Lake Chiemsee

We had booked a tour to Lake Chiemsee, known as the Bavarian Sea (formed 15-20,000 years ago and covering an area of 80km squared). It took us about 45 minutes by bus to reach the lake and I was surprised that it skirted the main motorway, as I'd imagined it to be an idyllic and remote wilderness.



It was a glorious day and there were many boats on the water already.  We had been told that the water was very clear and unpolluted and it was - a lovely tropical green colour.  Our tour included a ferry trip to Fraueninsel (the female Island) and Herreninsel (the male Island and home to King Ludwig II's palace).

On the recommendation of the tour company we stopped off at Fraueninsel first (approx 25 minute ferry journey from the mainland).  The Island is home to arts and crafts people and I would say approximately 50 houses.  The properties were immaculate and the residents are obviously used to keeping up a certain standard.



We stopped for lunch and had some home-brewed beer and then visited St Michael's Chapel and local art gallery - the Chapel boasting some of the oldest frescoes found in Bavaria (dating 860/865 AD).

We then boarded the ferry to Herreninsel and bought our tickets to see the Palace.  The building of the palace started in 1878 and was intended as a monument to monarchy as opposed to a practical residence and was designed to 'copy' the Palace of Versailles.  Unfortunately, we hadn't left ourselves much time so this visit was a bit rushed.  The palace and gardens were very ostentatious and the tour included a visit to 6 or 7 rooms, ending with the bathroom (the bath being nothing less than an indoor swimming pool).  Every surface of every room was either covered in painting, gilt, marble or porcelain.  King Ludwig II died in suspicious circumstances at the age of 42 in 1886 (the Palace remained unfinished) and I couldn't help but guess the Government of the time got rid of him as he was bankrupting the country with his frivolities and expensive taste in architecture (he only visited the palace during the months of September and October).



After an hour we boarded the ferry back to the mainland and enjoyed a cold malt beer before getting the tour bus back to Rhupolding.  Lake Chiemsee was an impressive lake and you could see why it draws a lot of visitors - for me it was a bit too busy and 'touristy'.

We were pretty tired by the time we got back but after dinner we went down to the local bar (the Stachus Bar) for a quiz night with the Thomson's rep.  We joined a couple we had met (who were from Glenrothes) and we had a good laugh guessing at most of the answers but we came 2nd (out of 3 teams!).

The Staubfall Waterfall

We hopped on a (free) bus to Laubau about 3 miles north of Rhupolding and got off at the Wood Cutters Museum, which we would visit later.  It was another glorious day; from arrival in Rhupolding on 8th August we have been spoiled by the hot and sunny weather.

The first 5 miles was flat, straight track once again following a nearly dry river bed.  This walk was suggested as a hike and bike but we decided just to hike.

Through shaded tracks, we eventually we reached the bridge where we would cross to start weaving our way up the hillside to reach the waterfall and, as we climbed, the views were stunning as we looked down into pools of clear water (which looked so enticing in the heat).

The trees offered some good shade as we carried on up and just before we reached the waterfall itself we crossed the border into Austria!

The Staubfall was where smugglers used to take goods into Austria and it must have been quite treacherous for them back then - the paths are good now but some of the drops down were pretty scary if you had a fear of heights or you missed your footing.

The sight of the waterfall itself made the long drag of the initial walk worthwhile.  We feared it might be dry given the rivers were so dry but we weren't disappointed.  Water cascaded down and to carry on the walk we had to cross a bridge behind it; as we did so you were refreshed by the spray.

On the other side we came out into a lush field of grazing cattle and we stopped for lunch by the river before heading back the way we came.

Before catching the bus back to Rhupolding we stopped off at the Wood Cutters Museum.  In 1980, the original wood cutters huts were uplifted and deposited in the grounds of the museum.  They were impressive huts, some much largers than others.  You would think they would be reasonably warm in the winter, some of them having large stoves and communal seating/sleeping areas.  You would certainly need to have got on with your workmates!



After an hour at the museum we caught the bus back to Rhupolding.  Walk:  12.5 miles/4 hours

The Zinnkopf Circuit, via Hammer

We hired a couple of mountain bikes for our first cycle and set off around 9.45am to take a recommended bike route:  the Zinnkopf circuit - Zinnkopf being the peak at 1227m/4000ft - described in the guide as 'easy' but with long inclines/descents.



Immediately after leaving Rhupolding we were climbing and zigzagging on good roads and we passed a small hamlet called Vordermiesbach with lovely houses lush with hanging baskets (a very common site around here). We stopped for a break and looked back on the view of open, lush pasture.

Mounting our bikes again, we soon left the tarmac road with the path turning into a forest track.  The track was rather gritty and stony and made for a few skids on the bike as we were going downhill.

We were soon in the forest which offered some welcome shade and the path continued to undulate, though we were mainly climbing!  We got to the point on the route which told us to follow the signs for Hammer but we decided to ignore that and carry on climbing to the point where we could leave the bikes and take the short (but steep) climb to the peak.  The peak itself didn't offer any views but we got a good view down to the valley where there was a break in the trees and there was a welcome seating area for us to rest our legs.  The top was also marked by an impressive Jesus on the Cross which was certainly different from the piles of stones we get in Scotland.

Soon we walked back down, collected the bikes and carried on down (very sharply in parts) to the point in the route which put us back on track.  The route continued to undulate with very steep drops and long inclines and at one point we thought we were lost as the signs disappeared and by this time we were hungry and tired and running out of water fast.

