He has supported the whole project for years, pushed through the funding for the signposting and brought the boys and girls a snack while they were shovelling in the forest. Florian Best, head of tourism for the town of Kelheim, actually wanted to leave it at that. But then the call at the end of August: "Hello, Ludwig Döhl here. The trails are ready, the 3000 signs are up. When are you going on tour now?"
Florian Best is an athlete, father of three children, but not a mountain biker. But as soon as he gives all the excuses, such as no time, lots of work and actually far too unfit at the moment, he already knows: it's pointless. This Döhl won't let up. And so it is: "Go on, you've done so much for us, now you have to ride the trails yourself. So, let's do it next Monday, 10am? Half a day, that's fine. I'll bring you an e-bike!"
Weltenburger Berg: two brand new trails created
In fact, the tourism director's fears are not entirely unjustified. After all, trail tours totalling 100 kilometres have been opened up in Kelheim this year. Riding the entire network of trails would take more time and fitness than he currently has available, even on an e-MTB. But he is willing to take on one of the two newly created trails on the nearby Weltenburger Berg. Just in case there are further discussions at the round table with foresters, nature conservation authorities, the municipality, town council and landowners.
Kelheim is not located in Baden-Württemberg, where trails for mountain bikers are generally prohibited and exceptions have to be fought for, but in the centre of Bavaria. More precisely, at the eastern end of the Altmühltal Nature Park. Where the river flows into the Danube in the form of the Main-Danube Canal. Cyclists have long been part of the cityscape here because of the busy Danube cycle path. You can marvel at the Liberation Hall, which towers like a crown 100 metres above the city, enjoy the pretty cafés in the old town and catch a glimpse of Weltenburg Abbey from the high bank, which has adorned the banks of the Danube for over 1000 years. A quick selfie, then it's off on the cycle path towards Vienna.
This is precisely out of the question for the tourism manager:
It's a mystery to me why the Danube cyclists always stay up there on the high bank and don't take the boat for this section, muses Florian.
It is the agreed Monday morning at the beginning of September, shortly after 10 a.m., when he sails with Ludwig Döhl in the Zille towards the Danube breakthrough. The plan was actually to take the more comfortable ferry, but the water level is not high enough for that. But it doesn't matter, the rustic wooden barges also take bicycles.
The electric motor of the Zille whirrs in a whisper through the bottle-green water, but you can hear that it is not the Eco mode that is fighting against the strong current. White gravel banks shine on the shore, then cathedral-like limestone walls suddenly tower up to the right and left. A corset through which the Danube has to squeeze for five kilometres.
Danube Gorge: a National Natural Monument
King Ludwig I declared the Weltenburger Enge a nature reserve in 1840, and in 2020 it was designated a "National Natural Monument". This makes it one of the eight most unique natural phenomena in Germany, along with the Bruchhauser Steinen in the Sauerland and the 1000-year-old Ivenacker Eichen in the Mecklenburg Lake District. For a tourism expert like Florian, this is of course a perfect marketing tool, but at the same time a hot potato, because a national natural monument requires special protection measures and careful visitor guidance.
At Weltenburg Monastery, the wooden barge gently grinds into the gravel with its flattened bow; there is no jetty for mooring. This is not necessary when the water level is high and the banks are flat. However, you heave the bike out of the boat and have to push it up a steep gravel slope. There is still nothing going on in the beer garden of the monastery brewery on Monday morning. It would be too early to stop for a bite to eat anyway. But if you tackle the "Holy Diver" tour without the boat trip, then it would be half-time here.
For Florian and Ludwig, however, things are only just beginning. A steep cycle path ramp stretches uphill directly behind the monastery. Florian enjoys the thrust of his e-MTB, while Ludwig cranks ahead without the motor. The route soon branches off onto gravel and climbs up the Weltenburger Berg in the forest. Finally, at the highest point, two wooden signs point to the two new trails in Kelheim: "Fakir 2" and "Flow Joe". Florian's marketing heart is immediately touched by the Fakir sign. He would have liked to change the name, but the bike community insisted.
A kind of memorial to remind us of darker times for Kelheim's mountain bikers: Just five years ago, during the corona lockdown, it felt like half the town of Kelheim was dragging their feet in the forest. Like everywhere else in Germany, illegal trail building was flourishing here at the time. But what led to a lot of anger and heated discussions elsewhere culminated in Kelheim in a nail board trap installed in the forest floor.
Fakir 1: The thing with the nail board
As the perpetrator obviously wanted, bikers got flat tyres on this trail, but for hikers the whole thing could have ended much more painfully. "There was a lot going on back then," recalls Ludwig. "The police were there, the television - the full programme." And the trail in question - known as "Fakir 1" since the nail trap incident - wound its way down the slope to Kelheim not far from here. Today, of course, it is closed and dismantled. This was the prerequisite for the opening of the legal trails that now wind down the other side of the slope into the valley. The forest owner on this side has officially given his go-ahead for the two trails, which the boys and girls of the Kelheim bike community were allowed to shovel into the slope completely new and according to their own wishes.
