Caravan camp but not for bicyclists

September 9

After a rest day at the campsite in Havelberg, it was time to continue my journey south. I had planned to stop in Liebenwalde, but I couldn’t find a campsite worth the name. It was only another 21 km to Oranienburg—a somewhat larger town—where I had seen that there was a caravan park right in the center.

I had quite a few tough hills to tackle, but the weather was good, and there wasn’t much of a headwind or crosswind.

I chose to cycle along smaller roads, passing through smaller villages and hamlets. The distance is naturally a bit longer, but the experience and reduced traffic make it worthwhile.

Just after four o’clock, I cycled into Oranienburg; it seemed like a larger city than I had expected. It was hot outside, so I stopped at a pub near a four-way intersection. After a €5 beer and a quick check on Google Maps, I saw that I just needed to continue straight ahead.

Stop for navigation infront of Schlossmuseum Oranienburg

Something went wrong, and I couldn’t find the campsite I had in mind. Even with the GPS to help, I couldn’t locate it. Eventually, after asking around, I discovered I had to take a footpath to get there—a route Google Maps hadn’t suggested.

Sadly, this campsite was a motorhome-only club, complete with a robot receptionist ready to sell you a patch of ground. The rates were clearly designed for four-wheeled mansions, and I wasn’t about to drop nearly €40 just to pitch my humble tent for the night.

Caravan camp in Oranienburg, don´t fit for bicycles

Someone working in the same building as the kiosk mentioned another campsite across the main road. After a bit of back-and-forth, he guided me there, only for us to discover it was closed.

The man who helped me indicated through body language that we should go back the way we came. He found an empty spot and said, “You can pitch your tent here.” Since I hadn’t booked a reserved seat, I didn’t have access to a toilet, shower, etc.

I quickly set up my tent, changed clothes, and headed out into the evening darkness to the nearest bar or restaurant for coffee—but primarily to get online. I needed to figure out the route out of town for tomorrow. My next stop is Coswig (Anhalt).

I’m back at the tent around 10 PM, having worked out how to navigate tomorrow’s route. It doesn’t look like it will be particularly difficult to get out of the city.

Talk to you later,
// P-G
The Global Cyclist