In our last post we recommended a great place to stay near Nürnberg, Germany. Today we have 3 wonderful hikes and day-trip ideas for you. Our "Burgthann Loop" and the Schwarzachklamm are roughly a 10-minute drive from the apartment. The Rothsee is also reachable in just 20 minutes. Let yourself be inspired!
Our Burgthann Loop
Thursday | Public Holiday | All Saints' Day
The Teufelskirche near Grünsberg
For the public holiday I found a hike on outdooractive for Team Hundereise — varied and right near the apartment of the Held family. So we drive the aforementioned 10 minutes to Grünsberg and park Martina's car in a small car park.
From there we walk briefly through the village until we reach the wildly romantic Rhaetian sandstone gorge "Teufelskirche". The path leads over planks, stones and tree trunks, across the stream and past imposing rock formations. The trail requires a sure footing, as the springs and the stream make the ground quite wet and slippery.
We embrace the adventure and reach our first destination.
The mystical Teufelskirche naturally comes with its own legends — here is one of them:
"During a hunt, when the marksmen stood near the gorge to which the hares were being driven, not a single shot found its mark. Every time one of them pulled the trigger, an unseen hand knocked the rifle barrel aside. At last, a hunter noticed a clawed figure rapidly jabbing at the barrel of an aiming rifleman's gun. He raised the alarm, and all the hunters took aim at the devil, who in his panic plunged into the hollow and, seeing himself pursued even there, crashed with a thunderous crack into the rock face and sent the chunks flying — just as they still lie to this day.
He re-emerged at Prackenfels: and that is why this gorge is called the Teufelskirche."
Through the Forest
We retrace our steps back to the main route and hike through the beautifully autumnal forest, passing Prackenfels and continuing on to Rasch. Just before the village we turn right and climb a short stretch cross-country between the trees.
At the top we find a small sawmill, quiet on this public holiday. Martina and I pick out a tree trunk, spread out the Hundereise blankets and treat ourselves — and the furry ones — to a snack. After about 20 minutes' rest (it gets quite chilly once you stop moving) we set off again.
The Vast German Countryside
A few minutes later we step out of the forest and take in a vast, open meadow. The sighthounds Atlas, Tiago & Neroli are completely in their element here — even though we don't encounter any hares or deer. Murphy, for his part, simply cannot stop rolling around in the green grass.
Since I unfortunately twisted my knee the evening before, Martina takes all 4 leads and runs a stretch with the boys. What a blast! You can genuinely see the joy on their faces. And thankfully, over 100 kg of dog power lets itself be reined back in by Martina too ;)
Break Time in Westhaid
At a crossroads we turn right towards Westhaid. Strolling through this village we pass a riding stable, where Murphy is absolutely outraged by the yard cat. After the village we decide to take a longer break and find a perfect little spot on the left, sheltered by bushes on a meadow.
We lie in the meadow for a good hour and are even rewarded with some sunshine. According to the hiking app there should be a path through the forest, but we can't find it. Since we're in the mood for adventure anyway, we forge our own very steep route through knee-deep leaf litter to reach Burgthann.
There we cross a main road to walk a section of stage 5 of the Fränkischer Dünenweg. In this stretch of woodland, around 5 deer cross our path. You can probably imagine the adrenaline rush that caused for all of us. :)
Before we make it back to the car in Grünsberg, we take a moment to admire the idyllic Sophienquelle, where this photo was taken:
Hike - Burgthann | Teufelskirche | Schwarzachtal | Westhaid - Loop Trail
Tour Details
- Pace: moderate
- Walking time: approx. 4:00 hours
- Total duration: approximately 5 hours
- Distance: 12.5 km
- Ascent: 163 m
- Descent: 162 m
- Highest point: 449 m
- Lowest point: 364 m
Dog Facts
- Hike through forests, meadow landscapes and small villages
- alternating uphill, flat and downhill sections on forest and meadow paths
- No farm dogs, but cats
- Met a few friendly hikers with well-behaved dogs
- Horses / riding stable in Westhaid
- exciting roe deer sighting (a group) shortly after Burgthann
- Water at the start near the Teufelskirche and at the Sophienquelle shortly before the end
- (You should still bring your own water)
Rothsee Recreation Area
Friday
A Short Recovery Walk
Since the previous day's hike had been the longest we'd tackled so far as the Hundereise team, we take it nice and easy on Friday. We visit Bibi & Kevin at their riding stable, which isn't far from the Rothsee.
