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[Closed] Holiday Destinations - Black Forest (Lake Titisee) & Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland?

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Hi all,
I'm looking to book a family holiday and we're considering these two places.
I've been to Titisee before (was less active then) so know that there is the bike park near by and also Feldberg lift so think that I should be ok there - although the Germans are relatively XC biased.
Anyone know any special routes in the Black Forest that I should seek out?
We're going for 3 weeks so I was thinking of moving us on to Switzerland and thought Lauterbrunnen looked nice but know nothing about the riding there.
Will be taking the MTB only as i'll be able to use it for family duties too.
Destinations are still open to suggestions though so if anyone has any better ideas, let me know.
I want some fairly decent riding and enough to keep the family busy.
We'd want to stay on a campsite/holiday park to keep the kids busy (pools, playground etc) and will either camp or rent a static caravan.
Suggestions?
We've previously been to Annecy, Bavaria & Champagne region so would like somewhere new....


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 10:59 am
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Never been to Titisee and never biked in Lauterbrunnen but I have done a week's skiing there and I can tell you that it is a fantastic, massive resort, run with the very best in Swiss efficiency. You have miles of descent and superb scenery, which includes the Eiger and the famous Eigerwand railway. We had a very happy week there and would go again.


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 12:18 pm
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Lauterbrunnen is a fantastic place - I was just there over Christmas.

The scenery is immense and there is no shortage of things for the family to do. Lots of things to explore (trummelbache falls, the lakes down in interlaken, walking everywhere, picnics or BBQs by the river, loads of great places to eat up the mountains etc etc) so plenty to keep the family entertained. The views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and brilliant and a trip to the Jungfraujoch (highest train station in europe) whilst being pricey is deffinately worth it, theres amazing views, cool ice caves and all sorts up there.

There are two main campsites in Lauterbrunnen itself - Camping Jungfrau and Camping Shutzenbach. Theres also another further up the Valley at Stechelberg and loads down in Interlaken.

Ive never actually ridden my bike there, last time I went in the summer was before I got into it. I know that its not exactly the portes du soleil style riding but you are allowed to cycle most places as long as you are wary of walkers.
The guys at the bike shop in Lauterbrunnen (called Imboden Bike) is very keen biker, lots of nice bikes in the windows, so if you chat to him im sure he would be more than able to sort you out with maps of where the best bits to ride are.


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 12:26 pm
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Thanks for the responses.
We've been looking at Camping Jungfrau so it's a bonus that the area is nice.
When I went to titisee before there are several trails but they're more like gravel bridleways as they're used for xc skiing in winter.

Pretty similar in Bavaria where I hired a mtb because the roads were too busy for the road bike. Nothing really technical to ride (i'm sure the locals have a better clue) but there were some decent long distance loops and everything was well marked.


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 5:27 pm
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Wonderful views at lake titisee....

Sorry, I'll get my cagoule...


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 5:32 pm
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I've been to both, nice but swamped with tourists in peak season. You'll probably go through Freiburg which is worth walking around. Buy an MTB map from a bookshop.


 
Posted : 06/01/2012 5:41 pm
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Pretty similar in Bavaria where I hired a mtb because the roads were too busy for the road bike. Nothing really technical to ride

what??!!!

I've been to both, nice but swamped with tourists in peak season. You'll probably go through Freiburg which is worth walking around. Buy an MTB map from a bookshop.

Freiburg rocks for biking. not much for the family to do, but as far as (proper, i.e. NOT fireroads) mtb-ing goes it's awesome.


 
Posted : 16/01/2012 5:22 pm
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LB is pretty cool. You can get the train up with your bike to the the station before the eiger and bike back down. But i think that there are time restrictions on when you can take your bike on the train. Some nice patches of singletrack but plenty of gravel roads. The signposting can be a little confusing, same with bike trails in swissland. we got lost a few times. The bike maps are basic to say the least and the tourist information offices can be somewhat unhelpful. Nice campsites though. There's some decent singletrack around but a lot of gravel roads. The track down from murren is pretty good and steep we did it on HT and you would get alot more out of it on a full suss. There's a cool bike shop at LB where you can hire a DH bike, pads etc.

The other valley that heads up to the eiger has grindlewald in. thats a pretty cool place, buses take your bikes up to the top of the valley and then you can bike back down. cable cars will take your bikes up to the top of the hills but its more gravel tracks than singletrack.
I can post a few pics when I get chance.


 
Posted : 16/01/2012 10:22 pm
 hora
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Tick


 
Posted : 17/01/2012 7:56 am
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Finally got round to this......
Just by the campsite.
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How your bike goes up to towards Murren.... below the gondola.
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Then a short train ride to Murren itself
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Coming down from Murren, gets steeper and rootier!!
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Other side of the valley above Wengen
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Posted : 21/01/2012 5:35 pm
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Orangina's family is from Blackforest... I'll give her a nudge...


 
Posted : 21/01/2012 5:58 pm
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Rats, that picture is amazing! I lived right by those falls for a year. Absolutely loved it. I didn't have time to do any riding, but several of my mates rode on the local footpaths. Not sure if it was legal or not.


 
Posted : 21/01/2012 6:36 pm
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Rats -are those just the normal footpaths above Wengen and from Wurren down to Lauterbrunnen? When you rode around Wengen how high did you take your bike up on the train?

My parents have a place that has that exact view of the waterfall (its by the river between the two campsites). I MUST get out there this summer with the bike and do some exploring!


 
Posted : 21/01/2012 7:18 pm
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Crispo that campsite was cool. infact LB is damn fine and look to go there again in the future. my partner is half swiss so we're going to look at spending a fair amount of time there in the future.

Yeah footpaths are above wengen but people were riding them and there seems to be vagueness at the tourist info office about where you could ride. Pretty much said they were rideable - regarding access - there's no distinction bwt walking and biking paths- it's not illegal but they won't promote the fact that you can ride them. There are plenty of way marked routes for biking but they are mainly wide gravel tracks with some singletrack. They just aren't promoting the fact that you can ride the footpaths aswell :)) you might be better with a proper OS map for the area to compensate for the poorly designed bike map that you can get at tourist info offices.

We took the train all the way up to kleine scheidegg and on the right hand side of the train lines/station (as you look up at the eiger) there is a footpath that goes off diagonally, its looks awesome and you just zoom off down there!!!

Murren was said to have an amazing singletrack that follwed the cliff edge back to the gondola. We couldnt find that singletrack, just found an uneventful gravel track back. But the trail down from the gondola to LB will test you.


 
Posted : 23/01/2012 6:55 pm
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Thanks rats. Did you go into the bike shop in LB at all? The guy who runs it is apparently very keen on biking and is handy for tips where to ride.

Looks like im going to have to sort out a trip down there for a week in the summer.....


 
Posted : 24/01/2012 8:00 am
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Yeah, though the guy seemed a little hesitant to divulge bike trails when we were there. Perhaps he's happier to let people know now.

Have a blast!!!


 
Posted : 25/01/2012 4:09 pm
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Isn't that waterfall called the Grand Pisser from what I recall.

Its years since I've ridden around there.. I rode down from Murren on a fully rigid, and from Grindlewald. Amazing scenery.

The train ride up the Eiger has lots of expectation and its quite impressive looking out of the window on to the north face of the Eiger. However the glacier at the top where the train stops is a bit under whelming..


 
Posted : 25/01/2012 4:28 pm
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Grindelwald valley nxt to the eiger. Also a couple of pics coming down from Kleine Scheidegg.

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Posted : 30/01/2012 8:14 am

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