"So, drive the Fakir 2 straight away, will you?" Ludwig doesn't even wait for Florian's answer and shoots ahead. In a wild change of direction, the earth track circles around the trees, trying not to lose height too quickly. It's better to take the odd bump and play with the terrain for as long as possible. Roots and stones decorate the fun, and at the end a terrain U provides compression. "Uff" escapes Florian here, but otherwise he has completed the one-kilometre course with almost all 100 metres of depth without any injuries.
At the end of the trail, Ludwig is waiting at the large sign with the trail overview map, ready to choose the next descent. But Florian's rookie conclusion is surprisingly sober:
And you like that? This curving around the trees, the roots - it's not my cup of tea.
Nevertheless, the head of tourism is persuaded to do a second run on the Flow Joe. There is a signposted gravel shortcut back to the trail entrances. The two are not quite at the top when Ludwig points down a pathless forest slope on the right: "There, look, there would actually be room for a trail. What do you think?" Florian squeezes out a short laugh between two breaths: "Well, let's see how it develops here first."
No trails for shooting
Ludwig thinks about it. Perhaps the "Pure Pleasure" loop would have been better for a beginner like Florian. At 33 kilometres, it is the longest of the six trail laps, but it has much easier trail sections in the forest around Ihrlerstein. A good eight kilometres of the finest natural flow accumulate in the chassis. "Of course, these are not trails for blasting like in a bike park," explains Ludwig. "With a maximum depth of 100 metres in the region, that wouldn't make sense either."
But as a former enduro pro and test editor, Ludwig has seen a lot of trails and what perhaps impressed him the most over the years were the trail laps in Scotland and the Czech Republic: epic trail laps through hilly terrain where as many bikers as possible can simply have fun riding. And even Maxi Dickerhoff, a former enduro racing colleague who now runs the "Supertrails" platform and recently paid a visit, had fun here.
However, as everywhere where trails are officially opened for mountain bikers, the whole thing is a give and take. The attempt at control: creating attractive trails for bikers in exchange for removing illegally created, controversial forest paths. A compromise that Ludwig spent two years negotiating with foresters, nature conservation authorities and local authorities. As a local who grew up on the trails around Kelheim, he naturally knows that the region has even greater potential. But, well, the Danube didn't make its breakthrough in a day either.
Former enduro pro and BIKE test editor Ludwig Döhl grew up on the trails around Kelheim and Ihrlerstein. Now a father of three himself, he is passionately committed to the local bike community and initiated the opening of the new trails.
What you need to know
Thanks to its location on the famous Danube cycle path, the town of Kelheim already has a top infrastructure for cyclists and bikers. Brand new in the region: the two pump tracks in Saal and Ihrlerstein.
The precinct
The Altmühl Valley stretches 230 kilometres across Bavaria between Nuremberg and Ingolstadt. From the Frankenhöhe near Leutershausen to Kelheim, where the Altmühl flows into the Danube. A large part of the valley has been a nature park since 1969 with individual, separately protected zones. The town of Kelheim alone is surrounded by 13 nature reserves, in which trails are actually taboo for mountain bikers. A compromise has now been found with the "UrTrails Altmühltal" routes between the towns of Kelheim, Riedenburg, Ihrlerstein and Painten, which were officially signposted this year.
Trail tours
All six tours are signposted from their starting points. Nevertheless, it is advisable to also download the GPS data (this is also possible via QR code on the overview maps on site). It is easy to overlook a signpost on a tree that may have grown in and then you are literally in the forest. The GPS data for all six tours (Trails of Kelheim) can be downloaded here free of charge: herzstueck.bayern
Pump tracks
On the Holy Diver tour, you pass the village of Saal with its brand-new pump track. There has also been a small dirt pump track in Ihrlerstein since autumn 2024.
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Club & Training
Three clubs look after the trails, but also organise youth training and joint rides: RSC Kelheim, Run and Bike and the DAV Kelheim. All dates, activities and tour meeting points: trails-of-kelheim.de
Ferry, Zillen
The Danube Gorge and Weltenburger Enge are listed as a "National Natural Monument". You shouldn't miss out on this. The most impressive way to see it is by boat. Either by ferry or more rustic and much cheaper with a traditional boat trip (Tour 1). Info: donaudurchbruch.org
Bike shops
There are several bike shops in Kelheim, but two of them are genuine mountain bike and e-MTB specialists with a good workshop:
- Bike StationVery well-stocked shop run by wheel expert Florian Weinzierl (closed on Mondays), Kelheimwinzerstr. 101.
- KL Bikes KelheimProfessionals in e-bikes, Schäfflerstr. 14
Food and drink
This is where mountain bikers meet in the old town centre of Kelheim:
- Café Buk: Good coffee, the best snacks, Donaustr. 5, buk.cafe
- Bar Bistro Vox: at Ludwigsplatz 4, vox-kelheim.de
- Otto's wine bar: stylish meeting place in the evening (Wed-Sun), ottos-weinbar.de
Info
All information about accommodation and other attractions in the region can be found here: www.herzstueck.bayern
The 3 best tours from Kelheim
UrTrails Altmühltal: Six nature trail circuits have been signposted around Kelheim. We have picked out the three highlights.
