Travel report: On the road with Radweg-Reisen in the Altmühltal in July 2021
From our guests Andrea and Heiko
"I had a dream ..."
Over 50, new knee joints and not exactly interested in top sporting performance... and yet: the dream of a bike tour through the Altmühltal valley was there. Our research soon turned up someone who was right for us and the e-bike tour was booked. We then also got ourselves some equipment for our adventure tour (rain gear, padded cycling shorts - the best decision - cell phone bag for the bike, Komoot app, cycling helmet and whatever else seemed important to us).
Days 1 and 2:
We traveled to Rothenburg ob der Tauber by train and checked into the "Hotel Rappen" - a hotel that far exceeded our expectations and was also very centrally located! The bikes and equipment were already waiting for us, but first, we had to take a closer look at Rothenburg. Fortunately, we had booked an extra day and were able to explore the wonderful historic old town at length - a dream. The Italian cuisine at "Michelangelo" is also a real treat. The tour of the city wall, the Plönlein, the Käthe-Wohlfahrt Christmas House and a visit to the Crime Museum are highly recommended. The "Einzigartig" café with its rustic ambiance also has a very special charm.
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Day 3:
After breakfast, we set off in the direction of Ansbach. Well, not straight away, first we had to get the bike to the start - it was bucking! We then made use of the "Radweg-Reisen-Service für alle Fälle" and quickly got to the root of the problem: the onboard computer was not charged. Not really possible, hardly ever happens... and yet it had happened. It was a good thing we had a micro USB cable with us, so we were able to charge it and exercise a little patience until then - no easy task.
We dropped off our luggage at reception in good time and were excited to see whether it would arrive at our destination. We really wanted to see Colmberg Castle, so today's route was set. As "flatland Tyroleans", we had worked our way up one or two climbs on this stage. To quote Ernest Hemingway: "Cycling is the best way to get to know a country, because you sweat up its hills and then race down them again." The view from the castle was fantastic, the old castle walls exuded a medieval atmosphere and the castle restaurant was an inviting place to linger. The detour was well worth it. Our destination in Ansbach was the Hotel Bürger-Palais in the middle of the city center. This hotel has a very special charm (still without an elevator, with playful gold-colored bathroom fittings and furnishings that King Ludwig would have loved - but so would we) and the reception with canapés was very warm. In the evening, there was only time for a city tour and sightseeing light.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Ansbach: Stage for the day: 49.6 km
Colmberg Castle
Day 4:
We set off for Wettelsheim
Our route - with the help of the maps provided and our cell phone navigation app, we had no significant problems with orientation - took us through beautiful landscapes. We were particularly impressed by the Altmühl bridge in Ornbau. We had to stop again and again on our tour to enjoy the scenery and take a few photos here and there. Later, our route took us past the Gern bathing area - a quiet place to swim in the lake with a kiosk and toilet. We drove on for a while and decided on the Muhr am See bathing area. Here we enjoyed a break from cycling and a dip in the Altmühlsee in perfect weather. This bathing spot was much busier. We found it fascinating that nowhere on the Altmühlsee (and nowhere else at the bathing spots, as we were to find out later) was admission or visitor's tax charged. This is definitely different here in the north. However, we found it a little difficult to get back on the e-bike after two hours... it was too beautiful at the lake. Our destination for the day was the "Zum goldenen Lamm" hotel in Wettelsheim - a modernized country inn with a wonderful beer garden. As we had arrived relatively late, there were not many free seats - it would be advisable to make a reservation in advance. But true to the motto "nothing is impossible", we were able to get two seats at the long table on a wooden bench (we had to order cushions after all).
Ansbach to Wettelsheim: day's stage 63.1 km
Day 5:
After a hearty breakfast on the terrace, we cycled on to our next destination: Eichstätt.
We passed through Pappenheim and got to know a very special church: the Weidenkirche Pappenheim. Church services are held here in the open air under a willow dome. We took a break at Burgstein Dollnstein - the landscape on this stage is reminiscent of Karl May films. Passing Willibaldsburg Castle in Eichstätt, we reached our destination for the day. The "Hotel Adler" is again in the middle of the town center, but has neither its own bar nor a restaurant. But the Italian restaurant downstairs in the building has "Lambrusco to go" - so the evening was saved. A few streets around the corner in an unappealing storage room (reminiscent of a cellar dungeon) was a little awkward. But before we moved on to the cozy part of the evening, we set off again on foot through Eichstätt. There is an ice cream factory a little further down the street past the fountain - a real taste sensation! Eichstätt has lots of interesting buildings and is well worth a walk around.
Wettelsheim - Eichstätt: Stage for the day: 51.9 km
Day 6:
From Eichstätt to Riedenburg
We had respect for this stage, as it was the longest stage of our tour. The old town café in Beilngries is located in a side street and is really worth a stop. The cream puff with red fruit jelly in particular leaves nothing to be desired. The rustic ambiance and the owners create a feel-good atmosphere with Bavarian charm. The route took us along the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal and nature showed itself from its most beautiful side. In the meantime, a few clouds had gathered and it rained a little from time to time, but that wasn't too much of a problem - after all, we had equipped ourselves with rain gear. Overall, the Altmühl cycle path is very well signposted and you meet lots of cyclists. Along the way, you always met the same people who overtook you, who you then overtook again or with whom you got chatting. Definitely an advantage over a vacation by car!
The next stop on the route was the Gasthof zur Post in Riedenburg. The inn is on the other side of the Altmühl and we drove over a bridge into a very quiet and beautiful part of the town. Done. Our evening walk took us past an open-air lake stage and small waterfalls. The route was easy to manage, why we had worried so much beforehand... no idea!
Eichstätt - Riedenburg: stage for the day 79.7 km
Day 7:
On to Regensburg!
As every day, we started with a leisurely breakfast and then set off on our day's stage at our leisure - as usual between 9.00 and 11.00 am - it is a vacation after all.
On the way, we skipped Prunn Castle and enjoyed the natural surroundings along the Danube. The entire route was almost entirely off the beaten track and we were free to choose our own route. Between Bad Abbach and Regensburg, we were overcome by hunger and the stop at the "Zur Walba" inn was a good decision.
The last stretch of the route took us along the Danube, past beautiful nature and various bathing spots, a large park area and a small ferry. When we arrived in Regensburg, we checked into the Ibis-Styles. The hotel is located a little away from the city center directly on the Danube and is a "modern style hotel". We made our way into the city on foot along the Danube, explored the Stone Bridge and the city center and walked past the Porta Praetoria to the "Thurn und Taxis" residence. The "Spitalgarten" brewery pub in a great location right next to the Stone Bridge, where we had our evening meal, didn't score highly in culinary terms, however. We had booked another extra night in Regensburg and used the time for some leisurely sightseeing. We were able to leave the bikes at the hotel - everything was uncomplicated.
Riedenburg - Regensburg: Stage for the day: 53.1 km
By the way, our luggage was always at our destination before us, the service was great! The choice of hotels was good to very good.
The routes were also easy to manage for us over 50s, knee TEP and newcomers to cycling vacations. We saw beautiful landscapes, took home many impressions and enjoyed a very relaxing vacation despite some of the effort. It won't be the last of its kind, we are already planning the next tour and are looking forward to it. The return journey was again by Deutsche Bahn. Completely relaxed and - as the arrival and departure points were not the same - the ideal means of transport for us.
