The Milde-Biese-Aland route

The Elbe Cycle Route runs for around 1,270 km from the source of the Elbe in the Giant Mountains near Špindlerův Mlýn to its mouth at Brunsbüttel or Cuxhaven on the North Sea. If you already know the Elbe Cycle Route, have ridden it several times or are curious about the regions to discover to the left and right of it, we have an insider tip for you: why not make a detour into the Altmark? The Altmark lies in the north of Saxony-Anhalt, south of the Wendland in Lower Saxony.

A scenic cycle tour right through the Altmark

Halfway along the Hamburg–Magdeburg stage, in the little Altmark village of Beuster, you take the turn-off that follows the Taube Aland, then the Biese and finally the Milde through the middle of the Altmark. At the end of this cycle route, about 97 km long, you reach the Hanseatic town of Gardelegen, not far from the source of the Milde. From here you can continue towards Wolfsburg – Hanover or towards Magdeburg. Direct rail connections towards Wolfsburg – Hanover or towards Stendal – Berlin are available in Gardelegen > bahn.de <.

One river, three names

The beautiful nature of the Altmark is especially charming and unspoilt along this small river system. Unusually, the river as a whole has no single name. A western tributary of the Elbe, it is called the Milde in its upper course, the Biese in its middle course and the Aland in its lower course. Its source is near Letzlingen; it then flows north, mostly through the Altmark in Saxony-Anhalt, and finally joins the Elbe beyond the town of Schnackenburg in Lower Saxony. With its many smaller tributaries, the river system drains large parts of the northern Altmark.