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Bodensee to Königssee Cycle Tour Diary

18th – 25th June 2013

Some abbreviations/translations:

Radweg  :   Cycle Route
Bodensee  :   Lake Constance
BKR  :   Bodensee to Königssee Radweg
B&B  :   Bed and Breakfast

Tuesday, 18th June

Riniken

Brugg

3 km

Brugg

Zürich

Train

Zürich

Sargans

Train

Sargans

St Margrethen

Train

St Margrethen

Zech bei Lindau

15 km

Zech bei Lindau

Immenstadt

70 km

We caught the 06:30 train from Brugg to St Margrethen via Zürich and Sargans to try to get through Zürich before the morning rush hour, and to get to St Margrethen early enough to give us time to reach Immenstadt without too much trouble. It worked out well, with sufficient time in Sargans for a coffee and croissant.

We arrived in St Margrethen at about 09:30 and immediately set off on the bikes around the east end of the Bodensee through Austria (Bregenz) to find the Bodensee-Königssee Radweg coming from Lindau just over the border into Germany.

We followed the BKR in oppressive heat all the way to Immenstadt, some 88 km of cycling from Riniken. We had stops on the way for a beer (near the start), for salad and chips (Guesthouse Malleichen, near Gestratz), and finally a shandy (near Salmas) when the end was almost in sight.

We found a triple room in the Hotel Engel in Immenstadt, which we had reserved by telephone mid-afternoon. It was a very, very, very hard day. We arrived at about 18:50, i.e. after almost 9 hours on the road.

In the evening, it was very thundery, but it didn't develop into a storm.

Wednesday, 19th June

Immenstadt

Hopfen am See

49 km

We have come a long way east from Riniken, so it gets light very early. We were ready for breakfast at 07:00, but we had ordered it for 08:30. Fortunately, we were able to get it at 08:00.

By 09:15 we were ready to start. Today we had the highest point of the week in front of us, 930 m above sea level. But we were starting at 700 m or so, so it wasn't particularly overpowering.

Georg had already booked accommodation for us in Hopfen am See, just short of Füssen. We estimated the distance to be about 55 km. It turned out to be a mere 49 km. There were plenty of climbs, some of them very steep, but it seemed much easier than yesterday. It was a bit cooler, with a nice breeze to help to cool us down.

We stopped for a drink and ice-cream in Petersthal, next to the Rottachsee, and just before the highest point. Lunch was found in Nesselwang and was very modest.

We arrived at the guesthouse in Hopfen am See (Pension Fichtl) at 15:20, i.e. just 6 hours on the road. Whilst Georg cycled into Füssen to have his gear change tended to, David had a quick dip in the Hopfensee. It was warm enough, but rather peaty. In the evening, we took the bus into Füssen to eat, returning by taxi.

Thursday, 20th June

Hopfen am See

Kochel am See

81 km

We had a good breakfast at 07:30, followed by a good start for the 5 km into Füssen. Now we are waiting for Georg to have a puncture fixed. He has left us his bags and gone off to find the bicycle shop he visited yesterday. In the meantime, we were able to buy some postcards and get some cash from a bancomat.

Georg turned up at about 09:30 with a new front tyre and inner tube. We set off immediately, and were soon underneath Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein. We think that we should come again sometime to do a tour - but not today. The climb up was too daunting.

We tootled on making very fast progress in easy terrain, fantastic weather, and splendid green and shady scenery. In the middle we had a fairly tough stretch of rough gravel along the "Königstrasse", slowly climbing up to 923 m, before we stopped for lunch at a delightful guesthouse in Unternogg.

After lunch, we continued to make easy progress. There was a very nice ice-cream stop in Ohlstadt in mid-afternoon after about 55 km. It was still too early, and the going was too good, to stop for the day, so we went on another 15 km or so to Kochel am See, where Georg had stayed last year.

The forecast was for heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon, and the clouds were getting to be very threatening. There were even a few drops of rain during our ice-cream stop. The storm didn't come, however, so we arrived dry in Kochel am See where, after some searching, we found Georg's pension of last year, Haus Döller. They had a very nice rooms for us.

