From the Altmühl to the Danube

The tour starts at the train station in Kinding. From there, the route crosses under the highway and heads east via the market town. Pass the late medieval fortified church on the left, whose white fortified towers have striking stepped gables and red saddleback roofs. We leave the village on an uphill stretch along the Kapellenweg, which runs below wooded hills along the Altmühl. The numerous side arms of the calm river run through the idyllic wet meadows of the valley incision, which soon loops to the left. A gentle up and down takes you to Pfraundorf with the beautiful Kratzmühlsee lake, where you turn right on the northern bank and cross the Altmühl. In the shadow of the imposing Mühlleite, which rises up on your right, continue to Kirchanhausen, where a bridge takes you back to the left bank of the river. Here the valley widens and reveals the resort town of Beilngries, which we reach via beautiful green spaces and fields. Turn right in the town center and pass a monastery before crossing the Altmühl on Ingolstädter Straße (B299). Continue straight on for a while before turning left along the glider airfield. The tour then continues through the idyllic meadows of the meandering Altmühl to Kottingwörth. Change to the other bank of the river here. The river valley, which runs in a north-easterly direction, becomes noticeably narrower again here. Dietfurt soon spreads out in an open plain. The Mühlbach, Breitenbrunner Laber, Weiße and Altmühl rivers, which all flow towards the Danube, run through this recognized resort town. The tour leads through the town and around the Wolfsberg, where ancient Celtic ramparts have been preserved to this day. You cycle along a former railroad line, which then leads through the church village of Mühlbach to the Main-Danube Canal. This runs through a narrow valley, which leads us in a tight loop to Riedenburg. In the tranquil town, which is nestled between the surrounding hills, we change banks twice and then continue eastwards. The route passes below Prunn Castle, which can be seen from afar, perched on a steep limestone cliff. The originally baroque castle complex now combines a wide variety of architectural styles, including late Gothic and Renaissance elements. Now there is a small crest to overcome, behind which the tour passes the Felsenhäusl, which houses the prehistoric museum with a collection of fossils and exhibits from the last ice age. The route then flattens out again and runs through Essing to Kelheim, where the Danube is crossed on the Maximilian Bridge. The end of the tour is at the train station in Saal a.d. Donau.