Table of contents

• Gravel tour Swabian Alb One came through
• Where even linguistic experts fail
• With a road profile, there would be a layer in the shaft
• Fine granules, coarse-grained rubble, nasty sward
• Better to stay dry than to be ridiculed
• Info about the tour
• route
• Stay
• City tip
• Viewpoints

markus-jahn.com

25th pictures

markus-jahn.com

1/25
Gravel tour over the Swabian Alb.

markus-jahn.com

2/25
Matthias and his KTM ventured out onto the smooth slopes.

markus-jahn.com

3/25
Matthias and his KTM ventured out onto the smooth slopes.

markus-jahn.com

4/25
Matthias and his KTM ventured out onto the smooth slopes.

Werner Koch

5/25
When asphalt turns into gravel, the enduro hiker is very happy.

markus-jahn.com

6/25
Gravel tour over the Swabian Alb.

Werner Koch

7/25
Always worth it: you can climb the most beautiful viewpoints over the side valleys of the Danube. View from the button maker rock.

Werner Koch

8/25
Wildenstein Castle above the Danube Valley.

markus-jahn.com

9/25
The nice board of directors of the Motorsport Club Emmingen-Liptingen (www.mscl.de) provides us with his cross-piste.

markus-jahn.com

10/25
Gravel tour over the Swabian Alb.

markus-jahn.com

11/25
Travel time: 2 days, distance covered: approx. 450 km.

markus-jahn.com

12/25
When the sun is shining, take care of your aperture: good mood despite the downpour.

markus-jahn.com

13/25
Generation comparison. Bavarian 800s in front of martial plague crosses.

markus-jahn.com

14/25
Both machines and machinists have befuddled themselves with white lime sludge.

markus-jahn.com

15/25
A knee-deep water passage for breakfast.

markus-jahn.com

16/25
A knee-deep water passage for breakfast.

markus-jahn.com

17/25
A knee-deep water passage for breakfast.

markus-jahn.com

18/25
A knee-deep water passage for breakfast.

markus-jahn.com

19/25
Navi broken? Twisted compass? No, enduro riders on the wrong track.

Werner Koch

20/25
Gravel tour over the Swabian Alb.

markus-jahn.com

21/25
Gravel tour over the Swabian Alb.

Werner Koch

22/25
Swabian Maultaschen for refreshment, bike map for orientation.

markus-jahn.com

23/25
Arrow parabolic profile arrangement always works, whether for trekkers or scramblers.

markus-jahn.com

24/25
Both machines and machinists have, as befits their standing, covered themselves with white sludge.

markus-jahn.com

25/25
Well then, do it. The Kawasaki W 650 Scrambler also plows through vegetables.

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Enduro tour Swabian Alb

Gravel tour Swabian Alb
One came through

Away from your desk, workbench or screen and into the undergrowth. Enduro riding as wellness therapy – a gravel tour on the Swabian Alb.

Werner Koch

11/11/2015

Pure madness. You get the feeling that all the traffic jams in the world come together here. It stands in and from all directions. Escape from the sheet metal avalanche impossible, turning back pointless. The ten knights of the tunnel escape the daily collapse on the A 8 between Stuttgart and Munich with difficulty – and on a dusty dirt road.

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One came through

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Uff, done! Just a few hundred meters from the autobahn, the pack is crawling into the undergrowth, crawling over steep mountain roads up to the Swabian Alb. Where there should be six months of winter but only six weeks of summer, the chain of lights on the enduros meanders through lush meadows and glistening white rock tops. Up here, it seems, the world has not yet turned out of joint. In contrast to the catchment area of ​​the state capital Stuttgart, where the hustle and bustle and bustle that can hardly be stopped determine existence, the Swabian region is at home on the high plateau.

Where even linguistic experts fail

Here you look each other in the eye when you hear “Grub Gott” and exchange a few words with the stranger at the village fountain. As long as he understands the deep Swabian dialect. In central Swabian spots, as the villages are called here, linguistic experts could also fail grandly at the request “d’r Abbarad radra”. Although it’s all about “taking the machine down”. The indigenous people, decried as solitary, are, if you stand upright and open towards them, a thoroughly honest breed of people, even if they do not carry the humor frankly on their tongue.

