Blog Posts in Category: Bavaria

Jochberg

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

With a slightly uncertain forecast we headed early to Jochberg so that we could park and hopefully miss any afternoon storms. It was pretty cloudy when we parked, but this didn’t matter as the ascent was all in the woods. As we emerged from the trees it was partly clearing and this gave us some pretty spectacular views across the Walchensee. We made good time to the summit, not quite my fastest ascent but given my recovery I was pretty pleased with the time. After enjoying the views from the summit we headed down the long way via the Walchensee. It was pretty warm by the time we were there and the water enticed us in for a swim which was wonderfully refreshing.

Wallberg to Walchsee Paragliding

Alastair BegleyAustria, Bavaria, Paragliding Short Link

A milestone in my recovery was always going to be my first flight, something which I wanted to make sure I waited long enough to be confident that it was not too soon. However after the hike the previous weekend, I was now sure that I was ready, and with a good forecast I decided to head to Wallberg with the plan of flying east. As per usual I arrived early as this meant the train was quieter and that there would be no time stress. I enjoyed my time parawaiting at launch and watching all the people learning to fly launch while I waited for the day to switch on. As soon as there were people climbing out I got myself ready and launched. As soon as I pulled the wing up everything felt natural and like riding a bike. The feeling of back in the sky and climbing in thermals was really special, especially here where the views are immediately so wonderful. The day was however not as good as forecast and there were a few inversion layers, after multiple attempts of bouncing off one at just below. Read the full article…

Tegernsee to Schliersee

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

While the previous few outings into the mountains had been enjoyable, they were not proper walks by any stretch of the imagination. However as they had been so successful, combined with some other longer flat walks around Munich, I was keen to step up the recovery and head out on something with some proper ascent and distance. The obvious choice for this step up was the classic walk between Tegernsee and Schliersee, something I’ve somehow avoided doing in my 6 years living in Munich. We decided on the Prinzenweg version of the route so that it also included the Gindelalmschied summit and a bit more time above the tree line. As it was a sunny Saturday in August we decided to head out early so that we could guarantee a seat on the train in both directions and also so that we would be done before the main heat of the day. I should note that while I haven’t done Tegernsee to Schliersee, I have walked all of the route until the start of the ascent as part of the Baumgartenschneid circuit. The walk from the station to the start. Read the full article…

Blomberg

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

After the success a few days earlier on Taubenstein, I was keen to do a bit more, but still definitely taking it easy. James and I planned todo something together, so it was both of our first time back in the mountains after our respective accidents. Our plan was actually to head to the Herzogstandbahn and then make the short walk up to the summit, however due to a packed train we changed our plans in Kochel as the first two busses were full and it looked like the third would be as well. So instead of fighting our way onto the third bus, we took a bus in the opposite direction to Blomberg. Getting onto the chairlift was relatively smooth as they slowed it right down, and put a flag on the lift so that it would also be slowed down at the top. While the walk from the top of the chairlift to the summit of Zweisel is not that exciting, it was again nice to be in the mountains and to have a better stretch of the legs and the body when compared to a few days. Read the full article…

Taubenstein after my accident

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

My team at work had their annual Wandertag around the time I was planning on getting out and doing a bit more after my accident, so I decided to join them for the summit and the lunch stop as it was possible to get a Seilbahn almost all of the way to the summit. Meeting my team ended up working perfectly despite me arriving an hour later than planned. While the walk from the Bergstation to the summit was short, it was really great to be back out in the fresh mountain air, with wonderful views – even if it was cloudy. My pelvis coped admirably with the ascent, and subsequent descent. We enjoyed a drink and some lunch at the hut below the Bergstation, before they headed down and I headed back to the Bergstation to take the Seilbahn back down.

Attempting to fly to Munich from Brauneck

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Paragliding Short Link

One of my dream flights is to fly back to Munich, or even better, my house from the Alps. The easiest site to do this is from Bauneck as it is close to the flatlands and is therefore often flyable when the inner alps are not and it is also very easy to access by train. On this day the forecast for the inner alps looked unflyable, but it looked like it would be possible to start from Brauneck and then head out into the flats to fly back to Munich. When I woke up I looked at the updated weather forecast and nearly bailed on the attempt, as the forecast at seriously deteriorated when compared to the previous evening. However as I hadn’t flown for a few weeks I decided to head down and see what actually happened. On the train ride down to Brauneck the flats looked incredible, however the reports of heavy rain at Brauneck were not that appealing. I was very surprised by the amount of snow cover for mid may when I was on the lift up, and after having a coffee with some other members. Read the full article…

2025 in 100 Photos

Alastair Begley100 Photos, Africa, Austria, Bavaria, Dolomites, General, Germany, Italy, Landscape, Mountaineering, Namibia, Paragliding, Road Cycling, Skiing, South Africa, Wildlife Short Link

2025 was certainly a year that I couldn’t have predicted at the end of 2024, it started with difficulty as Becky was not able to be very mobile due to an operation on her second knee. She was then allowed to ski prior to the end of winter, but in spring still wasn’t really allowed to do much walking, so she focussed on road biking and I focussed on paragliding. As far as a paragliding season goes, it was a pretty spectacular one, with my absolute highlight being flying 200km through the alps while crossing the main alpine ridge with spectacular views over glaciated peaks from above. I also completed my first two competitions which was a great learning experience. During the year I knew that this was my last year on my secondment, but as I didn’t want to leave Munich I explored my options to get a local job here. In July I was successful which meant that at the end of the year I left Rolls-Royce, a job which I have loved and thought would be my forever job. When I left in December, it ended over. Read the full article…

Sunset and blue hour over the Geroldsee

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Landscape Short Link

After a beautiful walk thorough the Partnachklamm we were trying to work out what to do for sunset, as our previous plan was not going to we were too late. In the end we decided to head just down the road to a location which we had previously been to for sunrise, the Geroldsee. I am very glad we made this decision, as we turned up to the most beautiful golden light, just in time before the shadow extended over the field as we waited for the sunset. Unfortunately the nice clouds in the sky above the Karwendel all cleared for sunset, which made it a bit of a non event w.r.t. the light in the sky. Nonetheless it created some lovely light on the mountains, and the red hues which were reflecting off the clouds above us (but not in the photos), created a beautiful scene. As the sun was setting, the moon was also rising, which led to some beautiful blue hour photos and reflections in the Geroldsee, showing that it is always worth retuning to locations at different times of the day for a different perspective.