Lahn Cycle Path: From Erndtebrück to Bad Laasphe

Monday, June 1st, 2020, it is already bright outside, although it is still very early in the morning.

In a house in a small, really very small village in the middle of Bavaria, two women in cycling gear are standing in the dining room. The younger of the two is reassuring the older one. In the background stands a sleepy man, obviously the father of the younger woman.

His contribution to the excursion is of great importance, as he will drive his wife and daughter, along with their bicycles, to the nearest train station.

But how did it come to this? A little flashback: for Christmas 2018, I gave my mom a gift that we would cycle around Lake Constance together. But the year 2019 came and went, and due to time constraints, we did not see Lake Constance. But for 2020, we were determined to do it. But then came Corona. And all borders were closed, including those to the Austrian and Swiss Lake Constance shore. That's why we looked for an alternative - and found it on the Lahn Cycle Path. And on June 1st, we were supposed to start that journey.

And because this is not a crime story, but a relaxed (yes, really!) mother-daughter trip, I will now moderate my writing style a bit ;).

The day actually started very early, namely shortly before 6, because I was somehow already awake. Mom was very nervous, which is why Dad drove us to the train station at quarter past 7. There we bought the tickets and at 7:19 the train departed. We had to change trains 5 (that's right, five!) times until Erndtebrück, three of them with connection times of less than ten minutes. We actually reached all connecting trains without any problems. The train journey went without major incidents, there were a lot of bikes in the last three trains, but that was not a problem either. In one train, there were so few people that the conductor chatted with us before departure. He was very nice. In the last train, on the other hand, I could hardly get any rest because an older lady felt the need to tell me her whole life story, whether I wanted to hear it or not. After seven hours on the train with the mask required due to Corona, Mom and I were relieved when we finally arrived in Erndtebrück at quarter past 3.

We immediately started cycling. Surprisingly, we always found the way without any problems. In total, there were surprisingly many ups and downs today. At first, we cycled through a narrow valley with many meadows and a small meander. It was bounded by forest. Overall, it seemed to me that this area, the Rothaargebirge, was very wooded.

Finally, we came across the Sieg Spring (the source of the river Sieg. Although the idea that everyone who drinks from it always wins is also nice.), where there was a very short circular path. Mom and I chained our bikes and followed it. After 5 minutes, we were back at the starting point. Unfortunately, due to the drought, the spring had hardly any water.

The section between the much-visited Sieg Spring and the equally busy Lahn Spring was extremely busy. However, the Lahn Spring was really beautiful. There was a pond and right next to it a very cool beer garden. Mom and I looked at the spring and soon continued on a gravel path along the Lahn Valley.

Here, the Lahn was just a trickle. Later, we cycled parallel to it on the slope and at that point, it was already a stream. This section was great: on the slope, with forest around us, but still being able to see the Lahn, with meadows spreading next to it. Again and again, we passed small, well-kept villages with many animals in the meadows. Many houses had shingle roofs and half-timbered facades.

Finally, we crossed a busy road and arrived in Bad Laasphe. The hotel I booked was actually right in the town center on this road. Mom and I checked in - a bit cumbersome due to Corona - and explored the surroundings: the spa park (not exactly pristine, but nice), the old town (small but nice), and the Lahn (very pretty). We also had an ice cream. Afterwards, we ate outside at the hotel's restaurant. It was delicious and comfortably warm thanks to the last rays of sunshine. After a schnapps, we paid and went to bed soon after.

Stage: Erndtebrück - Bad Laasphe (Lahn Cycle Path)

Distance: only 35 kilometers today

Weather: very sunny, somewhat warm but not hot, light wind