It runs on narrow-gauge tracks, you can see it from afar, and when you're standing next to it, you can hear it too. It's primarily a tourist attraction, which apparently costs a fortune. However, it does make for a good story. The train actually travels with us on this route, as the final destination is the Brocken.

Brocken Observatory

The summit of the Brocken. It isn't the most beautiful mountain in the world. The climb up to it, through the forests or what's left of them, eventually joins up with the narrow-gauge railway. A photo with ‘Hogwarts’ is then almost unavoidable. What else is unavoidable: in April, still a few patches of snow. Although the sun is shining brightly, the temperature here still drops to zero at night. And so, there's still snow in the shade. The road to the Brocken is once again that delightful gravel. Champagne, but the German version. Probably Sekt. We are more than happy with it.

Het laatste stukje naar de top is geasfalteerd en zoals gezegd: vrij toeristisch. Iedereen wil op de foto met het hoogste punt van de regio. Het observatorium, Brockenhaus, op de top is mooi om te bezoeken én had in de vele oorlogen een functie als communicatiecentrum en in de tijd van de Koude Oorlog had de Stasi hier ook zijn intrek genomen. Het is een bezoekje waard. De soep uit de kantine hebben we overgeslagen, maar dat was een lokale specialiteit.

Maanlanding

We are once again driving through that almost bizarre lunar landscape. What stands out, besides the extraordinary surroundings, is the peace and quiet. We hardly encounter anyone. Apart from the ascent of the Brocken, where it is busier with tourists, you don't see a soul. A lost hiker, two cyclists. Nothing else. You also hardly come across any cafes or villages. You really have to plan for that. The descents and the roads are sometimes a bit challenging, but often beautiful and undulating. This nature park actually offers everything you could want as a gravel cyclist.

After a long journey, we are heading back to Benneckenstein. The fireplace and the good care of Pim and Carla await us there. Dinner is further on, at a respectable German restaurant. Twelve-ender in Schierke. De weizen en de schnitzel gaan er goed in.

Off to the water

For me, Germany is synonymous with reservoirs. A Stausee, that's always something beautiful. In the Harz region, you'll find several large lakes with associated dams. The most beautiful and impressive of them all is the Rappbodetalsperre, the main destination today.

Iron Cross

For our route, we need to drive a small stretch by car. Due to the weather, we'll drive a bit further so we just miss the predicted rain. This means we'll start at the bottom of the climb to the Josephskreuz, an attraction in the region.

The Joseph's Cross is a special construction. Somewhere on a mountain, in the south-east corner of the Harz, it stands shining. It's a piece of craftsmanship from 1896. Steel, sturdy, special. It's the successor to the wooden Joseph's Cross that was erected here in 1850 (and was struck by lightning and burned down). Design-wise, it's most reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, which was also taken as an example. However, this will spark more conversation than its famous French brother. The view from the top is spectacular, though. The only downside? It's quite windy. Climbing the stairs in gravel shoes is also an adventure. I don't have a fear of heights, but I do find the 100 steps upwards a bit challenging. Fortunately, we're the only ones who want to go up in this wind and fresh temperature. Job done. Case closed.

From there it's downhill and then towards the Rappbodesee. Before that, we have to drive quite a bit north-east. Here we alternate more standard gravel paths with forest, but also some asphalt in a gorge we ride through. Still quite beautiful, but just different to the pine trees and the vastness of the previous two days. We'll go for a different kind of vastness at the dam later. To get there, we have to do a good climb at the very end, which goes right through the forest and literally brings you out at the dam. The view? SUPER!

Rappbodetalsperre

The Rappbode Dam is a solid piece of German engineering. It is Germany’s highest dam, measuring 106 metres in height. The dam was built between 1952 and 1959 and holds back about 113 million cubic metres of water in the adjacent lake. A suspension bridge has recently been added as an attraction, which you can walk across, bungee jump from, and where a zip line has also been installed. For the truly daring. I find the suspension bridge and its associated viewing tower to be quite sufficient. I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat. Or well, in gravel shoes. At the ticket office, there's also a small eatery where you can get something to eat. The sweet potato fries taste delicious.