Left, right, left – between tomato bushes and mighty rhubarb bushes, a rough gravel path leads out of the village and invites the enduro pack to drive their long-legged equipment through the remote landscape. Neither boards nor traffic signs show the way, only enduro riders who are knowledgeable in the truest sense of the word know the legal secret routes between the Neckar and Danube. And there are more of them than you might think. As a short connection to homesteads and small hamlets, the gravel roads have held up to this day. In this case, we are very happy that the tar cover is falling victim to the state-imposed austerity obligation and hope that the lonely paths criss-crossing the Alb will continue to decline. Exploring the southern tip of Germany is even more exciting on such almost car-free paths.

Exactly the right thing to do with the MOTORCYCLE action team-Tour with tamed groats at a leisurely pace through the rocky landscape. Leisurely because our group offers the whole range of vehicles and driving talents. Matthias Klosgen, multiple repeat offender of the South Germany tours and experienced crosser, has bought a KTM LC4. A team that is underchallenged with our gravel roads. But that doesn’t diminish the joy of the exploration trip, especially since their hour is yet to come.

Europe, Alps and long-distance travel with the MOTORRAD action team – book now!

With a road profile, there would be a layer in the shaft

For Martin Ilg and his BMW F 800 GS, on the other hand, the coarse gravel paths over mountains and valleys are adventure enough. Without any off-road experience, but having a lot of fun, he balances his two-cylinder through passages that previously seemed strange and invincible to him. In terms of chassis technology at the lower end of the line-up: the Kawasaki W 650, lovingly converted into a scrambler by Wolfgang Deibler, who doesn’t give a damn about it and vehemently plows through it. Between the KTM and the Scrambler, enduros line up, making enduro history as indestructible and mega-robust: Suzuki DR 350, DR-Z 400 and BMW R 80 G / S. All model students in terms of function and resilience, even in emergency situations. These bikes get through everywhere. All over.

Even where the group divides. On the left the alternative on asphalt, on the right the gloomy ravine as a direct ascent. Not losing momentum and looking ahead, the pack plowed towards the summit. With a road profile there would be a layer in the shaft, the tunnels of the TKC 80 and Heidenau Scout shovel as much as they can. Acrobatically incised serpentine lines testify to the dramatic loss of track, hectic footwork and wild counter-steering of the iron will to complete the summit storm. One, two, three, … eight, nine: Everyone is there, let’s go.

Fine granules, coarse-grained rubble, nasty sward

To the north of the Danube, where the Swabian Alb gently merges into Upper Swabian, time seems to have stood still. No, it’s definitely not the ass in the world – but you can see it quite well from here. Which can only please the gravel tourists. Left, right, up, down. Fine granules alternate with coarse-grained rubble and nasty, freshly watered sward. The fat grin under helmets is getting bigger, machines and machinists have sucked in on the hiking tour and drooled over into the last crack with white lime mud. Many GS Adventure owners would like to preserve this martial painting with clear varnish. Because of mud from the can and such. Too late. Monsoon-like bucket rain literally clears things up, even the steam jet can’t do it any better. Dripping wet, the pack turns off in the Danube Valley. Coffe break. Gloves steam on hot cooling fins, enduro boots are drained and many a Goretex jacket turns out to be an icy cold chamber when soaked with rainwater. “Shit weather”! The old rain suits weren’t that bad at all.

The nice thing about the hiking trail: you have time. This is not about gnawing miles or the fastest connection from A to B, but all about having fun. The day’s stage is exactly 80.2 kilometers as the crow flies, and you take the most beautiful bends and gravel stretches with you, barely 200. Therefore, there is time for a second cappuccino and the enduro rider for a few funny anecdotes about the day and the varied route that we end up with maneuvered over a kilometer-long gravel passage to the rustic inn directly on the Danube. This is actually the end, a dead end. But probably one of the most beautiful in Germany. As a reward, there is braised beef from the self-bred zebu beef and a few tasty cold drinks in a very sociable atmosphere.

Better to stay dry than to be ridiculed

Clouds of mist hang over the Danube, which gurgles glistening silver through the narrow valley. In the west the clouds are lifting, it will be a beautiful day. Photographer Markus Jahn has joined the pack. With the Suzuki GSX 1000 F, the long-term test motorcycle. She has to go through there, so does Markus. He should be able to do that, because Markus drove motocross, then trials and now the GSX 1000. What’s the matter? That was also the question asked by the half dozen enduro riders who were in awe of the knee-deep water crossing. Better to stay dry than to be mocked when the cargo is washed towards the Black Sea. Instead, we turn hard south, to the most beautiful corner of Lake Constance at Haldenhof. The plan was good, the visibility less. Even now, at the end of September, the gray water vapor hangs thickly over the landscape like cotton candy. No lake in sight.

