Danube Cycle Tour

7/31/2019 Danube Cycle Tour

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This eight-day route starts in the small town of Donaueschingen, where a spring announces the start of theriver Danube. The cycle trail keeps faithfully to the banks of the river and is often traffic-free. On day 6 weleave the Danube, climbing some hills to meet the river Altmuhl, which we follow for a day and a half. Thetour finishes in the World Heritage city of Regensburg.

This is limestone country and we'll see strange rock spires, spectacular cliffs and winding gorges. High upon the hills castles can be seen, and in Blaubeuren there's a monastery. When we are following the river,the trail is often flat, though if we wish to visit a local highlight, we'll usually have to climb to do so. Fromtime to time the river is affected by the porous limestone: it starts as a spring, quickly vanishesunderground into a cave, and later there is a substantial resergence of water.

The Danube cycle trail is the most popular cycle route in Europe so we'll see plenty of other cyclists, oftenloaded with large panniers, indicating that like us they are travelling the Danube Cycle Way. But it is nobusier with bikes than the route we rode in Holland, and there is a pleasant sense of a rewardingexperience shared. Towns will usually have one or two cycle shops. There are very regular boards with

information or maps, and occasional information centres along the trail, with useful information and staff who can answer questions for you.

The total length of the river from the source to the estuary in the black sea is 2840km, traversing sevencountries along the way. Many people ride only as far as Budapest, since there have been difficulties in thepast with some border crossings later than Budapest. Even the ride that far is a long way, maybe amonth's cycling, so most riders will divide their journey into two halves of a fortnight, perhaps riddenduring two summers, with Passau the mid-point. So some of the riders you'll share the path with will be ontheir way to, or perhaps from, Passau.

From time to time you'll see small wooden towers, which are for bird watchers.

There are a couple of guidebooks in English, and the best of these is the bikeline Cycling Guide: DanubeBike Trail, part 1, which is available for 14.99 from Maps Worldwide atwww.mapsworldwide.com/sku_36804.htm . This is an excellent spiral bound mini book with a detailed mapon each page accompanied by useful text describing the route and local places of interest. It does notcover the Altmuhl section though there is a separate bikeline/cycline guide for the Altmuhl valley, butonly with German text.

Cicerone also publish a guide to the route, which does include the Altmuhl, but lacks the detailed maps,and is somewhat dated.

Finally, there are a couple of handy little fold-up strip-maps, printed on tough waterproof paper, one forthe Danube and one for the Altmuhl. These are called:Radwanderkarte Donau-Radweg 1Radwanderkarte Altmhltal-RadwegThey cost about 8 euros each and are available from a number of German websites and also from some of the shops en route. The information panels are all in German, but the mapping is excellent.

General information about the tour 1
http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_36804.htmhttp://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_36804.htm


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We are following the Donauradweg, the DanubeCycle Way, and virtually every single junction ismarked with a distinctive green and blue logo on awhite background. Very occasionally you will findthat our GPS plot takes us away from this track,perhaps to avoid gravel, or to take you either to aplace of interest or that evening's accommodation.

Sometimes the Donauradweg is a dedicated traffic-free cycle path, sometimes it is a minor road, andsometimes you're on a cycle path running next toa main road. Three things to watch out for:

You won't always notice when a cycle path has become a minor road, so if joining another road,say at a T-junction, or crossing a junction, ALWAYS check in case there are cars coming.

Don't stop in a big bunch blocking the path, since there are plenty of cyclists coming. If you are on a cycle path next to a main road and a car wants to cross ahead of you, the car has

priority. DON'T just ride into its path! Stop for cars turning!

There will inevitably be road works from time to time, and in that event yellow diversion signs will tell youwhere to ride instead. In general, DON'T try to ride straight through road works! Occasionally you can getoff and push past a roadwork as a pedestrian, but often you will need to follow the diversion.

The surface of the cycle trail is mostly tarmac, with some sections on hard packed gravel. Hybrid ormountain bikes will do very well. A racing bike is not suitable, nor are narrow racing tyres. Suitable tyresshould have a decent width, say 28-32mm. Another point about the gravel: ride a bit more slowly,especially downhill. Take corners slowly. Allow more space between riders. Ignore all this advice at yourperil!

Helmets are a common sight along the Danube Cycle Way. By no means everyone has them, but mostchildren and maybe half the adult riders to. Perhaps this is in deference to the rougher sections of theroute where the gravel will see some riders hitting the ground occasionally. For this reason, adults takingpart in our tour this year are recommended to wear a helmet.

Take particular care if moving from a cycle path onto a road. Although cars are required to give way tocyclists when the car is trying to turn across your way, they may simply not notice you!

Cafes occur on a very regular basis, directly alongside the route, a pleasant side-benefit to this being sucha popular cycle path. Generally they will have toilets and you can use these, and ask for water bottles to berefilled, if you have been kind enough all to order a drink, milk shake or ice cream.

I did try to find what is a typical cafe snack. I did find several ice cream cafes, where you sit down andorder from a tempting selection of ice creams with loads of cream or sauces or fruit. They are really rathersplendid, although perhaps not the ideal cycling food. Nevertheless everyone ought to try one during thetour sometimes, by way of research.

Waiters and waitresses tend to carry long leather purses to keep the money in, and they sometimes have aspecial method of receiving your tip. It is of course always good manners to reward waiters for theirservice with a tip of about 10% of the value of your order. When you pay, the waiter will give you thecorrect change. You should quickly make to give some back as a tip. When the waiter sees this he may just

take the tip, or he may dip towards you with the leather wallet open to 'catch the tip', and you drop thecoins of your tip directly into the wallet rather than into his hand. Not all waiters / waitresses do this, but itis a pleasant tableau to be a part of.