After the suspension bridge and some photos, we drive on, following the shape of the lake. A beautiful viewpoint presents itself, resulting in even more photos. After that, it's a turn towards Stiege, where we should actually have started in order to then head back towards the Josephskreuz via Stolberg. Stolberg, known from Juliana of Stolberg, is incidentally a charming town with a beautiful castle.

Leuk om te stoppen, maar we hadden even wat meer behoefte aan de warmte van de auto. Als we de dag afsluiten bij het aanbevolen restaurant, dan is dat nog wel even grappig: het is een slagerij met een restaurantgedeelte, Brockenbauer. Mijn medereiziger eet vegetarisch. En de lekkere steak die ik op het oog had, had ik een dag eerder moeten bestellen. Tja. Soms zit het mee. Soms zit het tegen.

Quedlinburg

Op onze laatste dag reizen we al een stukje richting huis en starten we voor een korte ronde in en om Quedlinburg, Met start in Thale , ook al zo’n prachtig dorp. We rijden hier langs het DDR-museum, waar we de onafscheidelijke trabant zien. Dit karretje is fantastisch om in te rijden (dat kan nog in Berlijn!), maar is vooral het beeld dat past bij de DDR. Verderop vinden we nog een mooie kloof die we volgen om daarna terug te draaien voor een stuk door het bos, op weg richting de Teufelsmauer. Daarvoor komen we nog langs Quedlinburg, waar we ook de burg en het prachtige vakwerkstadje bezoeken. Niet slecht.

Devil's Wall

Als je er dichtbij staat, dan zie je vooral veel steen, dat recht omhoog staat.Maar van een afstandje, vormen de grote rotsblokken gezamenlijk een muur. De blokken lijken wat random neergegooid, vandaar waarschijnlijk de vernoeming naar de Duivel. Wie doet dit immers, of hoe zou dat nou kunnen? Het zorgt ervoor dat het hier vrij druk is met wandelaars, dagjesmensen en andere toeristen, zoals wij. Wel de omweg waard.

Witch theme

One thing we haven't mentioned yet is that a lot of things in this region revolve around ‘witchcraft’. Don't be afraid, you absolutely won't be jumped by witches in the night. But according to mythology, this region is the place where the witches danced before they flew to the Brocken. That's why you can find the ‘Hexentanzplatz’ (Witches' Dance Floor) in Thale and why you'll find numerous references to witches throughout the region. Especially in the run-up to Walpurgis Night (April 30th to May 1st), you'll see witches everywhere in the villages and towns. And no, I'm not talking about the annoying neighbour, but rather about all sorts of dolls and other things. It creates a fun and sometimes comical sight.

Discover the Harz: your home from home

During our trip, we stayed with Carla and Pim, who together Explore the Harz Runnen. Her B&B in Benneckenstein was literally a home away from home. Homely is the right word. A fireplace, a place to store your bike. A drink upon arrival. A nice room with a good bed. Tips and tricks for the region. If we had wanted to, we could have also done the schnapps tasting, but after long days of cycling, schnapps was a step too far.

But what also stands out is that a good conversation is also part of a homely atmosphere. That sounds cliché, but it was. We talked about life, about work, about family, as if we had known each other for a while. And that wasn't the case, because Pim and Carla had been strangers until this weekend. We had only spoken on the phone once and exchanged a few texts to prepare for this trip.

I consider that sort of thing a quality. That you can make someone you don't know feel at home. That they can settle in after a day out, without feeling obliged to do anything. Therefore: highly recommended, and not because they hosted us for three nights. No, because it's the right thing to do.

Harz Mountains Routes

More information and useful links

• Do you want to go to the Titan? Then you need tickets, which you can Order here to buy at the counter
• On the website of Harz Tourism Association you will find all the information about other highlights in the region, including the Brocken, the Josephskreuz and more.

This trip was made possible with the support of Saxony-Anhalt Tourism.