Woodland folk


Another hot and slightly restless night, with not a breath of wind around. Counted a couple more insect bites. Lovely to stand out on the balcony first thing, and watch

the occasional boat pass by. The hotel setting, directly overlooking the river, couldn’t be more idyllic.





After a successful morning raid on the fine array of victuals at breakfast, we hit our stride out of town and up into the thickly wooded hills that surround and envelop this whole valley. A quick scramble around the ruins of the Hintenburg castle gave us fine views back to the gracefully looping curve of the Neckar.





We passed through mixed woodlands, beech followed by pine, as we steadily gained altitude but annoyingly missed the sign indicating a detour off the forest track to the Goetheblick, a much vaunted viewpoint, which meant that for the next 10 miles we saw little other than trees, and yet more trees. This made for an oddly hypnotic experience.





On arrival in Hirschhorn, we stopped for some refreshing Italian gelati, before bundling into Hotel zur Krone to grab a mid afternoon nap and rest our weary bones. The aches and strains of carrying all our worldly goods each day are starting to tell. 


Our latest pitstop is located right in the centre of the mediaeval old town, with its cobble stone streets and half timbered buildings. There is a Carmelite monastery, a Jewish quarter and synagogue, and a 13th century castle, all crammed into about 100m2. The town is dubbed “the Pearl of the Neckar” and it is easy to see why. We enjoyed a meandering mooch round the streets, taking in the local history, and had a bite at the pizzeria.



Joff x



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