The evening included a stroll down to the lake looking for a restaurant. In the end we had a rather too big Yugoslavian mixed grill followed by an ice-cream in town. The temperature has dropped significantly this evening We did 81 km today at an average speed of 18 kph.

Friday, 21th June

Kochel am See

Schliersee

59 km

It seemed to be another sleepless night. The room was hot and we couldn't open the windows enough. It rained at midnight, but there was no thunderstorm.

The morning was overcast and cool - just right for cycling. Kari and I were planning a 40 km rest day, but Georg wanted to do more in case the weather turns nasty tomorrow. In the end we did more, continuing on from Gmund am Tegernsee to Schliersee. With hindsight this was a good decision because the route from Gmund to Schliersee had some really severe climbs in it, which would have been unpleasant to start the day with.

We started off at about 08:45 with an easy 10 km or so to Benediktbeuern, where we walked around the monastery gardens and visited the church. It continued easily with one or two moderate climbs to Bad Tölz via Bad Heilbrunn. As Georg commented, the Germans must either be very unhealthy and very clean - there are health spas and bathing places everywhere.

The route into Bad Tölz first goes through the impressive, well-groomed spa area of the town before crossing the Isar River into the beautiful old town. 11 o'clock - time for coffee and cake and, for David, a bee sting.

From Bad Tölz the trail winds around through beautiful wooded scenery, climbing steadily, sometimes steeply, following the Grosse Gaissbach. Eventually the gravel track turns back to tarmac in Marienstein, but then has a horrendously steep climb up to a posh golf course before plunging back down again to Gmund am Tegernsee.

Gmund was rather traffic bound, so we headed out along the Tegernsee to find a restaurant for lunch. We were lucky and stopped at the Strandbad.

As mentioned above, the stretch from Gmund to Schliersee had some steep, difficult climbs, also on quite loose gravel. Eventually we reached Schliersee at about 16:30 with 59 km on the odometer, and Georg found his hotel from last year immediately. The Gästehaus Huber am See had room for us which, as it transpired was lucky. There is a triathlon being staged here this weekend, so there are a lot of visitors.

It's a nice, large, old hotel with a waterfront. The water temperature was allegedly 21°C, but it felt much colder at first. The water was very clean - a pleasure to bathe in. Our evening meal was at a Thai restaurant. For the first time this week, the portions were sensible and the food really delicious.

Saturday, 22th June

Schliersee

Bergen

86 km

There's not much to say about today's route. It was easy going with no significant towns on the way. The weather was cool, and the little wind that there was, was generally with us. We had some drizzle in the morning, but it never got properly wet, even though it seemed to be threatening to rain most of the day.

We apparently passed the huge Chiemsee. At least, we went through a town called Bernau am Chiemsee, but there was neither sight nor sound of a lake.

We had a very nice slice of apple cake with coffee in Bad Feilnbach at about 11:00, crossed the River Inn at Neubeuren, and had a very good lunch in an Italian restaurant in Frasdorf. We called it a day at about 16:00 in Bergen, and found a very nice, spacious triple room in the Pension Säulner Hof. We were on the road for just over 7 hours. Weather permitting, we might reach Berchtesgaden tomorrow afternoon.

Sunday, 23th June

Bergen

Berchtesgaden

84 km

Surprisingly enough we not only reached Berchtesgaden today, but even got up to the Königssee and back down again. The distance to the B&B in Schwöb bei Berchtesgaden was 77 km and, by the time that we had gone up to the lake and back, it was 84 km.

During the previous evening it had rained quite hard but, during the night, the full moon was shining brightly and we awoke to sunshine. Getting the few km from Bergen over to Siegsdorf (where, incidentally, we had stayed overnight on the way to the Gesäuse mountains in Austria 3 years ago) turned out to be much tougher than expected. The cycle route took us over a long and steep up and down, which one could well avoid by taking the main road from Bergen to Traunstein, omitting Siegsdorf altogether. It was, however, very scenic.

