Weser-Harz-Heide long-distance cycle route: from Hann. Münden to the Harz Mountains

It leads via the old university town of Göttingen on the Leine to idyllic villages and the half-timbered towns of Duderstadt, Herzberg and Osterode and right into the heart of the Harz mountains.
The Weser - Harz Heath Cycle Route (RFW 5) has a total length of 410 km and is part of the Lower Saxony long-distance cycle route network. It begins at Hann. Münden in the south of the state and runs in a northerly and north-easterly direction via Göttingen, Goslar (in the Harz region), Salzgitter, Wolfenbüttel, Braunschweig to Lüneburg. The southern start of the Weser - Harz Heath Cycle Route (RFW 5) begins in the -three rivers town- of Hannoversch - Münden (district of Göttingen), about 700 half-timbered houses characterise the image of the old town. You leave the foothills of the Bramwald and head north or north-east steadily uphill to Dransfeld. Between Scheden and Dransfeld it is worth taking a trip to the Hoher Hagen, a former volcanic cone and today's basalt quarry with a viewing platform and Gauss Museum, the highest elevation along this section of the route at 478 metres. Continue eastwards across the Dransfeld plateau down to the edge of the old university town of Göttingen. In the historic centre you will find a variety of sights that are well worth a detour. From the popular recreation area of the Kiessee, the Weser - Harz Heide cycle path takes you briefly in a southerly direction (Rosdorf, Niedernjesa) then continues east past the Wendebach reservoir to the edge of Reinhausen. The elevated, imposing monastery church of the long street village is visible from afar. You cycle a few kilometres north and then continue east up the Gartetal nature reserve, one of the small side valleys of the Leinetalgraben. You will cross various small villages with local features. Shortly before Nesselröden, you turn north-east again and pass through Duderstadt, which belongs to the Eichsfeld region. The well-preserved medieval town centre with the town hall is worth a visit. Close to the Thuringian border, you finally reach Rhumspringe, where the Rhume spring, one of the largest karst springs in Europe, is a national attraction. You reach the district border and follow a former railway line with good views of the Harz Mountains in places. At Pöhlde you cross the Oder river and after a few kilometres you reach the town of Herzberg with its well-known Guelph castle. From here you can return to the starting point by train or continue cycling via Osterode am Harz to Clausthal Zellerfeld and Altenau in the Harz Mountains. The return journey offers magnificent views and descents. The continuation via Goslar, Wolfenbüttel, Braunschweig, Celle, Uelzen can be extended for several days through varied landscapes to Lüneburg. It is worth taking up the challenge away from busy river cycle paths.

Source: N-Netz - long-distance cycle routes in Lower Saxony, Göttingen region.