Westweg Day 8: Gasthaus Hirschen – Hotel Am Bach, Hinterzanten

From the first morning steps, we knew we would sweat. Even at 8:30 a.m. the air was already warm. And still. Windmills on a hill near the trail did not move an inch as we passed them.

Once we left the proximity of a paved road, meadows dominated our morning landscape, cows grazing, sound of cowbells.

Forest swallowed us occasionally. Here we had our share of blackberries, and some raspberries also. Mushrooms lined the path again, some grew on the trail directly and my mind wandered frequently to all the beautiful dishes I could create. Bolete soup, porcini goulash, shaggy parasols breaded and fried.

We did not have much look finding restaurants for lunch today. First one we came upon was not opened yet for the day. The second one just started to serve lunch and briefly we considered having a bite there but in the end we decided against it. It was a Michelin restaurant way too fancy for two dirty and sweaty hikers. So instead we walked to the next meadow where we sat in the soft grass and we are our bread and dried apricots and watched clouds scattered on the sky, and it was perfect.

The big town today was Titisee. Lake, golf courses, in the winter there are several ski jumps. We planned to eat dinner here, maybe even book a hotel. Neither happened. Hotels were too expensive, and if we wanted to make it to the next town, about 6 km away before dark, we could not spare an hour eating out.

The climb out of Titisee was brutal compared to anything we have done on the Westweg so far. The trail kept climbing, steep up, then a mellower section but uphill nine the less. It was a nice sight when we reached the top of the hill and Hinterzanten lay in the valley on the other side. Next stage completed.

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Titisee has a very nice relaxing feel as the town sits on a lake. Hotels book quickly during summer, especially the cheap ones. The cheapest we could get was €150

Hinterzanten is not much cheaper. There are plenty of more luxurious wellness hotels and in the town, which come with hefty price tag. If you want to stay at a cheaper hotel, book ahead. We were lucky to find a room for €100 including breakfast at hotel Am Bach. The hotel is little ways of trail but its really nice and it’s run by a super friendly owner, and there are restaurants and grocery store nearby.