Distance: 29.8km
Duration: 6.5h and 2h breaks
Weather: hot with 32C, no clouds, light breeze
Leaving Boizenburg was a typical example how important it is to find the right path quickly. After I got lost in the maze of the local forest park, the way indicated on Google maps was closed due to construction work. So I found myself walking through the acres along the fence for about 30min to finally reach the cycling path. From there, it was straight forward. Always along the road but on a separate path and with shade. This allowed me to progress quickly on my 11km distance into Lauenburg which was my target for lunch.
Lauenburg itself was an absolute highlight and the old town is fantastic. So many different charming, quirky houses that are rich in character. You can feel that it is a harbour town as there was a lot of trading in the past and it has a little rough touch which I liked. I spent an hour lunch break in a beautiful café overlooking the Elbe from its terrace.
Fully strengthened and feeling rich from seeing this little gem, I continued my trip for another 19km. Despite the long distance, the walk was absolutely stunning! It was always right next to the water and a lot of parts were through forests with refreshing air. At some point, I was quite high up and an approx. 30m deep cliff would go right into the water. As I was walking away from the cycling path, I only met a handful people, mostly dog owners that walked their dogs and had them swim in the river.
The last four kilometres were tough with the increasing exhaustion and the way into town just felt like an endless stretch along the road. There were a lot of beautiful spots and recreation areas along the water front. Geesthacht was another place where I could get a sense how much the locals love their river. Well preserved natural areas that are being enjoyed and looked after.
One thing that surprised me where the amount of spider nets! I’ve never seen anything like this before. All street signs, traffic lights, fences etc were completely full of it and it seemed that the people gave already up on it as the nets would be back the next day after removing them. From the ladies at the hotel, I learned that this has been a problem for a while in the region. It must be a spider that was imported and doesn’t have any natural enemies and therefore completely takes over in the area. Good aspect of it must be that there can’t be many mosquitos or flies left. But it felt a bit like a setting for a horror movie if I am honest.
The accommodation was a very cute little hotel and I really enjoyed my stay there without having to go out for dinner as they served great food in their garden.
Accommodation: http://lindenhofgeesthacht.de/
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