Fridingen to Scheer

If yesterday's ride was rated 10/10, then today would have to up the ante to the proverbial 11/10. Not only did the run of perfect weather continue unabated, but the scenery was probably even more beautiful than what we experienced yesterday. It is little wonder that this section is often regarded as the most amazing on the entire Danube Bike Path.

The first section from Fridingen to Beuron runs through a wide, flat bottomed valley, bordered by towering stone cliffs. We were never far from the river we had seen start in Donaueschingen yesterday. although with each passing km, it gets a little bigger.

Beuron is dominated by a huge abbey. There are also signs everywhere that remind us that we are on a pilgrim route. This is part of the huge network of Camino trails that originate from all over Europe, and terminate in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. There are many small shrines and chapels along the path, that invite the cyclist to stop for a while and ponder.

Unfortunately we are now down to only 7 riders. Carol has been suffering from a cold for the past couple of days and elected to catch the train instead of ride. She met us later along the way at Sigmaringen. Maggie was also a doubtful starter, having strained her back early in the morning at the hotel. She managed to complete the 50 km ride with difficulty, and only time will tell if she is able to ride tomorrow.

You might think that by following a river downstream, the path would be all downhill. You might think that, but you would be completely wrong. Today's route was actually quite "lumpy", with some significant sharp climbs. In fact during the day, the GPS told me that we had a total ascent of over 800 metres. I guess that is why we all felt quite tired at the end of the ride.

The town of Sigmaringen is dominated by a huge palace structure. While it certainly is impressive, to me it is just another reminder of the disparity of wealth and power between the royalty and the rest of the population. Four of us decided to have a quick wander through some of the buildings, but after about 30 mins we were keen to get to our hotel in Scheer.

Carol joined us the final 10 km or so, and soon we were riding into the grounds of the lovely Donaublick Hotel. This hotel was a favourite on our 2016 ride, and it was a great feeling to be back again. It was even nicer when we were welcomed with a free cup of coffee and cake.Read more