London to Salzburg on a bike - Stage 13 - Nesselwang to Kochel am See - 95km - Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg

Climb every mountain, Ford every stream - 18th September 2013

Lunchtime -  it would be rude not to stop at this lovely spot

Nesselwang to Kochel am See

Very excited at the prospect of another day in the saddle, pedalling through Bavaria..
Had not heard of any of the towns and villages I would pass through, Eisenberg, Fussen, Halblech, Bad Kohlgrub, Eschenlohe to name but a few. A lot of places on this route are still connected by rail from Munich so it is definitely a possibility to dip in and out of the Bodensee-Konigsee Radweg. There are also flights from the UK into Friedrichshafen and Memmingen as well as Munich and Salzburg so there are plenty of options to get to and from the Bo-Ko.

Haus Weidach

Breakfast was very nice. Chatted to the Lady running my lovely Gastezimmer, Haus Weidach in Nesselwang. She was finding running the B&B and doing Breakfast a bit hard and would, next year, run the place as an Apartment House. She has four rooms with kitchens so would be a nice place to stay in Winter or Summer. Hubby came in with a massive mushroom the size of a Dinner Plate he had picked that morning. I wished I was staying for lunch.
A nice B&B with private facilities on this bike route costs about 33 Euros per night. Bicycles welcome!
Collected Rosinante from her garage and set off East again. The Haus is directly on the bike route so no opportunity for Carmen to go 'off course'.

King Ludwigs Castle - Schloss-Neuschwanstein

 A few chevrons on the path today so a chance to warm up in the light morning rain. A pattern seems to be developing of morning rain, decent weather during the day and then rain again late afternoon. Super route again. Got a bit confused around Fussen, a nice town by one of the many lakes. Close by there is also King Ludwigs Castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein, a major tourist attraction high over my bike route. Just past Halblech there are two route options, I took the old (alt) route which was pretty interesting and a bit testing for Rosinante as it was mainly off-road and quite rough. I normally give a wave to tractors and Farmers. I passed one old Farmer tending his horses on this route who made fun of my 'kurze hose' (shorts). I suppose it was a bit wintry but I was warm enough.

On the Alt Route with the friendly farmer

Bavaria in the Autumn

On the Alt (old)  track - the high road

Ford that stream

At one point I had to ford a stream. After all the rain it was pretty fast-flowing. I considered taking off my overshoes and shoes and then paddling but in the end I built a rock bridge of stepping stones and quickly pushed the bike over. All good fun but it was slow going on the rough forest track and it was a relief to get back onto tarmac. I met a Scots lady of a certain age on the trail the following day who had taken the new road as she had been warned about the Ford. I took the High Road and she took the Low Road comes to mind. Anyway, after my bumpy ride and minor construction project the opportunity of a proper lunch opened up as I passed a lovely old remote Gasthof. I Think I deserved a nice piece of Pork and a small beer. Very popular place, full of people out for the day enjoying a good lunch and great service. I was able to take off the overshoes for the first time for several days as the weather was now quite reasonable. It stayed that way until a fierce storm terminated proceedings for the day at the small town of Kochel am See.

Alpine pastures

I did not get to see much of the Lake but I did go to the Tourist Office. Nice Office in the old Railway Station. The helpful Lady tried to phone the two Gastezimmers in the Town but no reply. She suggested I go along and knock on the doors. I got a response from the second one, a traditional Bavarian farm.

A room with a view at my Farm in Kochel am See

Tidy - Settling in nicely to my economical little room

Security Guard

The Farmer confirmed they had a space and called for his Lady Frau. After a few minutes she appeared. She looked like she had been Alpine mud wrestling, only it was not mud. I think she had been busy in the cow shed and had sat, or laid down in a whoopsy. Breakfast in the morning could be interesting. My room was fine, without private facilities but spotless and a very economical 26 Euros including breakfast. The Cow's Barn was under the living accommodation and I parked Rosinante alongside. Nearby a lovely calf peered out from a 'kennel'. There was a fridge in the entrance hall of the house where you could help yourself to a cheap beer on an honesty system. I could imagine myself sitting outside in the late afternoon sun having a dust-buster. Alas, it was raining and time for an early shower.

Had a very good dinner at the Gasthof Hotel Zur Post, a busy and very traditional hostelry in the town centre just a short walk away from my farm. Kochel seemed a bit frantic when I first arrived. Traffic still goes through the town and I noticed signs heading for Innsbruck to the South. Happily the roads were quiet as I wandered back to my Farm to hit the hay.
Another great day on the bike. I like the Bo-Ko.