G3VGR QUERWEG         Singen – Langenrain      

From my hotel bedroom window, I had an excellent view overlooking the Hotel Sättele's gardens and the Steisslinger See. It promised to be a nice warm day. After an early 7AM breakfast, I left the hotel and made my way through the village, following the trail signs. Steisslingen is quite a pretty village with a mix of tasteful, modern houses blending with old Fachwerkhäuser. The trail led me out of the village and uphill to a forest. I was now entering the Bodanrück, which is the peninsula that divides the Bodensee into Überlinger See and Gnadensee. So, before reaching the edge of the forest, I looked back for the last view of the Hegau and its volcanic cones. I continued along a tarmac road through the forest and between farm fields until reaching the Ruine Homburg. From the old courtyard of the ruins there was an excellent view over the Bodanrück. Below me was the village of Stahringen and I could see Radolfzell, the Bodensee and the Alps in the distance. The way down to Stahlingen was very steep and the first part was very overgrown with nettles. As I was wearing shorts, the descent was not a pleasant proposition. After making little impact on the nettles by flailing my trekking poles to cut a path through them, I was forced to resort to putting on my waterproof overtrousers to protect my legs.

At the bottom of the descent, I now endured the most boring and least attractive section of the whole Querweg. I walked along tarmac roads and cycle tracks next to busy roads through the nondescript villages of Stahringen, Güttingen and Möggingen. The only highlight was the nice church in Möggingen, from where my mood improved as the Querweg left the tarmac behind, taking its route along farm tracks passing the large lake of Mindelsee until entering a forest. I carried on through the forest and at the end, saw the onion dome of the St Josef church and Schloss Langenrain ahead of me. Five minutes later, at about 1PM, I was in Langenrain, the end of today's stage.

When originally planning my walk, I was unable to make reservations in either of the the two pensions in Langenrain, despite making requests over 6 months in advance. This was no real disappointment as it gave me the opportunity to stay in one of the towns along the shore of the Bodensee. Most accommodation in the Bodensee area seems quite expensive (usually around €70 for a single room) and many places were already fully booked. Fortunately, I was able to secure an overnight stay at the Hotel-Gasthof Seerose in Radolfzell, which is not difficult to reach from Langenrain. I caught one of the frequent 7370 buses from the village to Allensbach Bahnhof. The short train ride from Allensbach followed the lake shore to Radolfzell and I checked in around 2.30PM. Radolfzell is a very nice town with an impressive Altstadt that is totally closed to traffic. It was a warm sunny evening, just perfect for exploring the town. After dinner outdoors, I sat on a bench on the promenade, enjoying the views over the Bodensee.


Narrenbrunnen fountain, Steisslingen
Half-timbered houses in Steisslingen
View back to Steisslingen and Hegau
The tarmac road to Homburg
Entrance to Ruine Homburg
Ruine Homburg
View over Stahringen and Bodanrück from Homburg
Path down from Homburg to Stahringen
Pfarrkirche Sankt Gallus in Möggingen
Along the trail from Möggingen
Mindelsee
Pfarrkirche St. Josef, Langenrain
Radolfzell Altstadt
Radolfzell harbour

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