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Remember: you buy all your own snacks and extra food on this tour. The budget will provide breakfast,packed lunch and evening meal, but anything else you want, you have to pay for.

Often you will see a water feature in a village centre which would have been used in times past for peopleto drink from. But it is not treated water, and sadly you are therefore safest not to use it - animals grazingthe fields will have polluted the streams which feed the fountain. If labelled, 'Trinkwater' means drinkingwater, whereas 'Kein Trinkwater' means not drinking water. In a few locations you will come across aproper drinking fountain with a tap, which is modern and safe to drink from, and labelled Trinkwater.

Alternatively, find a supermarket and buy a large bottle of mineral water to fill everyones bottles up with.

If adults need to withdraw some cash from a bank machine, take note that quite a few of the machines areinside banks, and there is 24 hour access to these simply by swiping your card at a reader next to thedoor. If it doesn't work the first time, try the card the other way up! So if you haven't seen a bank machinefor a while, it'll be because the machines are more often found indoors.

Like in Holland and Denmark, level crossings are common. This route regularly crosses the river Danube,and the railway runs close to the river, so often you cross the railway, and most of the time you do so on alevel crossing. The rule is, if you are mid-way across the crossing and the bells and lights go, then continuepromptly to the other side. But if you haven't started crossing, then stop safely and wait.

Trains, also like in Holland, are double deckers, and there are stations regularly along the valley, whichoften you pass directly by on the trail. This is your option if you have to shorten the day. You need to buya ticket for yourself and a ticket for the bike too. You can't buy on board and will be fined if you don't havea ticket, so make sure you get a ticket at the station. Not all trains accept bikes, though the trains plyingthe Danube route often do take cycles since they are usually regional rather than express trains. There islimited space on each train for cycles (look for the cycle diagram on the door for where to put your bike).If it is too full of bikes, you may have to wait for the next train. That said, trains on this route often havemore cycle space than usual, since it is such a popular cycle route.

I have planned a cycle path and a road version of the tour.



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notices, each person who has broken the rule will be fined 15. You will have to pay your own fine- we won't pay it for you.

Spray deodorents are NOT ALLOWED. This is because, like in many other hostels, the smallparticles in the spray can set off the fire alarm. In Germany, the hostels have got wise to this, andhave forbidden spray deodorents. So, bring a roll-on. If you do set off the alarm, they will knowwhich room it is, and a fine of between 250 and 500 is payable.

All the hostels provide dinner, bed, breakfast and a packed lunch. You will need to make up yourpacked lunch at breakfast time.

Wifi internet access is available in many of the hostels / hotels if you want to use your phone orlaptop. The hostels mostly seem to use the same provider, so if wifi is important to you, you couldbuy a full weeks access at the start. The hotels all use different providers.

Germany seems rather more environmentally friendly than the UK: the hostels have three recyclingbins, and more strikingly, quite a few houses on the first day have their whole rooves covered withsolar cells.

There are plenty of pools on our route, most of them open-air and a delight to visit. Five of the hostels /hotels have pools a short ride away.



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On the maps we are generally travelling from West to East.

The text and photos in these route notes are all by Chris Boardman. Maps are mostly from Google, withroutes uploaded using GPS Visualiser. Two map extracts are from MagicMaps which was also the principalroute planning software for the tour.

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1A: 45 miles (to valley-bottom hotel, younger boys) 327m up, 430 down1A: 33 miles starting at Donaueschingen, or 19 miles if starting at Immendingen all following same GPSroute1B: 48 miles (older boys to hostel) 547m up, 456m down same as 1A except the final few miles

We are staying at Villingen, which is on the river Brigach. 11 miles into the ride we arriveat Donaueschingen, where the water from the Danube spring joins the river, and here the river Danubeofficially starts. Boys in the UMs and above will ride the full distance, whereas boys in the Shells and Remswill need to decide whether to take a shorter route, since it is the first day. For these boys, the journey willstart with a short ride to the railway station in Villingen, then a train journey.

What a splendid start to the tour this day provides. The trail is largely flat, and tarmac most of the way.Often it is traffic free, and when you are on roads, they are quiet. The towns and villages are pretty andyou'll want to make time to take photos. The final section through the limestone gorge is one of theprettiest sections anywhere on the river Danube. And all along you'll see lots of other cyclists, often ladendown with larger and heavier panniers than ours, perhaps because they are cycling for longer, but morelikely because they will camp on some of the nights.

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The only drawback to the day is that tonight's accommodation is just about the very best you will see ontour. Enjoy it, but don't expect the same stunning locations every night!

You will want to stop at Donaueschingen, where you can visit the spring which is the source of theDanube. Park your bikes and walk down the steps to take photos of the circular basin which has been builtto surround the source. You can see bubbles coming up as the water rises. The source is called the'Donauquelle' and the water is quite cold: consistently 7 to 8 degrees. The spring was first officiallyrecognised as the source of the Danube by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Much later, in 1499, KingMaximillian visited. Kings would always travel with a large entourage and the King required his more highranking guests to leap fearlessly into the chilly waters of the spring. There is an easier-to-follow traditionthat you stand with your back to the source, make a wish and throw a coin in, with your left hand overyour right shoulder.