We had coffee in the main square in Traunstein, which is very beautiful. Getting out of the town, down to the river and up again, was rather strenuous. From there on to Teisendorf, despite a few extra metres via Rückstetten caused by missing a signpost, the route was rural, easy, and flat.

Only after getting to the trail along the river (Saalbach?) from Piding to Bad Reichenhall did the going get a bit tough again. But not due to the hills, rather due to damage to the track from recent flooding (Note: the spring of 2013 has been extremely wet, with lots of flooding in East Germany). Eventually we reached the quite large town of Bad Reichenhall, sauntered through the pedestrian precinct, and eventually found an unsatisfactory restaurant for lunch.

From here, the climb to Berchtesgaden started, and was quite demanding. At the steepent point we were plagued by mosquitoes - the only time this week - and had to resort to a generous application of repellent. After that, though, the going got very easy so that we were soon close to Berchtesgaden. A cyclist, who stopped to chat, recommended a B&B between Berchtesgaden and Königssee, so we stayed on the main road around the town, stopping at the station on the way to get tickets for the return home on Tuesday, to avoid the steep streets of the town.

As it turned out, the recommended B&B was full, but they called their neighbour across the road at the Triembachhof, and there was room for us there; very nice rooms too.

After dropping our bags, we cycled the remaining 3 or 4 km up to the Königssee, in case it should be raining tomorrow. Afterwards, whilst showering prior to our evening meal, it started to rain in torrents!

Monday, 24th June

Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden

Bus

It rained all night, and has rained all day. Georg left for the station at about 09:00 to get back home in time for work tomorrow.

We got a Kur-Karte from our landlady, which included free bus-rides in the town, and discounts for various museums. We made good use of it by catching a total of 8 buses today. We went up to the "Document Centre" at Obersalzberg (not Salzburg), which documents the history of Hitler's Eagle Nest retreat and the National Socialist Movements activities in the area. It was about as depressing as the weather.

In the evening we went to the local bridge club. It was, by German standards, or our expectation of German standards, a remarkably casually organised affair. We spent 3 hours playing Chicago bridge, and had embarrassingly good cards all evening. We were over 3000 points in front at the end. We missed out on an evening meal, though.

Tuesday, 25th June

Berchtesgaden

Freilassing

Train

Freilassing

Munich

Train

Munich

Lindau

Train

Lindau

St Margrethen

21 km

St Margrethen

St Gallen

Train

St Gallen

Zürich

Train

Zürich

Brugg

Train

Brugg

Riniken

3 km

Today it was our turn to get down to the station in rain for the 09:20 train home. With a so-called "Bayern Ticket", valid on regional trains in Bayern after 9 o'clock on weekdays, it cost us just EUR 18 each to get as far as Lindau with changes in Freilassing and Munich. From Lindau, there would have been a train to St Margrethen, but the time was too short to be able to make the connection with bicycles. There followed a high-speed 20 km sprint around the end of the Bodensee to catch a train from St Margrethen to Brugg via St Gallen and Zürich. We eventually reached Brugg at 20:00 after just about 11 hours of train travel.


Expenditure

Accommodation:

Price in EUR for 2 people, incl Breakfast

Immenstadt

Hotel Engel

68.6

Hopfen am See

Pension Fichtl

84

Kochel am See

Haus Döller

ca. 80

Schliersee

Gästehaus Huber am See

84

Bergen

Pension Säulner Hof

54

Schwöb bei Berchtesgaden

Triembachhof

160 (2 nights)

Total:

ca. 531

 

Transport:

Price in EUR for 2 people and 2 bicycles

Brugg - Zürich - Sargans - St Margrethen

61

Berchtesgaden - Lindau

36

St Margrethen - St Gallen - Brugg

56

Total:

ca. 153

 

Food and Drink:

ca. EUR 436

 

Grand Total for 2 People:

ca. EUR 1120


The End