Pleasure Bike Paradise | Stage 07 | Herzberg - Clausthal-Zellerfeld

We leave the half-timbered town of Herzberg am Harz and cycle along dirt roads and through the village of Hörden am Harz to Osterode am Harz. There we keep right towards the Sösetalsperre reservoir, passing its southern side. Shortly afterwards, we pass through the villages of Riefensbeek and Kamschlacken before turning into the valley of the Große Söse and riding gently uphill to the Morgenbrod hut. There is the stamping point 146 "Großes Wehr" of the Harzer Wandernadel at the shelter, which is suitable as a resting place. The Großes Wehr is the start of the 4-kilometer-long Morgenbrod valley ditch, which is fed by the Große Söse and the Morgenbrodsbach. On the gravel Ifenweg path, we keep above the ditch towards the Harz high road, which we follow to the left for a while. Here it is worth taking a detour to the Sperberhaier Dam House, which was used as a changing and prayer house during mining times and is now a popular excursion restaurant. We turn onto federal road 498 towards Altenau and shortly afterwards turn left to follow the unpaved path on the other side of the road. We pass the Polstertaler pond and the western part of Altenau. The further route on an old railway track leads us on an almost flat path to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. The history of mining can be vividly experienced in this area – for example, at the Upper Harz Mining Museum in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. In the mountain and university town, it is worth staying longer. Near the main building of the Technical University is Germany's largest wooden church: the Market Church "Zum Heiligen Geist". We can pass through the mountain and university town to the Zellerfeld district. Between May and October, the Upper Harz mountain farmers' market takes place here on Thursdays from 6 p.m., where many regional products and local crafts are sold.