In Immendingen the trail turns sharp right to climb a ramp over a bridge over the railway. BetweenImmendingen and Mohringen the river periodically disappears, and all that is left is a broad river bed filledwith pebbles. Since the whole area is limestone country, the river has headed underground into a cavesystem for a few miles, and reappears 14 km away after an underground journey lasting between 30 and80 hours. After Immendingen you are on the right bank, and about 500 metres after you cross a bridgetaking you to the left bank, a 50 metre path leads from the cycle path to the river. It is on the GPS asSINK. Park here and walk to take a look and even step down to take a stroll in the empty river bed. This isthe 'Donauversinkung', and is only visible on about a third of days in a given year - during wet weeks, theriver bed is full.

In Tuttlingen the route crosses the river to the right bank - keep an eye out for the supermarket 'E-Center'on your right, half a mile after crossing the river. This may be the last shop you find today to refill waterbottles, so don't miss it!

If it's a hot day and you are fine with the time, you could go for a swim at Tuttlingen. The pool isinexpensive, it's very clean and it has a high diving board and a couple of flumes. Further on Fridlingen,about 5 miles before the end of the day, also has a pool if you ask someone to direct you.

Shortly after passing the swimming pool, the route will be confusing on the GPS since it seems to go in twodifferent directions. If you need a supermarket stop, cross the river and a few hundred metres will take

you to the 'E-center' supermarket, which may be the last supermarket you find today - so if you are at allshort on water, make the stop. Then go back to the bridge and carry on down-river. If you don't need thesupermarket, just ignore the bridge and carry along down river on the left bank.

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Shortly after the large town of Tuttlingen you pass through the village of Stetten and turn right to cross theriver. Now the trail climbs up to cycle through the attractive old town of Muhleim, and on through thewoods to Fridingen. This section is a bit hilly.

Then follows a fantastic stretch from Fridlingen to Beuron, a deep gorge with strange limestone towers.Some of us (chiefly, the younger boys and their parents) will be staying at a picture-postcard of a hotel,deep within the gorge, yet catching the afternoon sunlight perfectly. Most of the remainder of the party willstay in Wildenstein Castle tonight, also a completely spectacular location perched at the top of thelimestone cliffs lining the gorge. I stayed here and the view from my bedroom window was the best I haveseen from a youth hostel anywhere in the world.

For the castle-dwellers, we leave the river at the mouth of the gorge to commence our long climb to theCastle. The hill is of a gentle gradient, but it continues unremittingly for three miles, all at the end of the

day. Make sure you've eaten and drunk enough earlier in the day to sustain you for the climb. When youarrive at the castle there's a small cycle shed on the left before you enter the castle, and a further cyclerack just inside the first entrance of the castle, on the right. Don't wheel bikes any further in to the castlecomplex.

Many of the doors in the castle fill the original stone frames and you will have to duck: people used to beshorter! In the dining hall you will get a good impression from the windows of how thick the walls were,and this thickness combined with the excellent defensive position of the castle double moat meant that itwas captured only once, more by carelessness. The castle is close to a millenium old, since records showits existence at least as far back as 1077. The dining hall and several other parts of the interior aredecorated with a hand-drawn and painted motif.

For those staying in the hotel, there is no final climb. About a dozen people can't fit into the hotel, so thehotel is providing a lift to other nearby hotels.

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2A Cycle from hotel: 41 miles, 316m up, 409m down2B Same route as 2A but using the road along the river for the first few miles to avoid gravel2C Road from castle: 36 miles, 249m up, 528m down

The cycle path (route 2A) starts on the right bank of the river and alternates regularly between gravel andtarmac, roughly half and half (as far as Sigmaringen). Given that today is Sunday and the roads will bequieter, if you want to avoid some of the gravel you could cross to the left bank of the river and follow thisfor several miles this is route 2B.

The road route (2C) starting at the castle, is shorter since the castle is closer to tonights accommodation. All three routes join before arriving at Sigmaringen.

In Sigmaringen the trail hugs the river bank which provides a safe traffic free, tarmac surface dont try tofind a road option through this busy, large town. However at one point you go underneath a road bridgewith very low clearance: it's essential that you look out for this and get off your bikes, or you'll be knocked

off your bikes! There is one more similar bridge a few miles later, though not as low as the one inSigmaringen.

whengoing under this bridge in Sigmaringen it is toolow (except for Mr Boardmans unusual bike)

As you pass through Sigmaringen look out for its castle on a lofty perch on the right. One of the largest

royal palaces still in private hands in continental Europe, Schloss Sigmaringen has been the primaryresidence of the Hohenzollerns since 1535. Guided tours are provided through the great cavernousbedrooms and grand ballrooms. The palace is also a private museum with artworks, original furniture,tapestries and clocks collected over centuries of grand living, together with a substantial collection of over3000 pieces of medieval arms and armour. If you have the energy to climb the hill, you may want to visit.10 Day 2: Beuron to Riedlingen


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A mile or so after you enter Sigmaringen, you cross a large road with a big bridge over the Danube. Afteryou've crossed the road (you don't need to cross the bridge) there's a statue of a man with a small boystanding on his shoulder, which marks a drinking water tap, properly labelled 'trinkwater' so you know it issafe to refill your water bottles. This is handy since Sigmaringen is half way on the day's route.

After Sigmaringen the route reaches Mengen and passes directly by its Roman Museum, although this isprobably not worth the stop: there are a limited number of artifacts, and more importantly, everything is inGerman so you won't understand what you are seeing.

For the final four miles to tonight's stay at Riedlingen, we abandon the official Danube Cycle Way on theright bank, instead preferring the left bank where a new cycle path with an excellent surface has beenmade.

