What a fight we put up! It's August, actually the best cycling weather, and finally, finally we've made it to one of the most spectacular parts of our tour through the Rhön. And now this: it's drizzling. All day long, by the way. Instead of great views, just foggy soup. "That's really bad luck," says Andreas Schubert, our guide. "Normally you could see as far as Thuringia right now." Through the fog, I get an idea of what it might look like here, in the 3,000 hectare Lange Rhön nature reserve, one of the largest in Bavaria: gently rolling hills, largely unwooded. Sheep graze here, the famous Rhön sheep with the black heads.
At the "Holy Mountain"
This vastness, the solitude, above us only the sky - oh, if only the sun would show itself! On our first stage, coming from Hammelburg, we conquered the first mountain and thus the highest point of our tour: the Kreuzberg, known as the Holy Mountain of Franconia, a place of pilgrimage with a Franciscan monastery that still exists. The three crosses on the summit were only vaguely recognisable. We stop in Bischofsheim, park the bikes, borrow umbrellas from our friendly hosts and take a look round the pretty little town. You can still see today that Bischofsheim was a wealthy little town in the Middle Ages. Conveniently located on the main road between Bamberg and Fulda, commercial travellers liked to stop off here and local cloth manufacturers ensured that Bischofsheim continued to prosper in the 16th century. And to this day, the small town is known for its woodcarving school, with woodcarvings on the houses and woodcarving workshops still characterising the townscape.
The next day it gradually clears up, finally! And here we are in the middle of the Hochrhön with its long meadows, the plateaus, which are only interrupted here and there by a group of birch and willow trees or a single copper beech.
In the heart of the Rhön
At the Black Moor, one of the few remaining raised bogs in Germany, we have arrived in the heart of the Rhön, so to speak. And at the former German-German border. For as central as the Rhön is in the centre of Germany today, it was very much in the shadows before reunification. This may still be one of the reasons why it is still not necessarily a tourist magnet. We're happy about that - we often have the routes to ourselves.
During a coffee break in Weimarschmieden, the most northerly inn in Bavaria, Andreas Schubert tells us how he came up with the idea of organising cycle tours through the Rhön. Because the story of how it came about also tells us a lot about the Rhön itself. He called his tours, which were originally only intended for mountain bikes, Trans-Buchonia. He now also offers circular tours for racing bikes and for people like us with touring bikes. "I had the idea of planning a tour from Bad Kissingen through the Rhön for a long time," says Andreas, "30 years ago to be precise, just before I started studying forestry science".
Back then, he had the summer off. It was shortly after reunification in 1990, and Andreas decided to take the train to Bavaria and hike from Lake Starnberg to the Rhön with his tent and rucksack. However, the newly purchased hiking boots were too painful and after just 30 kilometres he had such bad blisters that he got back on the train and travelled to Bad Kissingen. As soon as his feet felt better, he set off again. In the middle of the Rhön. And fell in love with the landscape, the basalt cliffs, the vast pastures, the beech forests. He came back again and again - and stayed, for love. Today he lives with his family in the Rhön and is a self-employed entrepreneur. The Trans-Buchonia is a project close to his heart. He soon realised how much fun it is to explore the Rhön not only on foot but also by mountain bike - and at the same time that there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to developing cycle routes. That's why he designed his own GPS-based tours and called them Trans-Buchonia.
Beech forests galore
Why Trans-Buchonia and not Trans-Rhön or Rhön-Tour? "Beech forests have always characterised the Rhön. They are still everywhere today - that's what makes the Rhön so special," explains Andreas. Until around 1,000 years ago, large parts of the Rhön were completely covered by primeval beech forests. That's why the Rhön was also called "Buchonien" at that time. It was only later that the name Rhön became established.
However, with colonisation, people began to clear the forests. They needed the wood as a building material, but also to generate energy. But of course not everything was cut down: In autumn, farmers led their pigs and cattle to woodland pastures in the beech forests. Real delicacies awaited them there, fatty beechnuts that the animals could gorge themselves on.
The alternation of dense beech forest and large open spaces where mountain meadows bloom today is what makes this landscape so special. This is particularly noticeable on the Hochrhönstraße - a wonderful, wide view over the countryside, a dense beech forest, an open area - it is this juxtaposition that makes the landscape so special.
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Germany's longest cycle tunnel
When we arrive at the Lothar-Mai-Haus on the third day of our tour, we decide to stay another day. Because the Milseburg summit beckons. It's just three kilometres from our accommodation to the top. We park our bikes at the hotel, as there is only a footpath to the top. The view is once again fantastic, a 360-degree panoramic view over the whole of the Rhön. When we get back on the track, a surprise awaits us. Andreas had already told us about the Milseburg Tunnel, one of the longest cycle tunnels in Germany at 1.2 kilometres. But even whizzing through it is a completely different matter. So far, we have followed a former railway line. Through a sparse beech forest and in the middle of the track, the tunnel chasm swallows us and our bikes. It's pretty scary in the dark, despite the dim light and video surveillance. The deeper we drive in, the colder it gets. Cold and damp! The tunnel is closed from October until spring as bats hibernate here.
As animal-loving as I am, the thought of fluttering hymenoptera makes me drive a little faster - not that a Fledi has missed the end of its hibernation and is about to flutter around my helmet ... I'm glad when I'm out again. Accelerated by the tunnel experience, we almost fly along the old railway line, where the railway signals still show that trains once ran here.
