It’s hard to imagine but 20,000 years ago the north of Brandenburg, Germany, lay under a thick layer of ice. The geological shape of the Uckermark is a result of the most recent ice age and its glaciers. In Central Europe, the glacial series is the term used to describe the landscape formed in a specific sequence by each glacial advance. Advancing ice masses formed an impressive interplay of different landscape elements in the Uckermark, which in their rare abundance exhibit all the forms of a young moraine landscape. Gully and tongue basin lakes, drumlins, osses, meltwater, sumps and kettle bogs are all evident!

The Oderbruch is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Berlin. It lies much lower than the neighbouring areas and is traversed by the Oder-Havel Canal until it flows into the Oder. In the 19th century, the Niederfinow ship lift was built here, which remains a link in the international waterway between the Netherlands and Lithuania.

The Oder, which flows into the Szczecin Lagoon near Szczecin and eventually into the Baltic Sea, forms the natural border between Germany and Poland. The Oder dyke provides a wonderful way to explore the region. In autumn, thousands of cranes roost in the Oder's floodplain and provide a beautiful evening spectacle.

This 306-kilometre (190 mi) bikepacking Tour takes you on a varied route along cycle paths and small country roads through one of Brandenburg's most beautiful regions. It connects the Uckermark Lakes Nature Park, the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve and the Lower Oder Valley National Park. Colourful mixed forests, wide meadows, clear lakes, the unmistakable heath landscape and, as usual in Brandenburg, a bit of sand and cobblestones await you on three consecutive days.

As they are on mostly asphalt surfaces, the Tours are just as much fun on a road bike as on a classic touring bike. However, there are some sections where it gets sandy and you may have to push your bike the last few metres to the bivouac site. The Uckermark is a very sparsely populated region that allows you to immerse yourself in nature. However, you should pack enough provisions or find places with supermarkets and small village shops in advance to stock up along the way. Lychen or Templin, for example, are good options, as the route leads directly through the town centres before dipping back into the forests for several kilometres