Riedlingen has a thoroughly attractive town centre with lots of old half-timbered buildings, one fantasticallyillustrated with paintings. Our hotel is just across the river from the old town centre. We will be in twobuildings, both owned by the same hotel, half a mile apart, and we'll all eat together in one building (theHotel Charisma Brucke, closest to the river and town centre). Everyone will be in twin rooms tonight, allensuite and with TV.

It's unlikely that anyone will want to swim today - there's no pool in Riedlingen. There are open air pools atZwiefalten and Uttelweiler but both are nearly 8 miles away, so a 16 mile return trip would be needed.There is a pool in Sigmaringen, half way into the day's ride.

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Boys who stayed in the castle can have a short day, described on the previous page.The longer alternatives from the castle are shown below. I have not been able to cycle either of these - theroute is based on research of the German ADFC cycle network.

: 45 miles, 526m up, 804m down - first half of the day is out of the Danube valley, visiting the towns of Messkirch and Pfullendorf

: 66 miles, 1053m up, 1332m down - an ambitious day cycling South to the shore of Lake Constance, avery popular and attractive destination. The route will follow the shore of the lake several miles beforeheading North again to get to the hostel. It is considerably further, and hillier, but a decent challenge andpotentially very satisfying. However, there isn't an effective rail alternative to cut short the day, so it wouldbe better only to pick the Lake Constance route if you are confident that you will cope with the day withoutneeding to shorten it.

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3A Cycle Path: 48 miles, 458m up, 447m down3B Road: 46 miles, 686m up, 678m downIf someone needs to shorten the day, a reduced option can be plotted heading East from Ehingen.

The road option is only slightly different to the cycle route for two thirds of the day as far as Blaubeuron. After Blaubeuron the road route climbs out of the valley to avoid the gravel. It is slightly shorter, andrather hillier, and it also misses out the swimming pool so if you fancy a swim, stick to the cycle route!

When I rode this day in summer 2010, it proved to be a superb day's riding. It wasn't just the glorioussunshine I enjoyed: the path wound its way along the Danube flood plain, almost entirely on tarmac; therewere three fantastic places to visit en route, loads of cafes and several supermarkets for restocking too.The youth hostel in Ulm proved to be a modern building with nicely set out en-suite rooms.

If you did get at all weary of the gravel paths yesterday, then today will be rather easier: most of the dayis on tarmac, with the gravel only making a relatively short appearance towards the end of the day.

We start therefore on a pleasant, flat, winding cycle path / minor road which takes us to Zell where wecross the Danube and climb on a road, away from the official route, to keep off the gravel. A bit of hillyterrain follows and we ride for a while on a dedicated cycle path next to the very busy B311 - make sureyou get onto the path, not the road! There are several occasions on today's ride when we are next to abusy A-type road and each time there is a dedicated cycle path, so keep an eye out for these so you don'tride on the busy road by mistake, which would be dangerous and will get motorists to beep their horns atyou.

Eventually you will spot the two towers of the Abbey in Obermarchtal, our first stop for the day. Cycle as

far as the entrance arch, then get off and push 50 metres to the cycle park just outside the Abbey, whichis the oldest baroque church in Upper Swabia. Inside proves to be a superbly decorated church with manypaintings and carvings - well worth a few minutes of time.

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As you leave the Abbey the plot will take youstraight past a supermarket and you then passunderneath the B311 to continue the day's ride. If you look out carefully to your right, a mile or soafter leaving the village, there is a sign to aGerman military cemetery which you could divert tovisit if you wish. There's just 100metres or so of gravel, then you're back on nice quiet tarmacroads.

The next village of Munderkingen is enclosed withina tight loop of the Danube, so when you cross theriver to enter the village it may seem to be flowingin the wrong direction. Munderkingen is a prettyvillage with a few cafes if you need a stop.

After passing through Rottenacker you will arrive at Ehingen, roughly half way along today's route. It has apleasant town market square lined with old merchants' houses and cafes, and has a particularly interestingfountain worth stopping to look at - each water spout is on a timer.

Following Ehingen you ride North, away from the Danube, along a pretty valley whose walls will graduallybecome steeper and rockier, taking on a similar aspect to the limestone gorge we rode through two daysago. Eventually you arrive at Blaubeuron, a lovely village with two great things to see. The route will firsttake you past the Kloster (Abbey), where you should park up and pay ( 3 adults, 2 children) to enter and look and the superlative altar decoration, with carvings and paintings. You might value asking for acopy of the small, copiously illustrated booklet in English, which cost about 6 but is money well spent toshare between a group.

The abbey dates back to the 7th century and the perfectly preserved altar piece which was completed in1493 is among the most important works of gothic art in Germany. The altar piece is formed like a hugebook (a large facsimile is in a room nearby for you to open out), with large carvings of five saints gatheredaround the virgin Mary and Jesus in the centre section. In the wings of the book are representations of thenativity and epiphany.

Straight after leaving the Abbey you arrive at the famous Blautopf, where you should park near the cafe atthe bottom of the hill. The easiest place to leave bikes is on the right of the road leaning against a wall.Walk to the left, where lots of others will be walking, to see the serene and attractive spring, by far thelargest spring in all of Germany, where an entire river simply rises up from the depths of a azure-blue pool.

You can walk around the pool taking photos, and it is worth the effort: trees are reflected in the water andfrom different angles you will see the abbey you have just left, and a water wheel driving and old

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blacksmith's. You can pay a euro to walk inside the smithy if you wish, but it is only a re-enactment bymodels, so not especially worth the money.

