| G3VGR | Schluchtensteig |
After completing my successful Malerweg hike in May 2011, later that year my thoughts turned to planning another walk in Germany in 2012. For a few years, I had contemplated walking the Querweg between Freiburg and Konstanz as a prelude to visiting HamRadio at Friedrichshafen. This project never materialised because I had always returned instead to the Vorarlberg in Austria prior to the radio rally to enjoy walking in the Rätikon/Silvretta/Verwall Alps instead. Although the Querweg crosses a very scenic part of the Southern Black Forest, I was not convinced the long section through Hegau to Konstanz would be so interesting, as much of it follows farm paths past cultivated fields.
In 2008, the Schluchtensteig trail was opened, located in the southern Black Forest and was voted "Deutschlands Schönster Weitwanderweg 2011" by Wander Magazin. The trail takes one through the gorges of the Wutach, Gutach, Rötenbach, Haslach and Wehra along a succession of narrow paths with some tougher, rockier sections and regular ascents of a few mountain tops. Other lookout points provide views of the gorges below, the mountains of the HochSchwarzwald and the Swiss Alps. This seemed a more attractive proposition than the Querweg. However, as the 2 trails coincide in the section through the Wutachschlucht to Blumberg, I would also walk one of the highlights of the Querweg.
The Schluchtensteig trail can normally be completed in 6 days, however having allocated 8 walking days in May 2012 for this walk, I decided to spend the last 2 days based in Hinterzarten. From this convenient base, I would be able to walk through the Ravennaschlucht, which is part of the Querweg and also climb the Feldberg, the highest point in the Schwartzwald. As before, when planning my Rheinsteig and Malerweg trips, I bought the excellent Hikeline guide and PublicPress map to plan the trip. After studying the guide and map, with some help from the Schluchtensteig website, time was spent looking for suitable accommodation then poring over transport timetables to ensure I could link up the sections to the available hotels and pensions.
When I had completed booking of all the accommodation, further research determined the most convenient airport was Basel. The only flights to Basel were from either Heathrow or Gatwick. Both the Easyjet (Gatwick) and Lufthansa/BMI flights depart at very inconvenient times, which left British Airways as the preferred carrier. Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of my BA Avios points, so the return flight to Basel only cost me £27 in total. Train tickets were also ordered online from Deutsche Bahn, 92 days before the actual journeys, to take advantage of the advance booking discounts. I will be flying to Basel on 4th May 2012 to start on the trail the next day
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Stages - Schluchtensteig1. Stühlingen – Blumberg 19 km2. Blumberg – Schattenmühle (Bonndorf/Löffingen) 20 km 3. Schattenmühle – Schluchsee-Oberfischbach 18 km 4. Schluchsee-Oberfischbach –St. Blasien 20 km 5. St. Blasien – Todtmoos 19 km 6. Todtmoos – Wehr 22 km Hikes from Hinterzarten1. Through the Ravennaschlucht2. The Feldberg |