It was a sudden rushed start to the day caused by us sleeping in. It could have had something to do with me being strafed by mosquitoes all night. The lack of flow in the Havel meant the green sludge was breeding mossies and they found me.They wouldnt have found me if someone hadnt wanted all the windows open.!!

We still were on the road by 845am facing the first big diversion of the day. It was on roads but through beautiful forests before rejoining the dykes on an offshoot of the Elbe. Just so scenic an UNESCO biosphere area birds everywhere, kestrels, goldfinches …didnt see a beaver apparently they are breeding really well here.

This was where Napoleon took his troops across the Elbe as plenty of small islands and sand banks so an important strategic area aswell.

No sign of any cafes or pubs, no coffee stop so we made sure we cycled into Wittenberg to get lunch. Many cycling tours go there so we thought it must be scenic ..wrong ugly scenic. An old mill had been converted into a hotel but still looked fallen down from the outside, hubby refused to go in for lunch. Look out for the famous tall clock tower in the photos.

We found a great pub and very friendly other diners asking how our ride was going. They were probably pitying us as at this point as the humid warm sunny morning had been replaced by gusting winds and darkened skies.

After lunch we had to cross the Elbe on a narrow old railway bridge that went for neatly 2 kms straight into the wind. The sleepers were very worn some had been replaced leaving big gaps or steps.All too scarey so I put my head down and decided to get off it as fast as possible.I got to the otherside and could hardly see hubby in the distance. A german family cycling with a baby asked me if it was ok to cross clearly they didnt think it was safe either.

After a few kms we were back on poorly maintained dyke paths and the Elbe signposts had disappeared. The sky was getting blacker and sand was being whipped up as twigs and leaves came flying around. We realised we were the wrong side of the tributary Almand.How did that happen?No wifi but google maps did show us where the nearest town was.We peddled on and phew there was a bridge over the Almand and an Elbe shelter to take refuge in whilst we donned our rain gear.We’d reached Wanze and were back on the track..how Im not sure.

Into the rain and wind we cycled reaching the old border crossing point of east and west germany. There is a memorial to the village that was wiped out, Stresow, to become a border post. Theyd left a remnant of the razor wire fence that had existed across all of the division of the two countries. Incredible that there was a 10km exc.lusion zone only 20 years ago.

We reached Schnackenburg where wed booked a room in the old school house.This town has a memorial to all the refugees killed trying to escape the East Germany and a Border Town museum. Friendly manager of Pension impressed we’d arrived in the rain. Basic evening meal at a newly opened cafe thought wed better support them as nothing else here.

So to bed after a very  interesting 70kms ride, hopefully the beautiful church steeple we are  looking at from our bedroom windows doesnt keep chiming all night.

The Alte Schule Pension

Kirche strasse

Schnackenburg