Eichstätt's river valleys

There are bicycle parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the railway station.

Before the railway station in Eichstätt Stadt, turn right and take a short walk along Weißenburger Straße and Gemmingenstraße to reach the Rentamania bike hire shop.

If you want to hire a bike or e-bike in Eichstätt, you can do so with a clear conscience. Rentamania not only favours bicycles for mobility, but also protects nature in its own small, idealistic business. It is supplied with green electricity and gas and Rentamania also pays attention to sustainability when it comes to finances, IT and materials. Because the business deliberately only uses small areas to repair bikes to extend their lifespan or store hire bikes and e-bikes, advance booking and reservations are necessary. The team then organises the opening hours according to the wishes of the customers. Two e-bikes and four bikes are available spontaneously and without reservation from the cooperation partner at the Eichstätt Tourist Information Centre at Domplatz 8.

Fully equipped, continue in the same direction. Before the Schlagbrücke bridge over the Altmühl, turn left and soon take the Mariensteiner Steg instead. You follow the river southwards for a short distance on both banks. You then follow its side arm to Rebdorf. From here, continue in a westerly and southerly direction. You will need to expend a little energy on the Kirchenweg, as it is a little steeper here. Cycle through the forest for a while and turn north along the Kinderdorfstraße. You will soon reach your first destination: the Blumenberg visitor quarry.

150 million years ago, the Blumenberg was still part of a seascape. Today it offers a marvellous view of the (still not completely dry) Altmühltal valley, baroque Eichstätt and Willbaldsburg Castle.

Over 800 species of fossils have been found in the Blumenberg quarry in recent decades, many of them very well preserved. Animals and plants from prehistoric times that once lived in the tropical climate in and around the Jurassic Sea and eventually fossilised, covered in calcareous mud. Beaked fish, giant dragonflies and even a fish with its prey in its mouth. However, the most spectacular find on the Blumenberg is the rare prehistoric bird Archaeopteryx. Hobby collectors should not expect to come across an archaeopteryx themselves, but they can expect to see the snail-shaped ammonites or perhaps an ancient relative of the starfish. And the best thing is: you can take your prehistoric find home with you!

If you want to marvel at the variety of finds in the region, make a detour to the neighbouring Bergér Fossil Museum.

It only takes a few pedal strokes to reach the Harthof, where you can discover what others have dug out of the rock before you at the Bergér Fossil Museum.

The Bergér Museum tells the story of how living creatures became fossils. On the one hand, it is about how they lived before they died and what it looked like here millions of years ago. On the other hand, the most important fossils of the region are exhibited here.

There is a lot to discover: many fascinating insect fossils, especially unusually well-preserved dragonflies, a dry aquarium with corals and sea creatures and the "Gemstones, Minerals and Jewellery" exhibition. The other exhibition, "Forest and Field", is dedicated to the landscape. A litho press that is over 150 years old and still fully functional shows how stone drawings can be reproduced.

The museum on the Harthof has been in existence since 1968 and fossils are still prepared in the museum today. If you can't find what you're looking for in the neighbouring visitor quarry, you can take a piece of prehistory home with you from a large selection of fossils and minerals in the museum shop.

The route continues between quarries and through fields towards Schernfeld. Keep your eyes peeled at the entrance to the village! The old water tower from 1909 is now an unusual family home.

Most of the route still lies ahead of you. If you want to fortify yourself for the next few kilometres and take your time to look at your finds, it's worth taking a short detour down to the Altmühl. Here, at the Schernfeld bridge, you can enjoy slow food, beers and wines from the region in the beer garden with the shepherd's wagon, always produced as seasonally, naturally and sustainably as possible.

From Schernfeld, head south-west across fields and through forests. In Dollnstein, the Altmühl Centre in Dollnstein Castle is well worth a visit.


My place at the Schernfelder Bruck'
At the Schernfelder bridge, 91795 Dollnstein
Tel.: 0151 26204758
helmut@koenig-weine.de
www.meinplatzanderbruck.de/

Dollnstein Castle is located on a rocky bank on the Altmühl. It dates back to the 12th century and for centuries was owned by the Counts of Grögling, who temporarily also called themselves von Dollnstein and then von Hischberg. Around the turn of the millennium, the municipality succeeded in acquiring the castle piece by piece. From 2005 to 2009, it renovated the listed buildings, of which parts of the outer bailey, the castle gate and the "castle stables", which were added to the castle wall in 1444, have been preserved.

Inside, the "Altmühlzentrum Burg Dollnstein" houses the tourist information centre and an exhibition on the castles of the Altmühl Valley, the archaeological finds in the castle itself and the history of the river and landscape. Also on display are the landscape paintings by architect Heinrich Ullmann and a documentary about the "Bavarian Leonardo da Vinci": Konrad Kyeser. The castle even has its own treasure chamber. Here you can see the Dollnstein treasure: almost 4,000 silver coins and various items of jewellery that were found here during archaeological excavations in 2007.

From Dollnstein the route is downhill. After that, the tour remains largely flat. You cycle further south through the pretty primeval valley of the Danube.

If you have become hungry in the meantime, you have the opportunity to treat yourself in the beer garden of the Schmutter inn in Ried. The inn is famous in the region for its geese from its own rearing and for its friendly service during your meal.

A little further on in Wellheim, you will catch a glimpse of another castle ruin as you pass by. You follow the valley along the edge of the forest and the banks of the Schmutter to the west until you reach Nassenfels. Here you finally turn northwards and cycle back to the Altmühl and westwards into Eichstätt. If you haven't seen enough castles, take a short 200 metre detour to the right at the northern bend in Nassenfels to take a look at the moated castle with its high towers.

Schmutter Inn
Rieder Hauptstraße 1, 91795 Dollnstein
Tel.: 08422 252