Day 9: Schnackenburg - Semlin

108k. Another great day, though not without its challenges. We had it down as an easier day as it was a bit shorter. But we had to re-route as the ferry over the Elbe, in the village where we stayed, was out of service.

Heading up river to the next nearest ferry, in a very sparsely populated area, we unexpectedly came across a road closure of 3-4k, with no chance of getting past the works. Facing a seriously big detour, we asked a couple in a house near the works and they were amazing giving us precise directions via an unmarked field track and then crossing a field to a dyke which would get us past the closure.

The dyke had a cobbled path which was pretty smooth and got us to the little ferry at Rabel to cross the Elbe. We were the only people on for the crossing and bought some of the operator’s blueberries on the way over the Elbe.

The rest of the day through some forest and then across farmland which felt very remote and unihabited. Despite this, the track surfaces were amazing, so we made good progress.

Our first time cycling in this part of Germany and in the old GDR; fascinating to see due to the interesting history.

Berlin is getting close now…Read more