I finally rode the long haul up to the Gleichen Hills hindered just a wee bit by fallen trees across the route.

The Gleichen Hills can be seen from a long way off and although almost all the castle on the Neu Gleichen has been rubbed out – the closely adjacent Alte Gleichen features a romantic ruin.

I joined the All Along the Watchtower route after riding out from home at 6.5km at the Steinmuhle and where I had left off scouting the last time.

The climb was over 4kms long and it became very steep at the end, I declined to ride the final 25% climb to the Alte Gleichen Castle having explored it in the summer. I hugged the single-track path that girdles the hill and at times it was tricky because of a thick carpet of leaves which hid holes, branches and mud.

The descent from the Gleichen Hills took me to the Kopfsteinpflaster Carousel before a long flowing section of forest roads returned me to the Steinmuhle. A few more sections of gravel led me up to the Diemarden Warte (watchtower) which will be the fourth on the ride route. I ended the ride and this All Along the Watchtower scouting session at 29km at the Dreckwarte. This tower is a reproduction built on the original site because it had been lost. This Dreckwarte comes early in the ride after the start inside the Göttingen City Walls.

The big question is whether the route would be better if it went up to the Gleichen Hills from the opposing side and then took you down the awesome descent that I pedalled up on this ride….

The sun was shining!

The Ride
Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4561141143
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/3108412224