We begin today's stage at the marketplace in Wernigerode and cycle out of town past Lustgarten. High above us towers the impressive Wernigerode Castle, originally a medieval castle designed to secure the route of the German emperors of the Middle Ages on their hunting trips in the Harz. We continue eastwards on the almost horizontally running Maerkerstieg, which we leave at the turnoff to Benzingerode to cross the town and cycle along the edge of the Ziegenberg nature reserve at the district of Heimburg. Along a wider path by the Teufelsbach, we reach the Michaelstein Monastery, a former Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks and today part of the "Romanesque Road" in Saxony-Anhalt. The monastery gardens, the music exhibition, and the monastery ponds invite you to linger. We cycle along the fish breeding ponds and pass Blankenburg from the mountain on its southwest side. On Friederike-Caroline-Neuber-Straße, we reach the Great Castle Blankenburg, which offers a beautiful view of the town and the northern edge of the Harz. Following the path down through the castle park, we reach the Small Castle Blankenburg and the Baroque castle gardens, which, with over 100 hectares, are the largest and oldest of their kind in Saxony-Anhalt and stretch between the Great and the Small Castle. Sandstone figures, colorful flower beds, and vases underline the baroque basic form to this day. From the Great Castle, we cycle along below the Luisenburg ruins through Cattenstedt and Wienrode. We cycle through the small settlement of Eggerode, from where a detour to the rock formation "Hamburger Wappen" near Timmenrode is worth it. After the district of Benneckenrode, we reach Thale, where we cross the Bode and continue towards the hut museum and Peace Park. Here we are in close proximity to the cable cars of Thale Erlebniswelt. If we have some time, we can take the chairlift to Rosstrappe or the cable car to Hexentanzplatz and experience real summit and canyon feeling without having overcome a single meter of height with pure muscle power. We continue along the Stecklenberg forest edge. Via the Bockriß, we reach Neinstedt, which we pass through northwards and then turn right onto Thalenser Chaussee. From there, we get onto the city path, which leads us back towards the Bode. Only 50 meters from here, the Teufelsmauerstieg begins, which already offers beautiful views of the legendary Teufelsmauer at the start. On an exciting single trail, we follow the course of the Bode until we cross the river again shortly before the UNESCO World Heritage and half-timbered town of Quedlinburg. Shortly after the idyllic Brühlpark, our stage ends.