The cafe is very pleasant, looking directly into the water of the Blautopf. You can either queue at thewindow to be served quickly an ice cream cone, or sit at one of the pleasant tables where there is a menucard with lots of tempting ice cream designs. Note though that this is a busy place: it will be ten minutesbefore someone appears to take your order, and the same again or longer before your order arrives, so bythe time you finish and leave you'll have spent an easy 3/4 of an hour at the cafe. If you are in a hurry,queue at the window for a cone instead.

Leaving the Blautopf and Abbey there are about 10 miles' riding remaining along the river Blau whosespring you've just seen. The main road along the valley is too busy for cycles, and there is a nice cyclepath. You will encounter a couple of sections of gravel in this final phase of the day, each about a mile anda half long, but neither is especially hard work and the terrain remains flat.

Two miles before arriving at the hostel you pass a swimming pool called Bad Blau in the outskirts of Ulm.This is the nearest pool to the hostel, so stop here (before checking in to the hostel) if you fancy a swim.

Ulm is a large city, the largest we've seen on the tour so far, so it will take 3/4 of an hour to cycle throughthe outskirts to the hostel. Initially we keep on a cycle path near the Danube and eventually we have toleave this to head South to the hostel. Pay close attention at this point: care is needed to avoid troublewith cars. The road crosses a couple of major roads and on each occasion if you look you'll see a lights-controlled crossing within 100 metres. Don't attempt to cross these large roads without using lights.

Note that the final ride to the hostel is largely uphill: sorry about that! It is along a road which whilst notbusy does take buses, so be careful not to weave into the path of a bus as you climb the hill. The youthhostel in Ulm is a modern building with pleasant en-suite rooms. You'll get a card key, possibly onebetween you, and a 10 fine is payable if you lose it, so take care! The cycle store is tiny, so we will needto keep all our bikes outside, locked. There is a small football / volleyball field and some table tennis.

A mile and a half away is the city centre with its famous cathedral, having the world's highest cathedraltower: 530 feet (161.5 m). Visitors are allowed for a small fee to climb the stairs to the top for a fantasticview. There are 768 steps in all and your cycling legs will find the climb interesting for sure! The cathedralis the second largest church building in Germany, after Cologne's Dome. It is open 9am to 7:30pm dailyand costs 4 for adults to climb, or 2.50 for children, with a 50c discount for groups. It may be best visited tomorrow morning if you get away promptly, or today if you arrive early. Also in the city centre isthe swimming pool.

Ulm is also Elbert Einstein's birth city and a display about him is in the entrance to the hostel.

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22 miles, 166m up, 195m down

This is a short ride, since we are spending the afternoon at Legoland. Everyone is on the same route -there's only one 3-mile section where you might want to avoid gravel, but the road around is a mile furtherand more importantly it goes past a factory which is busy with lorries coming in and out. This is shown onthe map, and the alternative is called Day 4 X.

Our tour passes through two of Germany's provinces and at Ulm we leave Baden-Wrttemberg andcontinue our journey in Bavaria, Germany's largest, and hilliest province. That said, the only really hilly dayfor those on the cycle path route is tomorrow, when we move Northwards to pick up the river Altmuhl,climbing some hills to do so.

We've had several days of riding along a small but pleasant river. The Danube in Ulm is now a significantpresence, swollen by the waters of the Blau, whose source we saw yesterday. We ride down to the citycentre, the two miles or so passing very easily, and divert away from the river to enter the medieval heartof the city. The route passes 'The Crooked House' in the fishing quarter, a strange old building which is inthe Guinness Book as the most crooked hotel in the world! Next is the Munster which has the tallest churchtower in the world - see yesterday's notes. Nearby is a modern glass pyramid, a familiar sight to those whohave visited Paris. You may also notice the town hall - Rathaus - with its richly painted walls.

Leaving the city centre we continue along the Danube for a while, sharing our path with pedestrians, rollerskaters and nannies wheeling prams. Then we are back in to the countryside and at one point (12 milesinto the route) we leave the road and travel on a forest track for a while. This is quite hard going until yourejoin the road.

Gunzburg has a very pleasant town centre which might have its market day when you pass through. A stopwill surely be called for at one of the several cafes. Take care while cycling in Gunzburg - the cycle route issometimes on the pavement and sometimes painted on the road. When you move from the pavement tothe road you need to look behind for cars and only cycle onto the road when no cars are coming.

On the final approach to Legoland the path skirts a warehouse where there are plenty of parked lorries.Take care here in case there are moving lorries.

Note: we are staying at Legoland Village, which is called Legoland Feriendorf. So if you are looking atsignposts, we don't actually cycle to the front door of Legoland itself, rather to Legoland Feriendorf.

Legoland Germany is relatively new, and the holiday village is even newer. We are in little chalets, eachwith their own shower/toilet. Sheets, duvets and towels are all provided. The chalets do not have anykitchen facility, and there isn't a shop on the site - so if you do need any supplies, buy these in Gunzburgbefore cycling to Legoland.

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The chalets will only be available from 3:30 and our plan is to arrive by around noon, so that we can spendthe whole afternoon in Legoland enjoying ourselves. The first group to arrive needs to report to receptionwho will explain where the bikes may be left, and then one person will need to remain with these for theafternoon, handing over as more groups arrive.

We're all eating a buffet dinner at the restaurant in Legoland Village. This will be at before Legoland closes,so make sure you arrive on time for dinner.

The woods around Legoland are home to biting insects with a large appetite. If you plan to sit outside yourchalet in the evening, long trousers, a long sleeved shirt and some insect repellent are all recommended!

Try not to cycle too much on the grass at Legoland Village, especially if the weather is wet you will leaveunsightly tyre marks which will take a couple of weeks to heal after we have departed.

