We begin today's stage at Burgplatz near Schöningen Castle in the town center. We ride along Hötensleber Straße towards the Schöningen open-cast mine, which belonged to the Helmstedt brown coal district and operated from 1979 to 2016. In the 1990s, eight wooden throwing spears from the Paleolithic era were found on the edge of the mine. The Schöningen spears are over 300,000 years old. Following the western edge of the old mine, we come to Hötensleben and from there take the federal road along Viktoriasee to Offleben. Via a cycle path, we reach Büddenstedt and from there cycle along a scenic route to Lappwaldsee. The former brown coal mine is being increasingly renatured, so that by 2030 a recreational area for swimming, fishing, and pedal boating is expected to be created. Shortly after the lake, we reach Helmstedt, where parts of the old city wall as ramparts can still be found in the old town. Also nearby is the Helmstedt/Marienborn border crossing, which was the largest and most important border crossing on the inner-German border. After passing through the city, we leave it via Walbecker Straße and cycle through the western part of Lappwald forest. After leaving the wooded ridge, we reach Mariental, where a detour to the former Cistercian monastery Mariental is worthwhile. We continue to Grasleben, pass through the town and cycle over field paths and smaller roads to Querenhorst. From there, we follow a stretch of the federal road to Groß Sisbeck, turning off shortly before over forest and field paths to Papenrode. Via Groß Twülpstedt and Klein Twülpstedt, we reach Velpke on the eastern edge of the Hehlinger Holz forest. Here we cycle leisurely through the idyllic landscape protection area Velpker Schweiz, which was quarry and gravel mining land until 1969. A break with a view of the ponds is recommended here. Afterwards, we cross the Aller river and reach Oebisfelde and Kaltendorf, from where we cycle via Breitenrode and Grafhorst into the nature reserve "Allerauenwald im Drömling." From there we pass along the southern edge of the nature reserve "Wendschotter and Vorsfelder Drömling with Kötherwiesen," which has high groundwater levels and periodic flooding. Over the Uhlenhorstwiesen meadows, we reach the Mittelland Canal, which accompanies us along Allersee lake to Wolfsburg. We end the stage at the phaeno science museum, which offers lots of fun for the curious with more than 350 interactive experiment stations.