This recreation area is our destination for the day. We park at the "Info Wasserwirtschaft Rothsee" (opposite the Appelhof) and begin our loop around the front section of the reservoir along the north-western shore.
Nature Reserve
On this side of the lake there are 2 nature reserves, which provide a home for a wide variety of bird species. The recreation centre Birkach is located on the north-western shore and the Grashof on the south-western shore of the Rothsee pre-dam.
Beach Photos in Autumn
A 12 km lakeside path runs all the way around the Rothsee. We cut it short at 5 km, though, crossing the water at the pre-dam. There we spot the deserted sandy beach at the far end of the Rothsee and seize the moment to capture a few wonderful memories:
A Kiss for Neroli, or Dancing with the Spaniard
And of course we don't want to keep this sweet "Tango" between Martina and Neroli from you:
After the photo session we stroll back to the car along the opposite shore and spend the rest of the day relaxing in the apartment.
Pet Rules at the Rothsee
Dogs are not permitted on the sunbathing lawns or in the beach areas
Dogs must be kept on a lead on the service paths along the beach areas and in the restaurants
Don't forget poo bags
Outside the swimming season (1 November to 14 May) dogs are allowed in the water
The Schwarzachklamm Gorge
Saturday
Pure Autumn Vibes
This hike is pure autumn vibes through and through!
We park at the sports ground between Schwarzenbruck and Gsteinach, though you could also leave the car at the turnaround point of the route, at the Waldschenke Brückkanal.
Atlas, Tiago, Neroli and Murphy are refreshed and full of energy again after the previous day of rest. We cross the Schwarzach over a little bridge and set off into the wooded section. The colours of the trees show autumn in its full glory.
Tiago Steps Up
Tiago, the little pony who can be found tucked into Martina's knees about 98% of the time and rarely makes full use of his long line, finds his courage on this hike and strides proudly ahead through the forest with his head held high:
Martina and I hike with the dogs through the peaceful forest — on this side of the gorge we barely meet a soul — and can soak up the autumn leaves and the silence to our hearts' content.
Break at the Brückkanal
At the Brückkanal we take a longer break to refuel before making our way back through the Schwarzachklamm. The engineering marvel of the aqueduct bridge, which carries the Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal over the Schwarzach via an arch bridge, is genuinely impressive — a 90-metre-long structure built between 1839 and 1841.
Discovering the Schwarzachklamm
Past the Waldschenke, we follow a small spring that points the way down to the gorge. The river valley is one of the 100 most beautiful geotopes* in Bavaria. Even though we haven't visited any other Bavarian geotopes yet, the gorge leaves us truly awestruck.
The moss and ferns glow in lush green, while the foliage shows off shades of yellow, orange and red. The Schwarzach carves its way through the sandstone gorge. We walk through the Gustav-Adolf-Höhle, a cave whose name dates back to the Thirty Years' War.
The Swedish king is said to have sheltered here to attend a sermon after a successful battle.
We continue a little further through the beautiful gorge until we reach the outskirts of Gsteinach. From there we pass a few residential houses before reaching the final stretch of woodland that brings us back to the sports ground — our starting point.
[*Geotope: formations of inanimate nature that offer insights into the history of the Earth]
Hike – Schwarzachklamm – Circular Route
Tour details
- Pace: moderate
- Walking time: approx. 1:30 hours
- Total duration: approx. 2:20 hours
- Distance: 5.9 km
- Ascent: 74 m
- Descent: 70 m
- Highest point: 361 m
- Lowest point: 344 m
Dog facts
- Hike through woodland and along the gorge
- mostly flat forest paths
- the second half of the route runs alongside the Schwarzach — occasional access to the water possible
- being a Saturday, we encountered other hikers with children or dogs from time to time
- no livestock and no wildlife that day
Those were our natural treasures in the Nürnberg region.
Did any of these appeal to you? Do you have more tips for us?
Because we'll definitely be back!
