Day 1: Berlin – Buckow. The route leaves Berlin’s dense eastern streets over roughly 56 km and slowly trades asphalt for water, woods and open Brandenburg air. From Neukölln it cuts through Treptow-Köpenick, past lakes around Müggelheim and Erkner, then drifts beyond Rüdersdorf into quieter country. Fields, forest edges and small Märkisch villages set the rhythm. The final kilometres roll gently into Märkische Schweiz, with the landscape already folding before Buckow appears near the Schermützelsee.