The last section is so steep that we descend and the bicycles have to push: Over roots, leaves and stones, we push our suddenly so stubborn bikes up the narrow forest path with skidding wheels, while the sun sparkles innocently above us through the shady canopy of leaves. But the finish line is in sight: we take the last section with a flourish and stand on the "summit" of the Streckelsberg - the "summit" of the Streckelsberg. of the highest point along the coast of Usedom.
We are rewarded with a fantastic panorama: the sandy cliff below us, the edge of which drops almost sixty metres to the beach, and behind it the deep blue Baltic Sea as far as the horizon.
White sails can be seen, chasing jet skis, a cruise ship far out, even the Greifswalder Oie with its lighthouse stands clear as day. a silhouette on the horizon. For us, this moment at lofty heights (before we descend again and finally plunge into the surf at the Koserow pier) is, in a way, also a moment to savour. the highlight of our trip. Because that's exactly what we had in mind when we set off on our charter yacht a few days ago far inland:
The route on the Peene was to cross the Peenestrom and the Achterwasser to Usedom - from the reed edge to the sandy beach!
Cruise starts in Neukalen
Friday afternoon we meet at the small Harbour of Neukalen in. Under parasols, day trippers treat themselves to the first refreshment of the day at the "Gasthaus am Hafen" and "Pier 2", while locals eagerly prepare for another weekend on the water at the colourful boathouses. In between a handful of charter yachts stern to the jetty await their new crews. The boats - all steel displacement vessels - belong to the fleet of Yacht charter Schulz.
The company from Waren operates one of its six bases here and offers inland cruises in the Peenerevier as well as more extensive one-way trips. Our "Lotte", a 12 metre steel yacht Schulz 40, is quickly identified thanks to her sky-blue hull. The handover also goes quickly so that we can stock up on supplies immediately afterwards. Two supermarkets (Netto and Edeka) are only a few minutes away by car.
We bring the shopping and our luggage on board and then make ourselves comfortable under the canopy on the aft deck. Fortunately, this will only have to protect us from one thing over the next week - too much sun.
About just under one hundred kilometres the Peene runs through the glacial moraine landscape of Western Pomerania, unregulated and unspoilt - a little paradise for anyone looking for peace and quiet in nature. And that doesn't just include Beaver, otter and white-tailed eaglebut also water hikers in canoes and kayaks, in adventure rafts - or even charter yachts.
Early in the morning, we cast off the ropes and follow the narrow, dead-straight Neukalener Peenekanal for two kilometres with the sun on our faces to Lake Kummerowa glittering expanse of water no less than ten kilometres long and more than three kilometres wide.
Off its shallow western shore just north of the canal, our iron drops to three metres of water for a coffee break. Engine off, silence! Only a warm breeze brushes across the water. No challenge for the large, silvery, iridescent dragonfly watching us hover.
There is cracking and crackling in the dry reeds, but nothing can be seen. I wonder what aquatic creature is living there in the twilight? In any case, we don't want to disturb them for too long. Anchor up!
Now we follow Lake Kummerow (and the buoy line) to the north-west. At the small village of Verchen, the Peene - now a proper river - flows out of the lake. A relaxed weekend atmosphere prevails at the water hiking rest area on the right bank.
Keep your eyes open, as not only a small passenger ferry crosses here, but also one or two swimmers. On the opposite bank is the "Aalbude", an excursion restaurant that has rightly achieved a certain regional fame.
Here, too, there are moorings alongside, and we manage to get one of them. Fresh fish at a good price! www.ausflugsrestaurant-aalbude.de
The middle course of the Peene, which now follows and reaches as far as Demmin at kilometre 30, shows why the term "Amazon of the North" is more than just a label for clever tourist marketing: the still quite narrow river makes loop after loop, and the few breaches and straightenings appear just as pristine thanks to the lush nature that pushes into the water.
Wet meadows, spring moors and alluvial fringes line the banks, oxbow lakes full of reeds pass by, with small groups of birch and alder trees in between. Pines have taken root on sandy elevations, sometimes even mixed and deciduous forest. The most obvious traces of human intervention are the peat trenches on either side, but these notches, which were once cut into the boggy ground when the cheap fuel was extracted, have long since become lagoons that serve as a further refuge for plants and animals.
In 2011, the Flusslandschaft Peenetal nature park was founded, which encompasses the entire river basin.
The scorching sun contributes to the fact that we actually feel like we are in the tropics. Free-standing roots quickly become mangroves in the imagination and grey herons become flamingos.
Fortunately, there are no piranhas romping around in the sleepily murmuring stern water, but at most harmless lampreys ...
A towering brick granary suddenly appears in the middle of the jungle: Demmin! Shortly before the bascule bridge, we turn left into an oxbow lake at kilometre 29.5. We want to get to the water hiking rest area run by the Blau-Weiß sailing club. The quiet facility with pile boxes (electricity and water at the jetty, bread roll service) includes a small sanitary building; it is just under a kilometre from the town centre.
