Rothenburg ob der Tauber is not to be confused with Rotenburg an der Fulda, or Rotenburg an der Wümme. And note not just the ‘h’, but the ‘ob’: the picture-postcard Romantic town is ‘over’ the Tauber, whereas the h-less ones are ‘on’ their particular rivers. Rothenburg is high on a bluff above the Tauber, which winds through tree-covered hills, and for the first time since I started under the alps in Füssen, I had some views today. Despite the drizzle.
I had another look round Rothenburg’s old town in the morning, before the tourist rush. After the whoosh downhill to the banks of the Tauber, the morning was an easy if damp flat ride along untrafficked country lanes along the valley floor. Cyclists outnumbered drivers by about 19 to 1, and ebikes outnumbered pedal cycles by 99 to 1. I was the 1.
There was a procession of villages and small towns, and more scrumpable apple and pear trees. At Bieberehren I left the D9 route, and the Romantic Road, to join a railtrail that wound round and up the side of hill before eventually descending to Ochsenfurt.
It proved a good choice: smooth flat tarmac that you could skate if you had skidproof skates which of course don’t exist, mildly spectacular valley views all round, quiet, birdsong, and some woods. And no cars, just a few cycle tour groups.
The rain picked up for my descent into Ochsenfurt’s old-town timberwork. I stopped off for lunch – well, Kaffee and Kuchen – in a cafe in the historic centre. Despite the weather, my waterproof cycle socks were still perfectly dry. That’s because they were back in my wardrobe at home. I’d forgotten to bring them, so had to do with normal sock/sponge hybrids.
Anyway, from Ochsenfurt’s to my target of Würzburg was a long twelve-mile-ish zip along a wide flat black tarmac service road right alongside the alarmingly high Main river. I was in wine country now: the river’s south-facing slopes were lined with vines, which were in no danger of drying out today.
The Main Cycle Path is apparently 350km long, almost all traffic-free. If it’s all like this I must do it sometime. But preferably when it’s not hammering down.
I got to Würzburg around half past three and checked into my hostel opposite the station. The town’s list of must-sees made me very happy. It was brief to the point of nonexistence. That meant I could spend the afternoon and evening doing various online and offline admin that had piled up, write some postcards, and swig three bottles of absurdly cheap pils from Edeka.
Rain? Who cares? I had a nice warm dorm bed and had enjoyed a satisfactory day of cycling progress.
Miles today: 45
Miles from Füssen: 237