Pleasure Bike Paradise I Star Route 02 I Between Devil's Wall and Camel Rock

We begin our challenging day route at the Tourist Information in Blankenburg. The town in the Harz foothills is worth a visit with its historic old town, the small and large castles, and the Blankenburg castle gardens. Not far from our starting point is also Germany's only historic hostel museum. To our right, especially in summer, the Baroque gardens of the Small Castle invite visitors to linger. Right at the start, we use the power of our motor to overcome the elevation difference to the Large Castle Blankenburg. The imposing building towers majestically over the town and can be visited as part of guided tours. Even without a tour, we enjoy the view over the rooftops of the town and the wide Harz foothills. We follow the Herzog's Path west above the castle and turn right into Schlossberg, then shortly-left follow Welfenstraße towards the B27. Via Rhodenbergstraße and Klosterstraße, we cycle past the city park and then through Thiepark, near which is the natural swimming pool "Am Thie." Passing the train station, we follow Alte Halberstädter Straße northeast, crossing the railway line and the A36 motorway, cycling through pine forest not far from the Regenstein castle ruins and the distinctive sandstone caves. We pass through Börnecke and cross the motorway again before reaching Westerhausen by Jätchenberg and Königstein. Due to its special shape, the sandstone rock Königstein is also called the Camel Rock and has become a symbol of the town. We cycle through the town on Auf der alten Feuerwehr, Hinter dem Amt, am Breitenstein, and Feldstraße, going through the historic center, which contains more than 20 listed buildings. After Feldstraße, we follow Kuckucksberg, at the end of which we first turn left then right, cycling alongside the rock formations Kleines Kamel and Langer Berg parallel to Westerhäuser Straße. Via Hüttenweg, we reach the half-timbered town of Quedlinburg on the edge of the idyllic Brühlpark, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A detour into the historic center is definitely worth planning. With an area of almost 90 hectares, the built-up town core makes Quedlinburg one of Germany's largest historic monuments, with buildings from all styles and eras. After an extensive exploration, we slowly cycle past Brühlpark again, cross the Bode and follow it on the east side on exciting single trails to just before Neinstedt. From a roadside intersection, we can see the impressive rock formations of the legendary Devil's Wall from afar. A visit to Königstein, accessible via the Devil's Wall trail, is worthwhile for beautiful panoramic views. We better leave our bikes below the ascent, which consists of narrow stairs. Back on the route, we cross Thalenser Chaussee and cycle through Neinstedt before heading west on Am Graseberg road towards Thale. Via Stecklenberger Allee, we cross the town in the Bodetal, cycle past Friedenspark and go north via Bahnhofsstraße and Steinbachstraße, where we cross the Bode and leave the town on Wolfsburgstraße towards Benneckenrode. We cycle through wooded areas past Eggerode and via field paths and roads through Wienrode and Cattenstedt. From there, we reach the Large Castle Blankenburg again and enjoy a gentle downhill ride back to our starting point at the Tourist Information.