Tour 1: Holy Diver with Zille
- Length: 18.4 kilometres
- Uphill: 423 metres in altitude
- Trail share: 19 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S2
Tour description
Starting point: If you've never been to Kelheim before, you should definitely start your tour with a boat or ferry trip to Weltenburg Abbey. The Danube Gorge is simply spectacular!
The tour: If you have moored at Weltenburg Abbey by boat, the tour begins behind the abbey beer garden with a sporty ramp at kilometre 12. Without the boat transfer, however, the tour starts directly in Kelheim with the forest path branching off from Mannheimerstraße up to Weltenburger Berg. However, before you hit the new trails, the route takes a little longer: A forest path leads down towards Affecking, then turns through the Hopfental valley and leads over the Steinberg flanks to Weltenburg. Here it is worth taking a detour to the Frauenberg, up to the viewpoint over the Danube gorge. If you wish, you can extend the descent to the monastery beer garden. You return to Weltenburg, where the Weltenburger Berg is now rolled up from behind with a three-kilometre climb. At the top, you have the choice: Fakir 2 or Flow Joe descent? Both are possible, because at the end of the trails there is a signposted direct uphill route back to the trail entrances (approx. 90 metres in altitude).
Key points: "Fakir 2" and "Flow Joe" are natural forest trails with roots and typical terrain obstacles (max. S2).
Retreat: The beer garden in the inner courtyard of Weltenburg Abbey with perhaps the oldest brewery in the world. Or you can turn off into the villages along the route.
Info: Timetables and prices for the Danube ferry: schifffahrt-kelheim.de The barges are more rustic and cheaper (4 euros), but travel through the Weltenburger Enge without a precise timetable!
Tour 2: Goldrush trails
- Length: 14.9 kilometres
- Uphill: 370 metres in altitude
- Trail share: 40 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S2
Tour description
Starting point: Kelheim, Ludwigsplatz (Old Town)
The tour: A short after-work ride with the largest trail section in Kelheim! After an easy roll-in to the Waldbauernschule with a great view over Kelheim and the Befreiungshalle opposite, the trail ride starts through the Frauenforst. First you follow an easy forest path-trail mix around the Etzenberg until the Wurzelsepp trail requires fast steering manoeuvres around dense trees. Just like the following "short detour". Where the forest opens up, the Frauenhäusl soon comes into view, and if you like homemade cakes, you shouldn't miss this inn.
After the refreshment stop comes the trail afterthought: the route plunges back into the forest. Initially on a wide path, but it becomes increasingly narrow and becomes a trail for the last two kilometres. At the end, there is even a choice: straight ahead at speed or to the right in fine serpentines. Both options lead to the Goldbergstraße, which takes you back over the Altmühl bridge to Kelheim.
Key points: The uphill trail from the Waldbauernschule is quite easy with battery support. Without it, you need a spirited start. "Wurzelsepp" and "Kurzer Abstecher" are challenging with quick changes of direction. The serpentine trail at the end of the tour can be ridden without shifting the rear wheel.
Retreat: Frauenhäusl, open from 11am to 8pm, closed on Mondays. Info: frauenhaeusl.de
Tour 3: Pure-Pleasure-Round
- Length: 33 kilometres
- Uphill: 648 metres in altitude
- Trail share: 24 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S1
Tour description
Starting point: Kelheim, Ludwigsplatz (Old Town)
The tour: The Pure Pleasure trail circuit is Kelheim's epic excursion into the countryside. It is 33 kilometres through the northern natural beauty of the Altmühltal, including trails and rustic refreshment stops:
The long tour starts with a sporty gravel climb through the Ziegelal valley up to the small pond "Kuhtränke Ihrlerstein" (approx. 110 metres in altitude). However, the first trail experience awaits at the top: the locals call the section up to the Naturfreundehaus the "Mädchenmulde", as a beautiful descent is immediately followed by a short, steep counter-climb. Shortly after Sausthal, however, the most strenuous climbs are behind you. This is followed by a pleasant up and down around Painten and on through the idyllic forest towards Rothenbügl, with a few real trail highlights interspersed along the way. The "Zur alten Glashüttn" inn is only open on Sundays. But after nine kilometres, the "Frauenhäusl" also awaits. At the end of the tour, the serpentine trail down to Kelheim is the final highlight of the tour.
Key points: The uphill trail in the "Mädchenmulde" is steep in places and the serpentine trail at the end also has short narrow sections (maximum S2). The trails towards Painten are the finest flow.
Retreat: "Zur alten Glashüttn" in Painten/Rothenbügl (only open on Sundays), Frauenhäusl just before Kelheim (closed on Mondays).
The GPS data for the 3 Kelheim trail guide tours
BIKE subscribers can download the GPS data of the tours free of charge from our homepage bike-magazin.de under "My area".
Subscribers to the BIKE Premium Touring Portal can find the tours in their app or download them here:
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
