Tour Details for The Baier Way or Bohemian Way 2008 |
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Day 1. Arrive in Straubing, in the Danube Valley, between Regensburg and Passau. Day 2. An easy start, following the bank of the Danube downstream to Bogen for some 7 miles, before reaching the foothills of the Bavarian Forest near Windberg monastery. Continue through gentle hills and the Perlbach valley to Neukirchen (about 15 miles, average time 6 hours.) Day 3. Continue along the Perlbach valley to Obermühlbach, where the Baierweg starts to climb into the first hills. You have a vertical climb of some 1300 feet. to Meinsdorf, from where there is a fine view back over the Danube plain. Continue over St. Engelmar (2972 feet high) and finish at Kollnburg (about 11 miles, average time 5 hours.) Day 4. Walk through continually changing hill country, steadily downhill to Viechtach and on to the Höllenstein Lake. Continue to Buchberg and on to the pilgrimage church in Sackenried, then over the Ludwigsberg to Kötzting (about 13 miles, average time 5 hours.) Day 5. This is without doubt the most demanding stage of the walk. This a hill walk through a varying landscape of great cultural significance, then over densely wooded summits. The route leads via Rimbach and the castle ruins at Lichteneck, then over the Hoher Bogen, the highest point of the walk, with two summits, before descending to Neukirchen bei Heiligen Blut (not the same Neukirchen that you reached at the end of day 2 - about 17 miles, average time 8 hours.) Day 6. A day through what is still somewhat deserted border country. Cross the former Iron Curtain at Předni. Then via Orlovice into Kdynĕ (about 15 miles, average time 6 hours.) Day 7. Start by climbing up through the pretty village of Branišov to the top of Koráb (1050 feet). Continue through wooded hills with a number of tops from which there are fine views, passing a number of castle ruins on the way. Then steadily downhill through the country of the Chods (former inhabitants) noted for its fine avenues into Domažlice (about 14 miles, average time 6 hours.) Day 8. The last day is one of more gentle walking. The way goes via the pilgrimage church on the top of the Veselá Hora (happy mountain) with fine views, then through meadows and woodland, past lakes to Česká Kubice. An ancient track then leads back across the border at Ovci Vrch into Germany, and continues the last couple of miles to end at Furth im Wald (about 12 miles, average time 5 hours.) |