We turn off to where the mountains peel out of the fog. Enduro riders crawl across the idyllic Wasserburg valley to the 862 meter high Witthoh south of the Danube. Sun, visibility and beautiful routes – what more could you want? Maybe a crisp enduro track? With jumps, hills, banked turns? Here you are, everything is there because the nice board of directors of the Motorsport Club Emmingen-Liptingen (www.mscel.de) has made his cross-piste available to us. At this point, once again, many thanks to the active club, we will be back! If only because the demanding track was too wet this time to take off with BMW and the like. Only Matthias and his KTM ventured onto the smooth parquet and were rewarded with applause. Not only because he was the only one to dig his way through the slippery mess, but also for his sparkling water crossing right at breakfast. The only one who got through.

Info about the tour

markus-jahn.com

The fact that the guided enduro gravel tour has been fully booked in recent years is also due to the fact that the route is a lot of fun and little stress even for inexperienced enduro riders.

For years, the reader tours with MOTORRAD editor Werner “Mini” Koch have been one of the popular tours on offer. The highly knowledgeable scout varies the tours from year to year and spares no effort to explore new legal, but extremely secretive and previously unknown routes. If you don’t really enjoy gravel roads, you can join the very varied three-day road tours. Tour number 11093 initially takes a very similar course to the gravel tour. However, it ends up in the Swabian Allgau at the end of the day. If you want to get to know the Allgau in the most remote corners, you are in good hands with tour number 11091 or 11092.

All action team tours have something very special in common: the route always runs on almost traffic-free, small streets. These meander away from any main traffic arteries or intersections through seemingly enchanted, very attractive landscapes. Information about the tours is available at www.actionteam.de. Clubs, companies or associations also have the option of booking the gravel tour for an exclusive date. All information on this under phone 0711 / 182-1977.

Travel time: 2 days
Distance covered: around 450 km

Tour information, dates and prices are available from MOTORCYCLE action team

route

markus-jahn.com

Travel time: 2 days, distance covered: approx. 450 km.

The most important localities and connections are shown on the map. An exact road book for the connecting stages on gravel roads can only be created by studying maps on a scale of 1: 50,000 or more precisely. All routes driven are legally passable, but have often not been serviced for a long time and can therefore be in a worse condition.

Stay

On the Swabian Alb there are plenty of inns in the larger cities, some of which are pleasantly cheap. On the other hand, supply is scarce on the less populated Alb plateau. Tips:

• “Radlerherberge” in Zwiefalten-Baach, Talweg 12, 88529 Zwiefalten, Tel. 0 73 73/14 22, www.radlerherberge.de
• “Brewery Blank” in Zwiefaltendorf, Von Speth-Strabe 19, 88499 Riedlingen, Tel. 0 73 73/6 43, www. brauerei-blank.de
• “Gasthof Schonblick” in Offingen / Bussen, Zum Bussen 24, 88524 Offingen, Tel. 0 73 74/7 58, www.schoenblick-bussen.de
• “Donauperle” Gutenstein / Donau, Burgfeldenstrasse 16, 72488 Sigmaringen, Tel. 0 75 70/95 13 88, www.donauperle.com
• “To the mill” Dietfurt a. d. Donau, Family Diesch, Burgstrasse 9, 72514 Inzigkofen, Tel. 0 75 71/5 17 15, www.muehle-dietfurt.de
• Gasthof “Neumuhle” / Donau, Neumuhle 1, 88631 Beuron, Tel. 0 75 70/95 90, www.neumuehle.de

City tip

Along the Lauchert, the small but very impressive and prehistorically exciting Veringenstadt is definitely worth a detour. If you want to see not only the imposing castle but also a complete Zundapp collection in Sigmaringen, please contact the Zundapp Museum, which belongs to the Zoller-Hof brewery. Address: Leopoldstrasse 40, 72488 Sigmaringen, Tel. 01 73/6 13 62 77, www.zuendappmuseum.de

Viewpoints

You have a fantastic view of the hilly or even mountainous landscape, where you can often see as far as the Alps, at the following points (to which, however, you can sometimes walk a few meters):

• Krebsstein near Schopfloch
• From Mundingen to Obermarchtal
• From Emerfeld into the Warm Valley
• Offingen on buses
• Wildenstein Castle near Leibertingen
• Haldenhof near Bonndorf on Lake Constance
• Witthoh near Tuttlingen
• Button maker rock near Fridingen a. d. Danube
• Robberg Tower near Genkingen

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