A week with the girls in Bavaria – what could be better?

I love the mountains. I love them in the winter, and I love them even more in the summer. I don’t know what it is, but I’d take mountains over the beach any day. Mountains rock (no pun intended!).

We left Liechtenstein after a day and drove the couple of hours (Satnav says actually over the mountains is the quickest!) back into Germany and across to Gunzesried Sage where the REME ATC is located.

The next few days were spent doing all those things that fill me with dread (in fact, the girls and Nige did ‘all those things’ while I largely watched, took photos, drank and chatted. Suited me down to the ground!).

In the afternoon of the first day, we visited Breitach Klamm – a stunning gorge with a fast flowing river and much wetness. Looking at the pics in the visitors centre, I almost wished we were there in winter (perhaps a visit when we come back to ski?) as all the water freezes into brilliant icicles.

Once we had walked to the top, there was a brief climb before the path opened out into beautiful meadows and a gentle decent back to the car park. This was an easy and pleasurable stroll down the hill, preparing the girls for the hikes to come!

There is something calming and zen-like for me about the beauty of the alps – especially on days like this where the mountains rise against a true-blue sky with the bright green meadows providing a delightful contrast. I never tire of views of the mountains, and by the end of the week, my camera was full of them.

We are lucky to be able to use this facility, and have all these activities on the doorstep to take up or not as the boundaries of our fear dictate. I wish in some ways I had been braver, and actually done more activities – however my performance during the rafting down the Iller, during which I did not fare well, made me realise I should stick to what I do best – encouraging others, holding the bags/coats, and taking the photos!

My most favourite day was leaving behind the rafting, canyoning and rock climbing to go back to basics and simply go for a walk; taking the cable car up to the top of the Fellhorn and doing a 2 hour hike from the top, over to the Kanzelwand and back to the Fellhorn Middle Station before getting on the cable car to come back down again.

The day was hot, the hike was a killer, but I wouldn’t have changed a moment of it if it meant I’d forfeit these views:

Awe inspiring. It had however been a hard morning’s hike, and with rest and lunch stops, we had been up the mountain for almost four hours! I could have just sat up there for hours – I wonder if you would ever tire of such a view? I think possibly not, but the girls had had enough and were pleased when we reached the Middle Station and caught the cable car down again. We stopped off at the Alpsee so they could cool off with a quick dip in the lake.

The final day involved some rock climbing in Füssen (for the girls and Nige), which is close to Schloss Neuschwanstein where Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was filmed. The castles are stunning, and the picture (from this distance) really doesn’t do it justice.

So, our week in Bavaria is over. Fabulous in winter, and fabulous in summer – not many places that tick both boxes, but it certainly does it for me!