Day 4: Ulm to Legoland


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44 miles, 390m up, 481m down

There is one route today, which has very little gravel. Just be aware that the main roads carry plenty of lorries and whilst the route is mostly on roads or paths away from these, there are places where the trafficis unavoidable - these are mentioned below. In particular there are a few occasions where our route has to

cross a road which is busy with lorries, and you need to take special care with the crossing.Note for the start: if you don't mind a short section of gravel, you can actually cycle along the pleasantwinding path through the woods that you walked along yesterday to get to Legoland. When you get withinsight of Legoland, turn right (signposted Gunzburg) rather than left for Legoland and within a few hundredmetres you will pick up today's route again. If you want to stay gravel-free, then follow the GPS plot out of the car park at Legoland Village.

Leaving Legoland we re-trace our steps as far as the little village of Deffingen through which we cycledyesterday. After the next village of Leinheim we cross a main road to get on to a good, separate cycle path- take care with the crossing. In the next village of Groanhausen the route safely goes under the mainroad using a tunnel - don't miss the tunnel!

Burgau has an attractive town centre - you will enjoy cycling through the narrow gatehouse. Take care inBurgau - there is plenty of traffic. There are several cafes in the town centre if you need a stop, or if you

just want water / snack bars, continue through the town and as you leave Burgau you pass twosupermarkets which will be cheaper. Note: there are no more cafes or shops for quite a long while afterBurgau, so take the opportunity to stock up, with water at least, and anything else you need. At one pointin Burgau you will arrive at the railway station. This is not a mistake! Look in front of you for the stepsgoing down to the tunnel under the railway, and use these. There is a ramp for the bikes.

A little bit later, in the village of Rohaupten, we again need to take care crossing the main road sincethere are plenty of lorries. Our path approaches the village on quiet roads, and as we leave the village wepick up a nice separate cycle path, which we stay on after Rohaupten until the route turns left at the nextvillage, away from the busy road. There are no shops or cafes until the small village of Zusamsell, whichhas one cafe. Wertingen is a much better bet.

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Wertingen's pleasant town centre has several cafes which will surely be worth a stop. After this there areno more shops or cafes until Donauwrth.

Following Wertingen the route takes quiet roads running close to the main road. Eventually you turn right,away from the main road, but what looks like a quiet road still does attract some lorries, so take care.

We arrive at Donauwrth by way of crossing the much wider Danube over a structure which perhapsgenerates electricity. Donauwrth has a thoroughly attractive medieval centre, complete with the bronzestatues you have by now become accustomed to. You'll surely need to stop here since there are manytempting cafes in the attractive surroundings.

Our final mile or so to the hostel is somewhat unusual. To start with we pass through a short arched tunnel- essential that you get off and push for these few metres since you could easily injure a pedestrian. Thenwe ride pleasantly through a park, followed by a longer tunnel which used to hold a railway. It is a coupleof hundred metres long and you'll notice the chill in the air. We continue in the sunshine along the disusedrailway embankment before dropping very suddenly. A cunning cycle path delivers us to the final obstacle:a very steep, though relatively short, climb to the hostel: see if you can ride all the way after today's

journey without getting off to push!

, the cycleroute ducks through this narrow alley to apark. You can cycle (on nice tarmac)through the park, but just for this 50 metrestretch from the town centre along thealley to the park, it is essential that you getoff your bike. It would be very easy tocollide with a pedestrian, and since cyclingis not allowed on this short section, itwould be your fault.

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6A Cycle Path: 34 miles, 433m up, 456m down6B as 6A, but using roads where possible: 34 miles, 474m up, 496m down. However, I recommend theother routes!6C CTC recommended: 55 miles, 756m up, 768m down6D via Wemding 48 miles, 609m up, 620m downI have plotted a couple of longer options, but I havent cycled these, so I cant tell you whether there ismuch gravel, nor whether there are sections busy with traffic. When you hit the Altmuhl valley, all theroutes except 6B keep to the cycle path since it is safer and very pleasant riding, despite the gravel. If youreally want the tarmac, pick 6B when you get to Muhlheim.

When I rode this day in 2010 it proved to be a very fine day's cycling. It is marginally more hilly thanyesterday, but only a bit: I'd characterize it as gently rolling, rather than hilly. There is plenty of quiet,peaceful riding, on winding tarmac cycle paths with the gravel appearing rather later. The village of Monheim is an absolute gem, as is tonight's University city of Eichsttt. And there are the cliffs and towersof the limestone gorge to enjoy in the latter half of the day.

Leaving Donauwrth we ride on the road which was used before the main road was built. It windspleasantly across the countryside and is smoothly covered with tarmac. After passing through Kasheim wearrive at Monheim where our route takes us past a supermarket and then through the very pretty old towncentre. There is plenty to see here, so take time for a stop and perhaps a pastry from the bakers, or adrink at the cafe. The fountain on your right with two arcs of water has the names of famous residents of the town. Nearby is a tap with drinkable tap water. As you cycle on for a hundred metres or so, just beforethe arch leaving the town centre, on your left, is the town hall which is also the tourist information centre.

The town hall is a little diamond of a place: in the 1700s it was owned by a wealthy Jewish businessmanand if you ask at the tourist information office inside, they will gladly walk you upstairs to see three roomseach with outstanding stucco roof decorations. The first (a room now used for wedding ceremonies) hasKing David. The second has Moses with the 10 commandments, set amongst the mountain scenery wherehe received them. The final room, which is the largest and used now for town council meetings, has alarge representation of Abraham in the centre. At the left of the room is Joseph and the ladder, and on the

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right a final ceiling panel shows Abraham with his second son, Isaac, when God commanded him tosacrifice his son. All these ceilings are remarkable and well worth a visit, which will cost you nothing.