The final ascent from Gersfeld towards Wasserkuppe takes us back up to one of the Rhön plateaus where the sky seems so close. Once at the top, we roll over the unforested mountain ridge with a view of the Wasserkuppe, recognisable by the spherical radar station and, incidentally, located in Hesse. With
At 950 metres, it is actually the highest mountain in the Rhön. The Wasserkuppe is also known as the "mountain of aviators", as it was here in 1911 that Darmstadt students made their first attempts at flying with self-built gliders - the treeless Wasserkuppe was ideal for this. To this day, gliders and paragliders take off from the Wasserkuppe.
Relaxing journey through time
The last stage of our tour is more leisurely. Along the Saale cycle path, past the magnificent baroque Aschach Castle to the spa town of Bad Kissingen - a spa jewel and not without reason listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site among the "Great Spa Towns of Europe". Have a coffee in the pedestrian zone, stroll through the magnificent spa complex, take a sip of the ferruginous water from the Rakoczy fountain and try some Maxwasser for comparison, admire the flowers and buildings and imagine how Sissi, Franz Joseph, Fontane, Bismarck and many others have stayed here - a stroll through Bad Kissingen is like a relaxing journey through time.
From the Saale bridge, I take another look towards the Rhön - back there, that harmless-looking elongated hill, that's the Kreuzberg. It's unbelievable how the dimensions shift when seen from a distance. I have to go there again soon and see it up close, the beautiful Rhön ...
GPS data, tips & information on the cycle tour through the Rhön
Tour data for the Trans-Buchonia cycle route:
- Total length: 330 km
- Total metres in altitude: 5.000
- Underground: Almost continuous roads and tarmac paths
- Tour itinerary: Hammelburg - Bischofsheim-Unterweißenbrunn - Dermbach-Bernshausen - Hofbieber-Steens - Bischofsheim-Oberweißenbrunn - Hammelburg
The GPS data for the cycle tour on the Trans-Buchonia can be found on the DK tour portal:
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Arrival
Car: Good motorway access via A7, exit Hammelburg.
Train: The regional train stops in Hammelburg coming from Gemünden or Schweinfurt, bikes can be taken along. www.bahn.de
Accommodation
Bischofsheim-Unterweißenbrunn: The Landgasthof und Pension Zum Löwen is uncomplicated and very cyclist-friendly - there is even a bike washing facility. With a restaurant and beer garden (double room/apartment from 50 euros per person). www.landgasthof-zum-loewen.de
Dermbach-Bernshausen: Cosy and comfortable, excellent regional food in the hotel's own restaurant. If you like it romantic, you can sleep in the star carriage - with a direct view of the star-studded night sky. Landhotel zur Grünen Kutte (double room/F from 130 euros). www.gruene-kutte.de
Hofbieber-Steens: A simple hiker's hut built in the 1950s by its namesake Lothar Mai, the former manager of the Bundesbahn repair works in Fulda, has been transformed into a chic hotel with wellness facilities, a restaurant and outdoor terraces. Berghotel Lothar Mai Haus (double room/F from 88 euros per person), www.lothar-mai-haus.de
Bischofsheim-Oberweißenbrunn: Cosy rooms without frills, very friendly hosts and an excellent breakfast are available at the Gasthof zum Lamm (double room/F from 80 euros). https://gasthof-zum-lamm.de
Food & Drink
The Rhön used to be considered a poor, barren region. The menu tended to consist of simple dishes with milk, potatoes and cabbage as well as pastries. Today, some pubs and restaurants have reinterpreted these recipes. Dishes with lamb or mountain cheese, excellent farmhouse bread or vegetable dishes flavoured with local herbs or - inspired by Thuringia - dumplings can often be found.
Worth seeing
Bicycle museum in Bad Brückenau - Impressive collection of historic bicycles, presented in a beautiful Art Nouveau villa. www.german-bicycle-museum.de
Black moor - It's worth leaving your bike here and walking along the 2.7 km nature trail with its many information boards about everything that grows and lives here. www.biosphaerenreservat-rhoen.de
Point Alpha - The memorial at the former US observation base on the inner-German border in Hesse is an impressive reminder of the history of the Cold War. ww.pointalpha.com
Bad Kissingen - You should take at least half a day to visit this stylish Franconian spa town. The spa facilities, which have been appreciated by personalities such as Tsar Alexander II, the Austrian imperial couple Franz Joseph and Sissi, Leo Tolstoy and even the space traveller Neil Armstrong, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason. www.badkissingen.de
Bike service
Hammelburg: Heiko's bike shed, www.heikos-radschuppen.com
Bischofsheim: Radsport Reder, Tel.: 09772 930944 (no website)
Geisa: Abel's bike shop, www.abels-fahrradladen.de
Zeitlofs-Rupboden: Fahrrad-Riemey, www.fahrrad-riemey.de
Bad Kissingen: Floth bicycle, www.fahrrad-floth.de
MYBIKE tips
Bischofsheim: Excellent regional cuisine in a historic ambience is served by the Brown mill in the centre of tranquil Bischofsheim. https://braunsmuehle-mirring.de
Ginolfs: Fish could hardly be fresher. The Fishing hut Edwin has its own Rhön trout farm. Regional organic produce is also a top priority for everything else on the plate. A must for fish fans. www.fischerhuette-edwin.de
Maps and literature
Franconia travel guide, Michael Müller Verlag, author: Ralf Nestmeyer, 22.90 euros
General information about Trans-Buchonia
More information, give-aways, luggage transport and all-round carefree tour packages including overnight stays can be found on the Trans-Buchonia website of tour guide and Rhön expert Andreas Schubert. www.trans-buchonia.de
Guided e-mountainbike tours: www.rhoentouren.de
Tourist information: www.rhoen.info
