Leaving Liechtenstein, we cycled through four countries in one day (Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, Germany) to reach the northern shores of the Bodensee. Actually, the Switzerland part wasn’t strictly necessary, we just nipped over there for lunch for the sake of increasing our country total for the day. Most of the day we followed along the Rhein bike trail, with cycling that grew progressively less interesting as we left the mountains behind us.
After getting round into the northern, German, shores of the Bodensee, we headed inland across the hills. The plan was to meet up with an old friend who’s currently staying with his girlfriend and her parents on their dairy farm, a serendipitous meet-up after seeing a comment from him on facebook that he was in Germany.
Once there, we spent a day relaxing. Well, there was a hike up a mountain with 1km elevation gain. But we did catch the cable car to get down again. And we stopped for a while to have Radler and Apfel Strudel and Kasepatzten (the best Strudel I’ve ever had, and Kasepatzten is so deliciously tasty) before we got to the top. And after all the hiking we went to a sauna/swimming/spa place, and spent 2 hours getting thoroughly relaxed – I’ve never appreciated a sauna so much before!
After all the relaxing we set off the next day to cycle off across green hills and valleys and through little towns to get to the Bodensee again. Once there, we joined the great hoards of cyclists there and headed anti-clockwise. A laze around by the lake for lunch, then more of the nice but repetitive cycling along the Bodensee. It was a warm day, and mountains hovered in the distance across the lake. We reached a campground at 4.30pm, and spent more time lazing. It was just one of those days.
Discouraging rain the next morning led to a later than planned departure. We were heading to Zurich, but a distance that looked short on the map turned out to involve lots of hills and no straightforward routes to follow. Thanks to the squiggly nature of the border, after we crossed the border into Switzerland we crossed back into Germany twice more before finally landing in Switzerland for good. Although the rain finally cleared up, the day was overcast and miserable, and by the time we reached the outskirts of Zurich it was getting dark and starting to rain again.
We struggled through the streets of Zurich in the dark and the rain, and finally reached Fiona’s apartment, where she heard the squealing of our brakes out on the wet streets and came out to find us. The day was then rescued as we were received with cheese fondue and chocolate fondue and wine, and had all sorts of fun and interesting conversation and got to sleep on a bed! With pillows!
On the recommendation of our hosts we headed into the centre of Zurich the next morning and found the Sprüngli shop and hunted down some hot chocolate and tasty chocolate snacks. Then on to the lake, and following the river north out of town. It took us a while to find a good route, there were lots of unfriendly roads, or bike tracks that ended. The day was overcast, and we gradually picked our way up to Germany, finding camping just over the border along the river.
After crossing into Switzerland first thing to spend our remaining 50CHF on groceries for the weekend, we crossed back into Germany (ignored by the border guards as per usual) and headed vaguely north, into the Schwarzwald. The roads were steep and gravelly, and then it started to rain. My failing chain and cluster felt horrible in the wet – they are getting so worn they really need to be replaced, but I’m hoping to make them last until Paris. Anyway, with the hills and the sleepiness and the rain, all I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep, and Alex wasn’t feeling much more enthusiastic.
It didn’t even get to 3pm before we saw a sign for a campground and leapt at the opportunity for an early escape from cycling today. We set up and spent the rest of the day lying in the wet tent, as the rain went on and on and on.
The rain hadn’t decided to give in overnight, so after a decent sleep-in we rose in the rain and cycled into St Blasien to find a bakery for breakfast (the quality of croissants has been improving noticeably as we draw closer to France). Anyway, so we cycled up and up in the rain, then descended to Titisee. It was feeling cold, as well as raining on and off – not optimal cycling weather, although the Black Forest was looking lovely and atmospheric and Autumnal in the mist and rain. We cycled on through St Margen and then St Peter, where we found camping on the outskirts. Failed to find any Black Forest cakes however.
It rained overnight again, and we slept in, feeling unmotivated. Another internet voucher purchase, and we sat around on our laptops, hiding from the rain but not the cold. The weather looked like being very cool but at least not raining for the next few days, and the current rain was supposed to clear up after lunch. In the end we left the campground a little after midday, and the rain was indeed clearing. We rolled downhill in the cold to the river valley, cycling along and then starting the hunt for campgrounds. We found two that were closed for the season before giving in and deciding to wildcamp. The rain had stopped and the sun was out as we disappeared into the forest for the night.
Distance cycled: 498km
Sleeping arrangements: Campgrounds, wild camping and friends houses
Days of rain: 5/8 (boo to the return of the rain)
Public toilets: Available
Bike friendliness: Reasonable good, mostly we found quiet roads to cycle on, some bike paths too
Free wifi availability: Lousy
3 replies on “Cycling: From the foothills to the Black Forest (5 – 12 Oct 2009)”
I remember chatting online with Fiona at that time, and she was like, I don’t know how to contact them and it’s quite late and I haven’t an idea where they are… I wasn’t much help as I don’t have your phone number either.
Four countries in a day, good going there! ;)
Oh, yes that was terrible! I was so stressed about the fact we were so late, and I’d been looking out for phones all day but they were all the card ones that we didn’t have a card for. And then we couldn’t find any internet, and I was beginning to wonder if I should just ask a passer-by to borrow their phone! And of course we didn’t have a phone of our own. In the end we were just cycling like crazy to try and get there as soon as we could, urgh, it was such a hilly, wet, horrible day.
Well it was all good that you guys arrived safely, and I recall being envious of the fondue awaiting… gnom gnom…