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Other than they make a good gateaux..
Might be driving to Luxembourg in a few weeks to visit the sister in law and may make a bit of a holiday out of it by staying in the black forest for around 5 nights. Where's a good place to base ourselves? Things to do/see? Any other hints or tips? Can take the gravel bikes if needed.
Cheers
Damn it you can't stick low hanging fruit joke in the first line of the first post.
How about a day trip to Viennetta?
Maybe split the journey with a sorbet?
They don’t make a good gateau, the cake is named after the cherry liqueur that they do make and is a key ingredient.
They also make cuckoo clocks.
Small child did a geography poster on the Black Forest but I can’t remember much else except that, contrary to belief, the native wolves don’t like eating grandmothers.
@Blackflag - it's big area, probably best viewed as a northern, central and southern bit
Kinzigtal is very pretty, the towns of Wolfach and Gengenbach are popular tourist spots for good reasons. Lots of good easy gravel riding in the area too.
The area with big hills (Feldberg) near Titisee is very pretty too. There have been a few threads on here in recent years so searching the forum will be useful
Freiburg is worth a visit too
Drive from Waldkirch up to the top of Kandel and go for walk
Triberg - home of massive cuckoo clocks
Bad Wildbad - nice little spa town where we had the most amazing honey schnapps one time. it's very popular in the area
If you stay in a campsite or hotel for a few days you get a free public transport (paid via the daily tourist/eco tax). In the Black Forest that means free buses and trains almost from Stuttgart to Freiburg - a huge area
Not really that great for mtb if that is what you're thinking. 2m rule exists in Baden Württemberg and is enforced.
Plenty of nice cycle paths and climbs, like really steep climbs in places. The town of Freiburg is worth a visit, especially if you've your mtb with you. Some very nice, legal,trails in that area.
Closer to Luxembourg is the Ardennes and the Eifel range in Germany (and home to Nürburgring). The lower Moselle valley is very picturesque and Trier is definitely worth a visit.
Use Google translate if you need
Anything not asphalted and under 2m wide is off limits for anyone but walkers unless it is specifically signposted as being a designated bike or horse path.
The same rule applies in much of Austria, too.
Baden-Württemberg hat 1995 den §14 Waldgesetz des Bundes, welcher das Befahren von Wegen mit dem Fahrrad grundsätzlich erlaubt, durch die Zwei-Meter-Regel im §37.3 Landeswaldgesetz BW verschärft. Damit wird das Fahrradfahren im Wald auf Wegen unter zwei Meter Breite verboten.
Roughly....
Baden Württemberg tightened the rules in '95 according to blah blah paragraph blah blah regarding bikes on paths. As such riding on paths in the forest under 2m wide is VERBOTEN*.
* bloody hate this word. You see it so often in Germany and it's just depressing.
Camped in Bad Liebenzell this summer, having also visited about a decade ago.
The campsite there has an excellent swimming pool filled with spa water and surrounded by flat grassy areas for sunbathing and games.
Gravel bike is the way to go- linking fire roads and a small bit of tarmac can lead to some excellent riding littered with nice steady climbs (10-20mins) and epic long traverses and descents.
Didn't know it was as far back as '95.
Somewhat weirdly they held the 1995 MTB XC and DH world champs in the Black Forest (Kichzarten) in 1995, so the singletrack ban is almost an inverse games legacy.......
@blackflag - ignore alpin, he takes every opportunity to moan about everything, I reckon if he fell into a pile of horse shit and found gold bullion he'd complain about his dirty shoes.
We've been to the Black Forest a good few times and the cycling network is very good (anywhere is better than the UK). The local tourist info websites are full of itineraries for walking, cycling etc. Gravel biking is a growth area in Germany and Austria and they are promoting it in many locations. Linking up fire tracks and cycle ways is piss easy and enjoyable. Cycling there is pleasant and not stressful. Hardcore MTB stuff is limited but that isn't your plan anyway.
Once you choose a location to stay in I'm sure you'll get lots of useful help on here.
@ElShalimo..... Are you in Germany/Austria?
Agreed, there are are great cycling routes for touring/gravel rides. I've toured several times through the Black Forest and there are bike paths galore.
However, f you want to ride trails in Schwarzwald or Austrian Tyrol you're on shakey ground.
I've been threatened by locals in Austria for riding trails.
Austrian friends of ours have been given fines and it has killed their business.
Have a Google on mtb-news.de and you'll find lots of stories about problems in Baden-Württemberg (BW).
