Blog Posts in Category: Walking

Kramerspitz

I was expecting November here to an awkward in between season, however (apparently unusually) so far this year it has continued to be a lovely month for getting out and enjoying the mountains, which has made the “lockdown light” here in Germany significantly better. On Saturday Rob, Helen and I decided to head for the obvious ridgeline of the Kramerspitz which is directly above Garmish and which overlooks the Zugspitze. As there was a viewpoint marked on the map at the north end of the ridge at the Königsstand we decided to take the direct approach (although due to a closed path the start was less direct than expected). While this approach was steep, it was very enjoyable as it was quieter than the main approach, and had lovely views looking out over Garmish as the trees were less dense due to the steepness of the slopes. Eventually we reached the Königsstand, and enjoyed some of our lunch and soaked up the views. As it turns out, the views were only going to improve as the day went on. We traversed below the Katzenkopf and joined the usual approach for. Read the full article…

Hasentalkopf

Wanting to make the most of the autumnal walking conditions Rob, Helen and I headed out to an area of the Ammergauer Alpen which none of us had been to before. Rob chose this walk because the contours looked “interesting” on the map, which seemed as good a reason as any to select a route, and the shape of the mountain was certainly unusual! As the previous day had been much sunnier the roads, and more importantly, the hills were very quiet. The start of the walk headed up a quiet valley in the forrest, however we soon left the track and headed up a small path. It didn’t feel like other walking I had done in the area, and felt much more remote was which really nice. As we arrived at the Bäckenalmsattel we were treated to a wonderful view to the west, which just became better as we climbed. We were soon able to see our objective, and the strange bowl below it. The best way to describe it was that it looked like the middle of an old volcano due to the depth and lack of runoff. Read the full article…

Seinskopf-Schöttelkarspitze Circuit

With Becky visiting for the weekend and a good weather forecast we wanted to make the most of our local mountains and the beautiful autumnal views. We decided to head down to do a walk from Krün, which is only 90 minutes from Munich! We did a circuit up to the Seinskopf which then traversed a ridge over to the popular Schöttelkarspitze and then descended down the other side past the Soiernhaus before heading back to Krün. The ascent was abrupt and most of the height gain was up to the Seinskopf, but as the path was good it didn’t feel too bad and we made excellent time. Thanks to the wonderful autumn colours it was far more enjoyable ascending in the woods than normal. When we started to approach the tree line we were treated to some brilliant views over towards the Zugspitze and a sign of the day to come. The views from the Seinskopf were just brilliant, with the big glacial valleys and the towns of Krün and Mittenwald contrasting against the German alps, with a sneak peak into the Austrian alps as well. The walk along. Read the full article…

Kristenkar – Bischof – Wankbahn

After staying the night in Garmisch we headed up the valley in the morning on the train to start our walk from Eschenlohe. The initial ascent looked brutal from the valley, and felt no better while on the route. To start with the walk was fairly flat and in the woods until we got to the start of the obvious gorge, at this point the path became vague and very steep. It didn’t relent until the summit from this point! The initial ascent headed up the side of the gorge in the woods and then up to the scree slope which took us to the top, while the scree slope was as steep as it looked there was a good path which took us all the way to the top. After a large amount of water and some well earned food we were then able to enjoy the rest of the ridge. The views while walking along the ridge were brilliant and kept changing as we went around different corners. It was great to be out on a beautiful sunny day, while not seeing many people so close to Munich.. Read the full article…

Day walks from Munich

We are moving to Munich soon, and as part of my relocation package my company pay for a pre-assignment trip. We decided to make the most of this by adding on an extra three days in the mountains with our friends. We had hoped to stay away, but the good forecast and post covid enthusiasm meant that everywhere was very expensive which meant we did 2 day trips. Zwiesel On the first day the weather forecast wasn’t great, so we stayed as local as possible and did a loop which took in the Zwiesel, finished at a restaurant and had a lift to take us back down. The walk was not that exciting as it was mostly in the woods, but it was lovely to be out walking and catching up with our friends. The views from the summit of Zwiesel were wonderful, and I will be back for sunset later in the year. Kofel to Sonnenberg The next day the weather was much better and we had a longer day out above Oberammergau where we climbed the impressive looking Kofel and then headed along the ridge to the Sonnenberg. Read the full article…

Red Screes Circuit

On our last day in the Lake District we were meant to be going climbing, but having removed a large amount of skin from my heal the previous evening while removing tape I was unable to put my climbing shoes on. Thankfully we had a plan b, and we headed off on a half day walk from our cottage. We decided to walk from Ambleside up to Red Screes, onto Middle Dodd and then back down Scandale back to Ambleside. The walk was fairly abrupt as we left Ambleside on the road up to Kirkstone pass, as we left the road it didn’t get much easier, but the views did get better. We made good time up to the summit and enjoyed the views. Despite not seeing anyone on the walk up the summit was fairly busy as it is very close to the Kirkstone pass. We then had the strange experience of descending to the second Wainwright from the first summit. The view down over Brothers Water from the Middle Dodd was brilliant. After a boggy traverse to avoid the re-ascent we were at the start of the descent. Read the full article…

Kentmere Horseshoe

After a relaxed morning in Ambleside we headed out for a late walk to make the most of the improved weather in the evening. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t quite as nice as forecast, but it was still a lovely evening and a great walk. Based on our time the day before, we set off at 4:30 which we thought would get us back just as it was getting dark. We made really good time and were back in 5h30mins just after sunset, which was a nice surprise. As we set off from the cars it was very humid and we were not feeling that motivated by the late start, but thankfully as we climbed up to the first top our motivation increased, and the breeze made it feel less humid. The views were brilliant for the entire walk, which was much more undulating than the previous day. We met a few other people out, who were mostly out for an evening wild camping. It looked like a nice way to spend the evening with the excellent forecast. It was great to see a different perspective of some of the mountains. Read the full article…

Fairfield Horseshoe

We decided to make the most of being able to walk from our cottage in Ambleside and headed out to do the Fairfield horseshoe. The weather when we set off was fairly marginal, but thankfully other than a few spots of rain we stayed dry. We decided to do the route clockwise, which meant a flat walk along the valley to Rydal at the start with before the steep ascent up to Nab Scar and onto Heron Pike. After Nab Scar the views were brilliant all day, with excellent views in every direction. There was even a surprising amount of sun. We made good time to the summit of Fairfield, where we enjoyed a quick lunch before descending. The descent was very warm as we were protected from the wind by a beautiful dry stone wall which snaked it’s way all the way down the ridge. After an enjoyable day out, and in a respectable time of 5hrs10mins we were back at the cottage in time to enjoy some champagne before heading out to dinner.