Bikepacking gravel tour around Baiersbronn: 3 girls, 3 gravel bikes, 3 nights in the Black Forest

We want to ride through the Black Forest around Baiersbronn for four days and three nights. On a racing bike with studded tyres. A so-called gravel bike. Forest paths, small trails and, if necessary, gravel tracks - that's the terrain we love. We, that's Carina, Conny and me. Adventurous, lively and never at a loss for words - that's how you could describe us.

We set off early in the morning today and have ridden just 30 kilometres since then. Rough gravel paths with short, crisp climbs and alternating rooty forest trails keep my pulse racing. Every centimetre of my bike is put to good use. Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, tent, cooking utensils, gas canister, headlamp, tools and of course a warm jacket have to be stowed away. That adds up to quite a bit of weight. And I feel it on the climbs.

The evening before, we met up in Baiersbronn. In a small, romantic inn at the end of the valley. Hidden behind the seven mountains near the seven dwarves. You can smell the scent of the forest. From here, you can only get further on foot or by bike. Here we were able to saddle up our bikes in peace and start our three-day adventure well-rested. The air on this May morning is fresh and cool. Our destination for today is the Buhlbachsee. But there are still a few kilometres and metres of altitude ahead of us. It rolls pleasantly uphill, so we quickly make up the kilometres. As always, we have a lot to talk about. The sun slowly warms our muscles and soon the glittering, dark Mummelsee lake appears on the Black Forest High Road. The largest of the seven remaining cirque lakes is shrouded in legend. Its dark, pine-green colour gives it a mysterious appearance. We are in the southern part of the Black Forest National Park. We make a photo stop on the viewing platform. From here, we have a marvellous view of the Rhine Valley and the entire southern part of the national park. We pause for a moment and take a deep breath. It is so beautiful, so green and so wide here.

Indulgence in the Black Forest: trout, stars & campfire romance

Carina cautiously lets it be known that she is hungry. And she's not the only one. We roll down into a valley plain, lush green meadows and yellow rapeseed fields pass us by. A stately Black Forest house appears to our left. A large wooden sign points the way: the Forellenhof. We've heard a lot about it. We quickly decide to stop off here. Passing countless ponds in which trout swim, we push our bikes to the bicycle stand at the entrance. The large trout farm here has a long tradition. The three of us find a perfect spot on the sun terrace and choose our way through the menu from top to bottom. What we get is a "trout" experience for all the senses. And that's what the Black Forest is known for. You can eat very fine food anywhere here. No fewer than eight Michelin stars spread across four restaurants sparkle in the gourmet sky above Baiersbronn. But unfortunately we are not here to collect stars, we want to see stars. Preferably in the sky.

Back in the saddle, the first few kilometres feel a little sluggish. We pass the Buhlbach glassworks. We take a quick look inside the old glassmaking building where the champagne bottle originated. The Black Forest has history and tradition. Conny urges us to continue so that we can reach our destination for the day in daylight. We come to a beautiful lake. Surrounded by a sparse forest. Our camp for the night couldn't be more beautiful. We have arrived at one of the seven trekking sites in the Black Forest where you can officially spend the night in the middle of the forest, but only if you book in advance. There is even a wooden toilet block. With a heart as a peephole. Just for us. We quickly set up our two tents. There's room for three tents here. No more. Carina and I go to collect wood while Conny prepares our picnic. It's not difficult to find enough dry material. A little later, we sit around our blazing little campfire and grill the sausages we have brought with us, laughing, chatting and counting the stars until late into the night. When I lie in my sleeping bag much later, all I can hear is the soft rustling of the leaves in the wind and the faint calls of the animals.

The magic of the Black Forest - stays!

The sound of the wilderness is also what wakes us up in the morning. While Carina prepares the espresso on our little petrol cooker, I roll up the sleeping mats and stuff the sleeping bags into their covers. We spoon up our muesli, the espresso brings us back to life and a little later everything is stowed away again and packed onto the bikes. We leave our little paradise without a trace.

Our route takes us on two further stages through the Black Forest nature experience. The other two overnight campsites are also all ours. We are a little sad on the last morning. I haven't been this far away from home for a long time. Distance from all the things that come at you every day at home and at work. Different rules apply here. Nature is so close. And you start to smell, hear, taste and see again. And I don't have to travel to the other side of the world for that.

Our last few kilometres meander along a small path through the forest. Ferns grow to the left and right, sometimes only giving a hint of the path. Suddenly, a pretty little Black Forest hut appears in front of us. The tables are beautifully laid with lace doilies, just like at Grandma's house. And somehow I know that the moment has come. We quickly agree that we should stop off here one last time before civilisation catches up with us again. A few steps lead to the entrance. And there I see her. She's smiling at me. From her shop window. Round, fat and powerful, a black dress made of chocolate sprinkles, a white blouse made of cream and red cherries as bollen on her traditional Black Forest hat. The time is ripe. The Black Forest has more to offer than cuckoo clocks, Bollen hats and Black Forest ham. The Black Forest National Park is an oasis of tranquillity, nature and unspoilt nature that is rarely found anywhere else. And the Black Forest gateau is the sweetest temptation I have ever dreamed of.

GPS data: Graveltour Baiersbronn in the Black Forest

The GPS data for the 3-day bikepacking tour around Baiersbronn can be found in the DK Tour Portal:

Info & tips for the gravel tour in the Black Forest

Region

Baiersbronn is a municipality in the district of Freudenstadt in the northern Black Forest. With its ten districts, Baiersbronn stretches over 20 kilometres in the upper Murg Valley between Schliffkopf and Ruhestein on the Black Forest High Road to Schönmünzach on the Baden-Swabian border.

Overnight stay

Baiersbronn has everything from simple hiking accommodation to 5-star hotels. We started from Forsthaus Auerhahn (www.fortshaus-auerhahn.de). Information on other accommodation can be found at www.baiersbronn.de.

Trekking camps

In a total of nine trekking camps throughout the Black Forest, which can be booked from May to October, overnight stays are officially permitted in the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park and the Black Forest National Park between Baden-Baden, Baiersbronn and Freudenstadt, as well as in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park. The camps are all located away from the villages, can only be reached on foot or by bike and have pitches for up to three tents, a fire pit and a small toilet block. Nothing more. Trekkers must bring their own water and food and take their rubbish back with them.

Overnight stays in a camp are only possible after prior registration via the booking platform at www.trekking-schwarzwald.de. Overnight accommodation in one of the camps costs twelve euros per tent

Star cuisine of the region

Baiersbronn is the gourmet capital of Germany. Baiersbronn's Michelin-starred chefs, with their eight Michelin stars, are known all over the world:

• Restaurant Schwarzwaldstube, www.traube-tonbach.de/restaurants-bar/schwarzwaldstube
• Traube-Tonbach Restaurant & Bar 1789, www.traube-tonbach.de/restaurants-bar/1789-1
• Restaurant Bareiss, www.bareiss.com
• Restaurant Schlossberg, www.hotel-sackmann.de/de/genusswelten/schlossberg

Refreshments on the tour

• Forellenhof Buhlbach, www.bareiss.com/forellenhof-buhlbach/gaststuben
• Hiking hut Sattelei, www.bareiss.com/wanderhuette-sattelei