Travel report: Canoeing and cycling through the Altmühl Valley
From our guests Kathrin and Ralf
Kathrin and Ralf undertook a very special kind of trip in May 2019. The canoe and bike tour on the Altmühl took them from Treuchtlingen through the Altmühltal Nature Park to Regensburg. They braved the weather and were rewarded with a secluded river and magnificent views.
Show more Show lessDay 1: Treuchtlingen
Full of anticipation, we started our canoe and bike trip at around 08:00 on 19.05.2019 ... and first took the train to Treuchtlingen.
We arrived punctually and relaxed at around 12:00 in "imperial weather". The hotel "Stadthof Treuchtlingen" was quickly found thanks to the route planner in our cell phone and the detailed travel documents. We received a very warm welcome, moved into our lovely room and were given initial information about handing over the canoe and luggage for onward transportation.
We were then finally able to start exploring Treuchtlingen. First we went to the old town, then we explored the castle ruins "Obere Veste" and relaxed in the Kurpark in the evening.
We enjoyed the warm spring evening with a good meal and an after-work beer in one of the many restaurants. A vacation can be so beautiful!!!
Day 2: By canoe from Treuchtlingen to Pappenheim/ Zimmern
The first task of the day was to pack our suitcases and prepare them for onward transportation. This task was to be repeated for the next 6 days, but with a certain routine, you become a pro at it from day 3 at the latest.
After a delicious breakfast, we set off in the direction of the landing stage.
What kind of canoe will we get?
A large, open "Canadian" was waiting for us.
It was a little heavy, but robust, almost indestructible and also took smaller pushing and sliding parts without any problems. Putting the canoe in the water went quite well under expert guidance and paddling with the paddles was something that even beginners can master.
The "Altmühl" was a calm, slow river at the start of our paddling tour, but this was to change somewhat later on. We paddled at a leisurely pace along the picturesque river towards Pappenheim, accompanied by ducks and swans. There is no better way to discover a landscape!
In Pappenheim, we had to move the canoe, i.e. it had to be pulled out of the river and put back in at another point (in this case opposite). We immediately used this exit for a picnic.
Unfortunately, we didn't have the idea of visiting the old town of Pappenheim at this point but wanted to "park" our canoe at the reserved Gasthof Hollerstein in Zimmern first.
We won't forget our canoe trip to Zimmern in a hurry. It had been cloudy all day, but we still hoped to arrive at our inn dry.
Unfortunately, we didn't succeed. A strong wind blew up just before we reached Zimmern and then Peter opened the floodgates. Within two minutes, we were soaking wet and had no chance to put on our rain capes (which were well stowed away in our garbage can). Oh dear, how far can three kilometers be!
Finally, the inn came into sight and we managed to moor up on the second attempt. A cup of tea and a warm shower restored our good vacation mood (well, almost). However, we didn't make it to Pappenheim that day, as there was no public transport from Zimmern to Pappenheim and we didn't attempt to walk in the pouring rain.
We ended our second day of our vacation with a huge and delicious portion of schnitzel with potato salad and pleasant conversations with other stranded holidaymakers and "locals" - also hoping for better weather.
Day 3: Canoe tour from Zimmern to Dollnstein
One look at the sky told us that the weather wasn't going to improve. Constant rain.
What now? We put on our onions (because it had cooled down from around 20 degrees to 12 degrees), grabbed our rain capes, put our suitcases ready for collection, had breakfast and went to the canoe. It was lonely and deserted at the landing stage. Who paddles in the rain? ... We do!
First idea: we paddle to Solnhofen. There we could leave the canoe at the canoe rental and continue by train. Right, so canoe into the water (somehow the water level is higher today than yesterday), get in (worked straight away), paddle against the current to the other side of the river (Mamma Mia, pretty difficult), get out (worked like a charm!), pull the canoe out and put it back in on the opposite side (damn, where's the last step?). Even though we didn't achieve a posture score of 10, we were soon sitting in the canoe without any serious damage and were a little proud of it. With a rain cape and well "wrapped up", paddling in the rain was also more bearable. We reached Solnhofen quicker than expected. It was still raining. But a glance at our cell phones and the weather app told us that it would improve tomorrow and that tomorrow would be the last "paddling day". So we decided: We'll go through with it and paddle on!!!
We were rewarded for this decision. We had the river almost all to ourselves and wonderful views even without the sun. We were able to observe beavers and herons up close and a family of swans accompanied us for a while.
From Solnhofen to Dollnstein, we had to move the boat twice more. The current was slowly getting stronger, but thankfully without incident. We reached Dollnstein in the early afternoon and stayed in the vacation apartment "Gegg".
We didn't feel like exploring the town in the rain. So we got ourselves a good evening meal and spent a cozy evening in the beautiful vacation apartment. That's a vacation too!
Day 4: Paddling from Dollnstein to Wasserzell
After a wonderful breakfast, we got ready for the last day of paddling.
