Nebelhorn, Oberstdorf

[Blokewithastroke]

It has taken me rather a while to compile a report on this. However, given that it is Easter Sunday in the 'lockdown' and I have already taken my daily exercise, I thought "why not give it a go?". So here it is, my report on our holiday in August 2018

After a rather unfortunate holiday in Austria the previous year when the rain certainly was 'King', I thought long and hard about where we might go this year? After deliberating on this for quite a while, I agreed with my wife, Catherine, that we should try somewhere completely different to where we had been before. Bear in mind, that we like to walk 'up hills and down dales' and that in past few years we have chosen to travel by train, which does impose a little restriction on us. I alighted on the Allgau Alps as somewhere we might like to try, and in particular the village of Oberstdorf, in the very southern part of Bavaria, Germany.

I knew nothing about Oberstdorf at first - except how to get there by train. If you are interested - and I would very much hope that you are - it is 2 hours south of Stuttgart station passing through Ulm and Kempten. Let me assure you, it is a delight! We spent a week there, walking somewhere different on each day. It could easily have been longer...

On our second day, we decided to walk down from the highest mountain in the Allgau Alps, Nebelhorn. "Walk down??" I hear you say. Please bear in mind that I have a stroke. So please... cut me some slack!

Oberstdorf

We ascended to the top of Nebelhorn, eventually, using the cable car on the eastern side of the village.

Catherine at the top of Nebelhorn

The views from the top were magnificent and truly stunning.

Looking out over the Iller valley

Catherine admiring the view to the east.

After pausing to eat some apple strudel it was now time to descend.

What comes up... must come down.

You can tell that is not too difficult to descend this mountain. Nice, clear paths, broad enough to walk side by side. However, this doesn't mean that it is easy. Far from it. The strain is in the calf muscles, especially after descending for over 1400 metres.

Parascending. Worth a thought...?

"Ah... Mr Bond. I have been expecting you!"

We paused at this point and went to look down at the next valley, which houses a small lake known as Seealpesee.

The view down to Seealpesee.

This is the start of an alternative route back to Oberstdorf. However, we chose to stick with the route we had initially planned and returned to our original descent. May be later in the week, perhaps, we could try this route?

Starting the descent from the Edmund-Probst Haus cable car station.

This was by far the steepest part of the journey. We took this very carefully but eventually, after an hour and a half, we reached the first cable car station, the Seealpe station.

Piles of pebbles. Those crazy Germans!

View back up to the Edmund-Probst Haus cable car station.

The worst part of the descent was behind us now. The rest of the journey was made quite serenely, with just a few aches and pains to keep us going.

Almost there!

Eventually, we made it back to Oberstdorf. Tired? Certainly. But a nice refreshingly cool beer certainly helped to restore us!

At just 2,224 metres (7,2974 ft.) Nebelhorn is not exactly high. Nor too are the rest of the Allgau Alps. But this is a marvellous place to go. If you haven't there why not give it a try?

[Kinshusrst Kid]

So you were walking in the same manner that many Germans do, up with the cable car and down on foot.

Oberstdorf is a good place to stay with lots of good walking. The first time we walked through there, a while back, we were on the E5 Constance to Verona walk. That made us want to go back.

We were also there, just before you, in July 2018. We had walked over the mountains along the German border from Garmisch to Oberstdorf. This was part of a Via Alpina variant. Great walking.

You are right about the ease in getting to Oberstdorf by train. We had to go to Munich from there - it was easy and cheap. We met a guy from Stuttgart who went there every year because he could get there without changing trains.

[Blokewithastroke]

I am impressed by your walk from Garmisch to Oberstdorf. It sounds magnificent!

Yes, it is fairly easy to travel by train from Stuttgart to Oberstdorf. It was funny on our way there though and on our way back to the UK. We travelled by train through France, Germany and the Netherlands and - dare I say it? - the only train that travelled on time was on our journey from home to London!

[Riverman]

Nice report and photos. My wife and I were supposed to be spending Easter weekend in Oberstdorf but Covid 19 put paid to that sadly. Next year maybe....

[litljortindan]

Thanks for making that effort to write your report! It has brought back some memories for me. In winter 1995/96 I went from Frankfurt to Obersdorf on the slow and cheap weekend train -leaving evening and arriving morning with "sleeping" in the sitting position. Random memory: getting a row off the transport police in one station for playing hide and seek to keep warm. Ascended via the cable car too.

[Alteknacker]

Very nice! Germany as a tourist destination generally is greatly undervalued by brits, I find. I've been many many times (though not to Obersdorf) and have never found anything not to like. Swimming in the high altitude lakes is especially wonderful!

[Blokewithastroke]

Thanks Riverman, litljortindan and Alteknacker for your comments. Oberstdorf certainly is a great place to go. I would thoroughly recommend it. It even has a high altitude lake, Freibergsee. Very popular with local tourists!

Thanks to Riverman, in particular, for your comments on the photographs. I take these using one hand. You would be amazed at what Windows Paintbrush can do to ensure that the photos aren't 'wonky'!