Today’s ride was 73 km from Wismar to Gross Timmerdorf (a small town a few kilometres outside of the seaside resort Timmerdorfer Strand). We followed the Ostsee (Baltic sea) cycle way (part of Eurovelo 10). The route was mostly on good tarred or compacted earth paths – it was also good exercise with quite a few little hills along the coast.

It was a perfect day for cycling – not too hot – and we had a good early start. Being a Sunday morning, it was wonderfully quiet leaving Wismar, with almost no traffic.

The route followed the coast and although we could see the sea in the morning, it was often obscured by trees or just out of sight.

We went from little village to little village, sometimes stopping to admire a sea view. There are quite a few houses with thatched roofs, very picturesque. At one point we paused to admire a large field full of poppies. Other cyclists and walkers were also stopping to take photos.

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We were getting hungry, as we had not had a hotel breakfast – just some yogurt in our room. We ate bokwurst and currywurst and drank coffee at a outdoor cafe alongside the cycle path, around 20 km before Travemunde. We sat and ate in a “Strandkorb” – a cane beach chair that is ubiquitous along the Baltic coast. You see them mostly on the beaches but also in outdoor eating places. It really was cool and comfortable in the chair!

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We had to take a ferry across the river mouth to get to Travemunde. Travemunde is an upmarket port and seaside holiday town, ferries leave from here to Sweden and Finland. Ships also come through this river mouth from Lubeck.

We rode around the harbour a bit, then along a long beach promenade. There were lots of people eating at outdoor restaurants around the harbour in the town, and walking or cycling along the promenade. There were some very posh looking mansions and hotels on the landward side of the promenade. It was interesting to see the beach, packed full of strandkorb beach chairs that you can hire for a day (around 9 or 10 Euro) or a week. I was impressed with the playgrounds for children right on the beach and also some areas cordoned off with sand toys for the children.

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Once off the promenade, we followed a coastal bike path all the way to Timmerdorf Strand. There were lots of people out for a Sunday afternoon walk or bike ride. The path is through the woods with a steep drop off to sections of white beach and clear Baltic waters just below.

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Timmendorfer Strand feels even more up market than Travemunde. We stopped off to buy some food from the supermarket before going onto our hotel in Gross Timmendorf, a few kilometres inland. I struggled to find an affordable hotel in this area. In the end we got a good deal – a small room in a beautiful little four star hotel. It was quite hot when we arrived and the beer they served us on the terrace was truly one of the best of our trip so far – craft beer from a microbrewery in nearby Neustadt.