Thankfully we weren't lost (thanks to Blair's good sense of direction) and we eventually cleared the forest and descended down into Rhupolding with our final stretch skirting the immaculately maintained golf course. All in, we were cycling/hiking for about 6 hours covering 23.5 miles.

We ended the day at the Raffner Alm, a Bavarian Hut offering traditional food, beer, song and dance.  We obviously couldn't understand a word but it was jolly and we got into the spirit of it - a few cold, dark and frothy beers helped of course!

Farmer's Walk - Rhupolding, Bavaria

Following a relaxing first day, we kicked off our holiday with a Thomsons guided walk called the Farmer's Walk, which picked us up at the bus station and dropped us at Lake Weitsee about 10 miles out.  There was approximately 15 of us on the walk of varying abilities but we were able to go at our own pace most of the time, stopping every 15 minutes for the more slower members to catch up and take a water break.

We followed a well made path through Rothelmoos, which we were told was a nature reserve, and we then came out onto some common grazing ground where there were approximately 100 cattle - some with their cow bells clunking.

We went onwards to our first destination - the Dandl Alm - where we were stopping for lunch.  We were served a lovely meat and cheese platter and selected our drinks from a trough which was full of bottles of various beverage.

The views on the walk to this stage were inspiring - with sheer cliff on one side dropping down to crystal clear water and there were many paths snaking off to various different routes that we thought we might try another day.

After lunch we carried on with the walk to reach Fairy Tale Woods and we were told that the woods were created by a significant landslip 700 years ago and the trees have grown around, and on top off,  the massive boulders deposited by the slip.  It was early on in the woods I spotted a grass snake which had just eaten dinner and it put one or two people off venturing further in!  There were butterflies and dragonflies but surprisingly no birds.

The 8 miles walk took the group about 5 hours to complete - relatively slow by our standards but enjoyable none the less and a good introduction to the scenes of the area and to the other holiday makers.

Shieldaig Peninsula

We left the Torridon Inn at around 9.30 and drove the five or so miles West to Shieldaig.  We had awoken to another promising day and decided that this coastal walk would finish off our break nicely - besides, we had never been to Shieldaig before.

We parked at the waterfront overlooking Shieldaig Island, a mound of trees and a haven for wildlife apparently.  We walked up the road to the small Primary School and onwards along a stony and muddy path.

We passed quite a few ruined crofts which were right on the stony beaches - indicating a hard existence for fishing families in years gone by. 

We reached Loch Torridon with views of the Inveralligin and the Diabaig peninsula.  There was a small house nestled in the rocks here - home to a fisherman we thought.

This was a circular route and we carried on around the rocky tops and back to the village - 3 miles.

We were impressed by the village - it looked good in the autumn sunshine.  We stopped for coffee and started for home at around 12.  Realising we weren't too far from home we decided we would definitely be making return journeys to this part of the Highlands - there are many more walks to do and we can't wait!

Triple Buttress of Coire Mhic Fhearchair

After our first night at the Torridon Inn we drove the few miles to park at the foot of Liathach.  This was to be our longest walk at just under 9 miles and we were really looking forward to this as it promised wonderful views of the Beinn Eighe and Liathach ridges.

Again, this was a well constructed stalkers path and the ascent was reasonably easy going.  The views of the imposing Beinn Eidge were dazzling, particularly as the first snow of the year had reached the mountain tops overnight.  As we walked on we heard the eerie bellowing of the stag and the sounds echoed through the valley as we continued on to Coire Mhic Fhearchair (540m) - labelled as one of the most finest corries in Scotland.  Here we took in the view of Baosbheinn (the Wizard's Mountain), Beinn an Eoin and Beinn a Chearchaill as they stood sentinel over the flat and empty moors and bogs.

The weather was stunningly clear and warm and we were the only walkers which made the walk even more peaceful and enjoyable.  Apart from the sounds of the stag, we were surprised to see no wildlife.  Tried as we might we couldn't spot the stag.

On the approach to Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair we passed two crystal clear waterfalls.  Up through the rocky path we caught our first glimpse of the Triple Buttress.  We didn't hang about too long as it was reasonably windy and cold.  We turned back to walk the same route back and marvel at the views that we had our backs turned on when we started off.  On the way back we met a few other walkers and it was clear to see why this walk was a popular one.

Meall a'Ghiubhais, Loch Maree

The forecast for our three day trip to Torridon was promising and we left home early to start the first of our planned walks.  We parked at the Coille na Glas Leitre Trails car park on the banks of Loch Maree and started our ascent at just before 10am.  The climb was a steady one up a rocky path and we kept looking back at ourselves to marvel at the views of Loch Maree and to Slioch on the other side of the Loch.

It was warm and sunny (and no midges at this time of year!) and we were very impressed with the effort that had been put in by the estate management who built the path.  The path was well marked with plenty of opportunities to sit and take in the view - which we happily did on various occasions.

As we reached the top of our climb and to Lunar Loch, the weather changed dramatically and the heavens opened.  We donned our waterproofs and decided not to make the final ascent up Meall a'Ghiubhais (we were happy to make a return journey at another time).  Besides, we had another two days of walking ahead of us. 

We started to make our descent - not as steep as the climb up - and again took in the views as the weather cleared.  We reached the car park at around 12.20 and stopped for lunch at a picnic bench on the loch.

This was a lovely location for a walk and as its such a short distance from home we will definitely be back to complete the climb.