The route begins at the market square in Harzgerode. Very near is Harzgerode Castle, which was first documented in 1348. A visit to the historic rooms is worthwhile. We cycle westward and soon leave the town center via the B 242. At the art pond, we turn left onto Silberhüttenweg and follow it to Silberhütte. Here, silver and the only gold in the Harz were smelted until 1909. In the town, numerous information boards provide insights into the mining history of the area. We cross the Selke and Selketalbahn, follow the L 234, and turn right onto the hiking trail Kronsberg-Silberhütte. There, we cycle along the Uhlenbach from above. At the end of the trail, we reach the B 242, turn right onto it, and shortly thereafter take the first path left. We cycle through forested areas but also over open spaces and past protected areas. Along the way, we follow signs to Friedrichsbrunn and ride directly into the town via Siptenfelder Street. We turn right onto the L 239, which leads straight through Friedrichsbrunn. We pass the Bonhoeffer Church and the house of the same name, which was the Bonhoeffer family's holiday home. Exhibitions and a café make the stay enjoyable. Shortly after leaving the town, we turn right onto the forest path, then immediately take the left path. We follow it and then reach the L 239 again, which we follow briefly to the right and then take the first forest path turning left. We are in the Nature Park Geopark Harz-Brunswick Land-Eastphalia and experience a variety of flora and fauna. At the next intersection, we make a sharp left, then take the first forest path turning right. We cycle constantly alongside the Wurmbach, always heading towards Stecklenberg. Before the forest swimming pool, we turn left onto the path and circle Stecklenberg on the west side. Then, we always keep right and cycle towards Neinstedt, where we take the first street right into "Alte Ziegelei" and then turn right again into "An der Schwedenlinde." From there, the route follows the R1 Europaradweg. We cycle along fields and open spaces, passing the towns of Bad Suderode, Gernrode, and Rieder, before riding through forested areas again. Between Rieder and Ballenstedt lies the Roseburg garden, which we quickly reach after crossing the L 242. We finally reach Ballenstedt at the edge of the castle with its associated castle garden. The castle theater is also located here. A visit to the entire site is very worthwhile. Here we can relax a bit and stroll through the park. The route continues across Ballenstedt via the L 75 to Meisdorf. Here, we arrive directly at Meisdorf Castle. From Meisdorf, we leave the signposted R1 Europaradweg again and make our way through the picturesque Selke Valley on the Falkensteiner path towards the historic Falkenstein Castle. We should definitely accept the small detour to the castle. The high medieval hill castle can be visited and houses, in addition to a restaurant, even an active falconry. After this excursion to another time, we cycle very relaxed through the romantically wild Selke Valley and follow the course of the Selke River. We pass the Selke Mill, a former mill powered by the Selke's water. Finally, we reach the Selketaler forest inn near the 4th Friedrichshammer, where a stop is worthwhile. Afterwards, we turn left and cycle southeast following the path. After our path intersects with K 1366, we make a sharp right and follow the road to Harzgerode, where we reach our starting point again.
