During the warm summer days, everyone feels the desire to seek a quiet and relaxed place in and around Rostock. As Warnemünde is often totally overcrowded with tourists, there is not much enjoyment happening for me. Instead, I like to go to other destinations located on the coastline like Nienhagen.
The village itself is directly connected to one of the many outstanding beaches of “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern” and is sheltered by a fascinating forest. This recreational place is connected to Rostock by a European cycle track and it’s just a 30-minute drive from the city centre. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t recommend the trip if the weather isn’t appropriate because then you can’t fuly enjoy the stunning landscape; moreover, cycling isn’t that much fun when you’re totally wet.
This destination is marked by a certain type of forest which is somehow different than everywhere else. The trees are shaped by the salty winds from the Baltic Sea, and on stormy days the trees seem to whistle like haunted creatures. With a bit of imagination, the deformed wood makes the trees look like the “Ents” from Lord of the Rings, and during the dawn in particular this area was sometimes creepy. However, you easily forget about this feeling when you travel with a mate and see numerous other cyclists which bring you back to reality, where you can enjoy the breath-taking sundown from the wooden cliff line.
Another activity I like to do there is fishing. Especially in autumn you can easily catch some decent cod from the shoreline. There are various different techniques you can use, such as: jigging, fly- or live bait fishing and the fun is every time the same. I personally love to fish there with a float tube, and it is awesome to enjoy the outstanding forest from the seaside while catching powerful Baltic fighters. But you always have to be aware about the weather conditions because the currents and the wind can carry you easily miles away from the shore; thus I would not recommend float tubing alone.
As you hopefully noticed, this spot offers various different possibilities to spend your time, and it’s definitely one of my favourite destinations near Rostock. Maybe you even find some amber or ancient fossils in the brackish water like I did two years ago.