Just before the arch leaving the town centre, on the right, is a building where Martin Luther lived for awhile. Turn the corner to find the church, where the inside is filled with outstanding works of art.

Leaving Monheim the cycle path has several sections of gravel, rough for the first couple of hundredmetres and fine thereafter. The alternative, which I have plotted on the road route, takes the main road.There is steady traffic on this, so only use it if the people in your group can ride reliably in a straight linewithout weaving dangerously across the road. After three or four miles I have plotted the cycle and roadroutes to leave the cycle path and take the road, which by this point is very much quieter and provides asplendid downhill swoop into Muhlheim, a five kilometre stretch which might take you no more than tenminutes to ride.

At Muhlheim we have arrived at the river Altmuhl in its limestone valley adorned with crags and steeples of rock, reminiscent of the end of our first day's riding. It is a fitting place to be, since this valley wasoriginally carved out by the Danube before it took a different course and a new river, the Altmuhl, took itsplace.

From here on, with 15 miles to go, the cycle path has more gravel than tarmac, and although on the roadoption I have plotted a gravel free route, I recommend the cycle path and the gravel. The riding is neverdifficult, and the peaceful scenery is considerably more enjoyable than the noise and attendant danger of the traffic. From time to time you'll ride past tempting cafes too. The cars on the road don't drive tooquickly, but there is a fairly steady stream of them: the cycle path is the nicer option.

The first notable building you'll see in Eichsttt is the Willibaldsburg castle up on the hill, which turns out to

be very close to the hostel just below it. You may wish to cycle to the hostel to drop your bags off, but youshould also continue into the main town of Eichsttt, by cycling along the river another half mile or sobeyond the turn off for the hostel. On your left you'll notice the lovely new outdoor swimming pool which

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7A Cycle Path: 45 miles, 480m up, 506m down7B Road: 45 miles, 611m up, 657m down

Before you leave Eichsttt, did you manage to see the Jurassic museum yesterday? It is 3 minutes' rideaway in the castle just above the hostel and opens at 9am.

Today's road and cycle routes are both the same distance. The cycle route has been amended to remove afair bit of the gravel, whilst remaining well away from serious traffic. On this route you will ride on maybe13 miles worth of gravel all told. For these gravel sections the road route takes the main valley road, nottoo busy with cars, but they do travel quickly. Take the road route if you are confident that you can all rideclose to the edge of the road without weaving. The road route remains relatively flat until the last ten mileswhere it leaves the valley (see later).

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Five miles in to the route you pass the village of Pfnzwhere a Roman Fort once stood. Part of the fort hasbeen reconstructed and it would be worth leavingyour bikes for a short while at the bottom of the hilland walking up to see it. The path starts with somesteps on the left of the road and continues throughsome woods - no more than five minutes' walking intotal.

There are several villages where pleasant cafes can be found, and I enjoyed the church in Beilngreis, abuilding with two interesting towers and an exquisitely decorated interior.

In Dietfurt, about 10 miles before the finish, the water mill (towards the end of the village) houses amuseum of local life; there is an attractive market place and several churches. In addition you could visitthe Franciscan monastery or the motor museum. Dietfurt also has a swimming pool which tonight's towndoes not.

The waterways here are confusing. The valley was formed by the Danube, which is now in a differentvalley to the South, and the river bed is occupied by the River Altmuhl. There are two canals, the old(narrow) and the new (very broad) Rhine-Main-Donau canals. The older one turned out to be something of a failure and the newer canal seems to be heading the same way: I saw only a limited amount of traffic onthe water.

If you need to shorten the day, an easy option would be to take a boat for the later stage. The boat hasplenty of room for bikes, which are carried for free, although passengers of course pay! There are boatstops at Berching, Beilngries and Dietfurt to collect you, and at Riedenburg to drop you off.

Tonight in Riedenburg we are spread amongst several hotels, there being no youth hostel in the area. If you arrive early, there is plenty to see:

Rosenburg Castle has a busy falconry which is open all day and at 3pm put on displays of the birdsflying. Open every day except Monday, price 7 adults, 4 kids.

The Crystal Museum (Kristall Museum) has an outstanding display of rock crystals, including onesingle crystal cluster weighing over 8 tonnes. They are open until 6pm (last admission 5:30), price

3.50 adults, 2.50 kids. There are two well decorated churches The Klingendes museum has a collection of audio, hifi and recording equipment from the past 150

years The Meeresmuseum Ozeanea has a collection of over 3000 snail and mussel shells Paddling in the stream near the Krieger's hotel is popular there are several pieces of fitness

equipment in the park here. The nearest swimming pool is in Dietfurt, the town you cycle through about 8 miles before

Riedenburg, so stop here if you fancy a swim. There is also open-air swimming in the lake at Freizeitsee St. Agatha, a couple of miles before you

get to Riedenburg, but it is not life-guarded, so boys MUST NOT swim here. The bob-sleigh run,also a couple of miles before Riedenburg, is also OUT OF BOUNDS for our party.

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8A Cycle Path: 34 miles, 211m up, 242m down8B Road: 33 miles, 238m up, 264m down8C road via Monastery: 38 miles, 452m up, 488m down

Ive been able to avoid the gravel for the first few miles by taking a quiet road through villages to the leftof the cycle path as far as Essing, but after that there is a regular sprinkling of gravel. We are beside the

river for most of the way, so this is the flattest day of the tour. Route 8C leaves the canal and climbs overthe hill to see the famous monastery at Weltenburg.