The weather app had promised us that the constant rain would stop and it was right - now it was no longer pouring, now it was drizzling. Nasty, fine drizzle.
So back to the onion look, rain poncho, handing over our suitcases and swearing to be in a good mood. It worked, we were on vacation after all.
The canoe was undamaged at the landing stage. We had barely reached the first bend in the river when it happened - it was no longer drizzling!!! At last.
From now on, we enjoyed paddling even more. With a slightly faster current, we made good progress and noticed how the landscape slowly changed. The river became a little wider, as did the valley. The Urdonau valley. The beautiful landscape passed us by at a leisurely pace. Frog concerts and a giant "jumping" fish remain in our memories of this paddling stage as animal companions.
In our enthusiasm, we almost missed the Wasserzell landing stage. After a short paddle back, however, we reached it without incident.
We left the canoe at the agreed drop-off point and shortly afterwards found our comfortable accommodation, the hotel "Hirschenwirt", where our rental bikes were already waiting for the next stages.
As it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to explore nearby Eichstätt, not on our bikes but on the rail bus. This runs every hour and the journey takes about 10 minutes. Eichstätt is a beautiful town and definitely worth a visit.
Back in Wasserzell, the sun finally came out. So we enjoyed a very good dinner in the best weather and then fell into our beds completely satisfied.
May the vacation continue like this!
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Day 5: Cycle tour from Wasserzell to Beilngries
After breakfast at the very cozy "Hirschenwirt", we set off on our first cycling stage in bright sunshine on our almost brand-new, fire-engine red rental bikes. First of all, back to Eichstätt.
There we visited the Willibaldsburg, which, as you might expect, is enthroned on a mountain. But a 20% gradient? We must be crazy and yes, we were. However, we were pushing.
What a view and what weather. That really makes up for the last few days of rain.
We continued by bike to Pfünz. There we visited the Roman fort Vetoniana and enjoyed the small snack we had taken with us. Vacations don't get much better than this.
We then continued on well-signposted cycle paths to Walting, Kipfenberg and Kinding before finally arriving in Beilngries. A beautiful little town and the romantic hotel "Der Millipp" awaited us here. Fantastic, unusual, luxurious.
After a tour of the city, it was already evening and we ended the day in the hotel. You have to be allowed to relax sometimes.
Tip for the cycling stages:
For a snack in between, we recommend butchers (unless you are vegetarian). They usually have smaller hot dishes and always have a nice chat on offer.
Day 6: Discovering Beilngries and Kelheim by bike
After a great breakfast, our "very best" briefly reminded us of what we had forgotten at home, namely our padded saddle covers. But no matter, we got on our bikes and continued via Dietfurt with the Chinese fountain, Riedenburg, Prunn with its impressive castle, to Essing and then on to Kelheim.
Thanks to the good signposting and very friendly locals (you can forget the road, you just ride up the mountain to ride down the other side), we always found good and comfortable cycle routes and great rest stops. From a distance, we soon saw the Liberation Hall in Kelheim, which we had planned to visit the next day as time was running out. Instead, we went on a tour of the town in the evening and treated ourselves to a good dinner, including a beer after work. Wonderful. We spent the night in the beautiful, historic inn "Zum Schwan", right on the Danube and with a very friendly landlady.
Tip for the cycling stages:
Look out for tourist information centers for "hydraulic breaks". These are usually equipped with free toilets.
Day 7: Cycle tour from Kelheim to Regensburg
Last stage. First without a bike. We set off on foot to the Liberation Hall.
On arrival at the top, a breathtaking view of the surrounding area and the very impressive Liberation Hall awaited us. Fantastic. And again in glorious sunshine.
Back at the "Zum Schwan" inn, we got back on our bikes and headed towards Regensburg.
Due to the flooding, some cycle paths were flooded and closed. We therefore continued on side roads and made good progress. We enjoyed the beautiful countryside once again, but arrived in Regensburg sooner than expected.
Pure program of contrasts. Historic and yet lively, colorful, young. Beautiful Regensburg, beautiful "Münchner Hof" hotel.
We pushed our bikes for the last kilometer to the hotel and had a look around the city.
The hotel gave us tips and a city map and off we went.
Regsburg buildings, museums, parks, bridges... our feet were aching... At the Stone Bridge, we tasted sausages in the historische Bratwurstküche and enjoyed the evening sun.
Should the vacation really be coming to an end already?
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Day 8: Farewell to Regensburg
After an amazingly quiet night at the "Münchner Hof", we were once again treated to a great breakfast.
Our last highlight was a visit to the ancestral seat of the Thurn und Taxis princes "Schloss St. Emmeram" on the program, which was very entertaining thanks to our guide.
In the afternoon we headed towards the train station and the train brought us home safely. With many wonderful impressions and well rested.
Conclusion:
A great combination trip between water hikes and bike tours. Highly recommended, very good organization and comprehensive travel documents.
