TET Germany – section 1: Please road, be adventurous!

Motorcycle Diaries

The German Trans Euro Trail track starts at the point where the Netherlands route ends. You just can continue from the pancake flat area of the Groninger Heide into the great wide-open plains of Niedersachsen.

I read that this part of the TET is completely paved, because it’s not allowed to ride on unpaved roads in (this part?) of Germany. I don’t expect a challenging route…

After having filled the 24 litre Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports’ fuel tank it’s time to open the throttle and explore these 400 km German TET roads!

Day one: stuck in traffic!

While my plan was to go full throttle on the perfect German asphalt I find myself immediately stuck in a traffic jam. The first 15 km of the ride I go from one traffic light to another. Not exactly a good start.

But I do have the trust that this is just a prologue and the real tracks will come up later. And indeed, a few kilometres later I leave the main roads and continue my ride on a smaller road with much less traffic. The pleasure only lasts a few minutes. Again the GPS points me to the main road and I’m in-between trucks again.

There is no pleasure in driving these roads with the Honda Africa Twin. Actually, it’s rather boring. And yes, I knew there would be no winding roads, hills or mountains, but I can’t imagine that there are not more exciting or scenic roads than these big lanes full of traffic. These first 100 kms are not what I expected them to be: all big open roads, lots of traffic and no pleasant relaxed riding. Perhaps I have been treated too well the last months. Too much expectations?

If you look for a ride through this Northern part of Germany and you do not want to use any highways, it’s a good option to follow the TET track. It’s a rather interesting connection between The Netherlands and Denmark on secondary roads. But if you travel with a bike like the Africa Twin and expect to find some exciting, adventurous or scenic roads you won’t find any on this first part of section 1 of the German TET.

At the end of this less interesting day I leave the track and find myself a sleeping place near the sea. I encounter some nice roads (you see, there are nice roads around here !) and end up in Otterndorf.

Day 2: a sunny morning!

Day 2 on the German TET starts with a bright sunny morning. That’s already OK !

The track leads to the North of Hamburg and the traffic is less hectic than it was yesterday. The roads and views are more interesting. Not a super ride, but it’s a relaxing touristic ride through the North of Germany. In Wischhafen I have to cross the river Elbe by ferry. It’s a nice time-out moment; I enjoy the sunshine and the views over the river. Once on the other side the route leads me in – almost - a straight line to Puttgarden. Not a highway, but a minor road. Luckily the traffic isn’t dense, so it’s still fun to drive this section towards the end of section 1 of the German TET.

The Puttgarden ferry is the end of this part of the German TET but also the beginning of a next chapter. On to Denmark for the Danish part of the Trans Euro Trail!