On the way there, before the bascule bridge, you pass the "Hanseatic Quarter of Demmin", which is enclosed by a wooden palisade. In summer, this is a medieval quarter where you can gain an insight into the way of life and crafts from the time when the town was actually a Hanseatic city. www.hanseviertel-demmin.de
Continue to the city wall, past the colourfully decorated residential slab to the very tidy market with the Prussian town hall, which was only reconstructed a few years ago, and the really imposing tower of St. Bartholomew's behind it, a fine example of North German brick Gothic.
In their shadow, so to speak, we soon stop off at the "Taverna Alexandros" on the market square - which was recommended to us as the best restaurant in Demmin. We liked it too!
Shortly before nine o'clock the following day, we are ready in the upper water of the Kahldenbrücke Demmin. Like the two other bascule bridges in Loitz and Anklam, it is too low for larger cabin cruisers when closed. This means that there are only three real obstacles on the entire route, but due to the infrequent opening times and the great distances involved, they require more precise planning than in some areas characterised by locks.
The barriers close on time and the carriageway rises with the weighbridge beams, clearing the way for us. The lower course of the Peene begins in Demmin. Two tributaries join the river in quick succession: the Tollense at kilometre 29.1 and the Trebel at kilometre 31.2, causing the Peene to swell to twice its width and widen its bends.
However, this does not change the leisurely flow speed: the barely perceptible gradient of just 24 centimetres over 100 kilometres even means that the river sometimes flows uphill when the wind blows from the east.
Farms are rarely seen on the more distant heights, and it is only in Loitz that the next village follows directly on the banks, here too with a church tower, harbour warehouse and bascule bridge.
It was not until 2012 that the modern building at kilometre 42.8 replaced its dilapidated predecessor, which has since been demolished. The town also offers a good marina and moorings directly on the riverbank in front of the reservoir. There is electricity everywhere. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend the "Korl Loitz" restaurant, which is actually perfectly located in the old railway station at the harbour.
The much better option for another stopover in this respect is the Stolpe water hiking rest area at kilometre 79.4, where we will spend the night on the way back: The small harbour basin at the floating jetty with outriggers is just as good and is only a few metres away from the terrace of the "Stolper Fährkrug", which has been serving travellers for more than 300 years and has a variety of specialities on the menu (www.gutshaus-stolpe.de).
It takes until late afternoon for two more towers to rise above the flat landscape downstream. This time it's St Nicholas' and St Mary's churches in Anklam. Perhaps it was the swallows, falcons and crows circling around the two towers at lofty heights that inspired Otto Lilienthal, the town's most famous son, to make his daring attempts.
The aviation pioneer was born in Anklam in 1848. Today, not only two monuments and a plaque commemorate him in the town, but also the Otto Lilienthal Museum with replicas of his gliders and many models, which is well worth a visit. lilienthal-museum.de
Incidentally, guests on their own keel can either (like us) moor in the countryside at the water hiking rest area at kilometre 87.7 (floating jetties and sheet piling, water and electricity, sewage disposal, sanitary facilities) or directly in the town at the jetty of the boatyard at kilometre 88.9. Our restaurant tip for the evening is the cosy "Gaststätte Am Steintor". www.gaststaette-steintor.de
After the night-time fog over the river has lifted under the first strong rays of sunshine, the last stage to the Baltic Sea is on the programme for us: at 9:40 a.m. the railway bridge at kilometre 89.1 opens for us, and shortly afterwards the town and harbour of Anklam lie astern.
After another hour, a disused, rusty beacon finally announces the nearby Peene stream. Then, without much ceremony, the reed-lined banks recede and the view opens up to wide water and the coast of Usedom to the east, about half a nautical mile away.
At kilometre 98 we have officially left the Peene; two pairs of buoys bring us to the fairway, and our bow, under which the brackish water of the Peen stream is now foaming white, swings north-east towards the Zecherin Bridge, whose blue steel structure connects the mainland and the island.
With a clearance height of five metres, it is no obstacle for us even when closed, so that we can reach our first destination on Usedom without delay via the narrow, buoyed Moderortrinne.
Rankwitz harbour is located in the very south of Lieper Winkel, a peninsula between the Peenestrom and Achterwasser.
The moorings, consisting of pile boxes, sheet piling and a small floating jetty, are manageable, but here too, relaxation is guaranteed. www.hafen-rankwitz.de
Active visitors can cycle from here to Mellenthin moated castle, seven kilometres away, with its famous castle bakery, while everyone else can use their own boat as a balcony. Two good restaurants serve excellent fish both indoors and outdoors: the "Alte Fischräucherei" and the more upmarket "Hafenküche". The sunset comes with dessert. www.hafenrankwitz.de
We continue north-westwards until we leave the Peenestrom across from Lassan and enter the Achterwasser, the large shallow bay on the inland side of Usedom, between the cardinal buoys "Hohe Schar Süd" and "Warther Haken West" with their flanking gillnets.
Here we can now also feel the wind from the open Baltic Sea, whose short choppy waves cause our "Lotte" to buck a little for the first time on this trip. Our course takes us past the island of Görmitz into the northern part of the Achterwasser until the harbour of Zinnowitz comes into view at its end. Here it is again so sheltered that we can also go alongside on the outside of the wall behind a Grand Bank without swell.
But the harbour master won't be back until late afternoon. So what are we waiting for? There's still time for the pier and the spa architecture of Zinnowitz in the evening. Now it's off to Koserow - off to the beach!