Even in Stuttgart there have been big problems which is a massive shame as the surrounding area and city infrastructure is perfect for riding. The trams have bike racks!
Both BW and Austria are fantastic areas if you want old school XC on fireroads or endless gravel rides. Just don't expect to always get away with riding your mtb wherever you like without some form of confrontation.
There are some places in the Black Forest such as Todtnau bike park (an acquaintance runs it and the shop on site, yet even he complains about getting trails "legalised") and towns such as Freiburg that are great for riding. However they are the exception to the rule.
Baden Württemberg makes Bavaria look progressive.
Have a look on Trailforks... There's a reason there's a dearth of trails in those areas compared to their neighbours.
Oh, and Elshlimo..... 😝😛😘
they dont allow wild camping...
TBF, you can get away with wild camping if you're sensible, just don't do it if there's a hunt on in the area.
Done it lots in Germany when touring. Given the price of your average campsite in Germany it's worth the risk.
@ElShalimo..... At no point did I say don't go to the Black Forest.... Just don't go there expecting to ride the trails.
You’ll look out of place on a gravel bike in the Schwarzwald. What you need for the essentially flat fire roads is a 180mm haibike, full face helmet and body armour. And cash for the Biergarten which won’t take cards. I’m largely with Alpin regarding German and Austrian attitudes to MTBs. Utterly bonkers.
What you need for the essentially flat fire roads is a 180mm haibike, full face helmet and body armour.
You forgot the electric motor and optional Lautsprecher on the handle bars. Oh, and a kick stand, obviously.
TBF, the Biergartens are pretty good and it's only BW with the stupid 2m rule.
Ride wherever you like in the Eifel.
Some good stuff in here. Thanks a lot. Helpful and amusing as ever.
Wild caamping is allowed in Bayern and BW on a leave no trace, 1 night principle. However, this can mean a footprint is leaving a trace if the landowner/representitive interprets it as such.
A forester friend of mine told me that bivvying in a hammock for 1 night meant he couldn't do anything, but given the scourge of Wildschwein that we have in the forests and Stauden, it's probably better not to be on the floor.
I should add that I mean 'not in a specific area where it is specifically verboten'
You’ll look out of place on a gravel bike in the Schwarzwald
I cycled up the Feldberg on mine, it was great for mixing up roads and forest trails. I liked the area, it's warm in the summer, decent wine, attractive towns.
Baden-Wurttemberg seems to have strange attitudes to lots of outdoor sport. Many many years ago I used to climb in the Donautal a lot, but reading recently that most of those crags have been off limits for a good few years.
Would have thought the DAV would have been a bit more effective at lobbying
Road cycling from Freiburg you can head across to the Kaiserstuhl and do some wine tasting, and if you fancy a longer day head across the Rhine to Colmar for some Gewürztraminer.
Giggling a bit here as a southern Black Forest resident, some of those stereotypes are actually true. I think I may be further south that you might find yourself visiting. An option would be Alsace for you out of Luxemburg via the free dual carriageway to St Die... Grand Ballon / La Bresse and Hartmanweilerkopf could be of interest too.
The 2 m rule is a thing but attitudes are changing. Rule 1 applies, be nice and play the English only card, its fine. Speaking of fine, I don't recall the same degree of aggressive punative legal action here as in Austria. We ride loads of singletrack and very rarely have issues. The DIMB advocate for bikes and have been legalising a lot of trails.
I think a gravel bike would be a good call, loads of forest roads, maps, signage and small pubs/huts are everywhere. Cake-tastic for an alcohol free Erdinger and Sachertorte.
The Rhein has great paths along side and hopping across hydro dams makes for an interesting trip. There are some good road climbs too around Frieburg / Munstertal and Blauen. Schluchsee / Titisee / Todtnau / Feldberg is my home area and its good for singletrack. Drivers are good with bikes on teh road, loads of room and careful.
The timber price has driven a lot of felling and its possible to get great views through the trees.
We stopped in Freiburg late last summer and found it a lovely city. There are some very good trails on the surrounding hills, surprisingly technical and waymarked from the top. We found the area by using a website called Trail-Hub.com which has guides for a number of areas that may be in reach for you.
"Road cycling from Freiburg "
I climbed Schauinsland to the south, nice climb and there was a classic car event on so I was being overtaken by 1950s Mercedes etc. Did make the air a bit thick though.
Kaiserstuhlweg with cake stop at Breisach is a nice day out