Bavarian biking at its best

May 2, 2023

Füssen to Kochel am See

I forgot to put up the route from Zurich that we’ve been on since Friday.

The weather forecast for today was pretty abysmal with rain predicted all day. We pondered what to do over last nights dinner in an Italian fish restaurant with not much fish on the menu and whose only tap beer was the Greek beer Hellas. Our Elvis Presley impersonator waiter lightened the mood on a cold wet night in Füssen.

After early rain during breakfast the skies lightened enough to encourage us to pack up and get out on the bikes. It was cool and still making it perfect riding conditions. The scenery in this part of Bavaria is stunning. The bike paths are generally away from the roads and for 3 days we’ve been in cyclists heaven. Throw in the odd castle and a bit of snow on the mountain peaks and you can’t help but have a smile on your face.

We assumed we’d pass plenty of shops now that the long weekend was over but we didn’t see any towns for the first 2 hours until we stumbled across a UNESCO heritage listed Rococo pilgrimage church and a cafe in close proximity. The apple strudel with vanilla sauce was so good I could have ordered another. Encouraged by the quality of the strudel we picked an item on the menu to take with us for lunch, but the description belied the reality of what emerged from the wrapping some 2 hours later.

My record of delivering quality weather conditions is being sorely tested on this trip. Considering the crappy forecasts I feel I’ve done the best I could, but that was no consolation as the heavens opened just after noon. We were in the middle of nowhere but did come across a lone house soon after that had a garage with enough overhang to keep us and a German cycling couple dry as the rain tumbled down.

We consumed our tasty lunch offering and waited for an hour or so for the weather to clear. It is decidedly chilly and I’ve got 4 layers including my down jacket and then sucked it all in to get my rain jacket on as well. We set off with fingers crossed but that doesn’t work either as the rain returns and sets in steadily until mid afternoon. Despite that it’s still an amazing ride. Eventually the clouds lift and the rain is done for the day.

We roll into Kochel am See by 5pm well and truly ready to put our feet up.

Today's ride: 86 km (53 miles)
Total: 721 km (448 miles)

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