Onto the Danube

DAY 27
We leave the house after having a huge breakfast with the family and head back towards Freiburg. Our route takes us back down the river then towards the lovely titled "Hell's Valley". Everyone we´ve asked about the route seems to say it's nice but lots of hills, we are basically riding over the black forest and to Donaueschingen where the river starts.

We go through Kirchzarten and then Buchenbach and then we start climbing through the valley through Schweighöfe. Great scenery but the climbing is tough, we continue up through lots of bends and eventually pass over 1000m high where we stop for some coffee and cake. Route is down hill now through farms and then we have a decision. Wind has picked up and looks like a storm coming, we could continue down into Neustadt or go left through more hills and try and reach the Danube. Stupidly we continue through the hills through Schwarzenbach which turn out to be the steepest we have faced yet, Mei is reduced to pushing her bike for the first time on the trip and the weather closing in has made our mood worse.

We eventually come out at a ski resort near Esienbach and finally comes the descent. We cane along through towns that blur past, lots of pine forest and long straight downhills and now the storm seems to be moving away so everyone is a bit happier. We arrive in what we think is Donaueschingen where a big festival is in full flow, Mei soon realises we are actually in Huffingen so we continue. Soon arrive in Donaueschingen where we see the actual source of the Danube, a small spring that merges with another river to be the official starting point of the Danube. Would like to stay here but the campsite is about 5km down the Danube trail so we head off that way and get to the camp. Huge place full of mullet wearing Germans drinking beer, i feel quite at home. A truly terrible band are playing near the restaurant but we eat there anyway.

100kms across the black forest mountains, very pleased to be actually on the Danube.