Day 7 - Eichstätt to Kipfenberg
View from the juniper heath over Pfalzpaint (just before the wasps got us)
A big day with 4 climbs and 4 descents. Maddy spent the morning in Eichstätt so Paula and I began with a 7:52 am bus trip to Rieshofen to reduce the length of the walk to a manageable 15km. There followed a walk across juniper heath to our first climb through a forest above Isenbrunn. We stopped for a fruit break above Pfalzpaint only to have our rest cut short by persistent wasps who were clearly trying to make the most of surprise visitors to their abode.
I was framed!
Stopped for a lemonade at Gasthof Zum Raben in the perfectly tended town of Arnsberg; not a stone out of place. Inevitably a climb followed towards the castle but we eventually headed in another direction to take in the best views of the Altmühltal so far. This was the “money shot”, the panorama shown in all of the marketing materials for the walk and it did not disappoint. We walked along the ridge through the forest and then down into Böhming.
Looking south over Arnsberg
Our final climb took us to the historic Limes Roman watchtower site. There we saw the foundations of an old Roman watchtower which was one of many stretched across the hills above the valley as part of the northern frontier of the Roman empire. The occupants of the towers used smoke signals between towers to warn of unauthorised intruders attempting to enter their domain. Close by there was a full sized reconstruction of a tower, made from wood which we were able to climb.
Foundations of the old Roman Limes watchtower...
... and the reconstruction
Final descent into the small castle town of Kipfenberg and checked into Gasthof zur Post.
Pretty neat view out of the hotel window!