Weve been cycling in the Altmuhl river valley for a couple of days (since leaving Donauwrth), with theriver yesterday becoming the Main-Danube canal. Today the Altmuhl valley rejoins the Danube at Kelheim.The Danube reaches Kelheim via the famous Danube Breakthrough where the river flows through adramatic narrow gorge with cliffs either side. There is a river-boat return trip from Kelheim, through thegorge to the Weltenburg monastery, but in total it would add maybe two hours to your day, so not a goodplan! However, if you follow route C, you can visit the monastery, and if you like, take the boat trip one-way.

(photo www.schloesser.bayern.de)

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Routes 8A and 8BClose to Essing we cross the Danube on a fantastic humped bridge, called locally the Tatzelwurm, amythical beast which is a cross between a dragon and a lizard. At 190 metres, the bridge is the longestwooden bridge in Europe. It is well worth a stop here for some photos! It is a pedestrian bridge, so youshould really push your bike across, but I have seen plenty of people cycling across.

About 400 metres down the path after you have crossed the Tatzelwurm brudge, look out for a path on theright leading into the woods. It is marked as CAVE on the GPS route. Park here, but keep your helmets onand bring your bike lights. Walk 100 metres up to the woods. Look up and you will see an excellent cave,the Klausenhhlen, on four levels, linked by steps. This can be explored and at the back of the highestentrance a narrow alleyway can be followed for some distance using torches.

As you arrive at Keilheim the route takes you uphill to the famous Befreiungshalle (Hall of Liberation). Thisimpressive site commemorates the Napoleonic battles during the wars of liberation, 1813-1815. Thediversion to see the building adds 90 metres of climbing to the day. Children can visit the site for free;

adults need to pay 3.50. If you prefer to miss it out, simply keep straight on when the GPS plot showstwo ways on, at 9.4 miles into the route.

Keilheim is an attractive town with its medieval walls largely intact. Youll likely want a stop at one of itscafes. The Befreiungshalle is visible as you cycle away from Keilheim find a good place to look back andtake a photo.

The remainder of the ride to Regensburg follows the cycle path by the river side. In a few places I havediverted the road option in order to miss out some of the gravel. The final approach to the city though willbe on the gravel, since it is an attractive path and also keeps you away from the traffic until the final mileor so.

See next page for description of route 8C via Weltenburg Monastery

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Route 8C : 38 miles, 452m up, 488m down

On this route we climb out of the Altmuhl valley and drop down into the Danube valley at Weltenburg Abbey, a monastery founded in 620AD, famous both for its spectacular location and its beer. The breweryitself was established way back in 1050 and is reputedly the oldest monastery brewery in the World.

When you reach the river, pause to take a photo, since the best view of the abbey is from the side whereyou have arrived. Then locate the ferry which is for pedestrians and cyclists only and cross the river.

Visit the abbey, whose central courtyard houses a large open-air caf. You can also pop into the chapelwhose entrance leads onto the courtyard.

Leaving the abbey you have two ways forward:a) You can continue to follow the GPS route which climbs away from the abbey to get beyond the

Danube Breakthrough, and eventually joins the other route by the side of the Danube, or b) You can catch a river boat downstream. These leave every 30 minutes and take bikes too. Walk

past the abbey towards the gorge and the boat landing is a couple of hundred metres after theabbey. The one-way trip is 7 for adults or 6.40 for children, including the bike. Since it is downstream the journey is brisk, about 20 minutes, and there are excellent views of the cliffs of theDanube Breakthrough. When you arrive at Kelheim, simply change your GPS route to 8A or 8B.

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Once you have checked in at the hostel, got rid of your panniers and locked your bike up, a walk into thecentre of Regensburg is strongly recommended. If you have an iPhone, there is a free app from the touristbureau about Regensburg which would be very helpful. Otherwise, there are plenty of shops who have avariety of maps and guides on offer. The map below is my suggested stroll through the city, starting fromthe hostel.

The hostel is on the North side of the river and you need to cross a bridge to the South side, since this iswhere all the sights are. The old walled town is a compact place of about a mile square; you can get quitea good view of the walls from the river bank. As you cross the bridge, look upstream for a view of the

(Stone Bridge) a famous sight in Regensburg. It was completed in 1146 and as theonly bridge for some distance either way on the river, gave the fledgling city control of trade.

From the Stone Bridge I suggest you wander into the old town, heading for the(cathedral) whose impressive towers will be easy to spot from a distance. The cathedral is home to a well-known boys choir called the Domspatzen (cathedral sparrows). The square around the cathedral is apleasant place to find a caf. The cathedral itself is well worth a visit and is free; make sure you also findthe cloisters. There is also an exhibition of the main religious artifacts and treasures of the cathedral whichis worth seeing. This closes at 5pm, so head straight over if you have time. It costs 2 for adults and 1 for children up to 14 years.

From the cathedral, I suggest you locate two relics from the time when Regensburg was a Romanencampment. The most impressive of these is the , an impressive stone gate. Look through the metal grille to see down to a section of the original roman road. Then, as you return to thehostel there is a roman window on the corner of the street.

There are lots of other places to see, all within easy walking distance. If youd like to read about theoptions in advance, you can download a useful guide (in English) and map from the tourist bureau here:

http://www.regensburg.de/sixcms/media.php/20/AeB_english.254478.pdf or Google Fodors Regensburg.
http://www.regensburg.de/sixcms/media.php/20/AeB_english.254478.pdfhttp://www.regensburg.de/sixcms/media.php/20/AeB_english.254478.pdf

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Danube Cycle Tour