14th September to 16th September 2023
After trying to secure a pitch along our intended route, and failing, we have skipped past Fussen and lake Forggensee and found a pitch at Campingpark Oberammergau. The pitch was expensive (135 Euro for 3 nights) with electricity extra, but it’s a nice pitch with good facilities and within walking distance (10 min) of old the old town centre.
Oberammergau is well worth a visit. Such a charismatic town with a unique Bavarian atmosphere. The ornately painted houses with the backdrop of the mountains on all sides is breathtaking. Its a must see / bucket list visit.
The next day we went for a walk along the river by the site. We headed out of town for about 4 miles before looping back on the opposite bank and through town. Mac swam in the crystal clear alpine water and we spotted a black squirrel along the way. Surprisingly, part way along the walk, my phone started making a strange noise. Not a normal notification sound. More like an alarm. When I saw the screen it was flashing red. Then the warning sirens in Oberammergau started up. What was going on? The red flashing notice on my phone was in German and hadn’t got a clue what the emergency was or how to react. Accosting the closest German we could on the trail we found it was a test of the German emergency systems. Phew, I had visions of Putin doing even more stupid stuff.
On the Friday we did some sightseeing. We started with Schloss Neuschwanstein and the Schloss Linderhof with a detour between the two via Am Plansee in the Austrian Tirol. Neuschwanstein Castle was beyond expectations. We started by walking up the hill to Marienbrucke bridge which has the postcard view of the castle. The morning mist hadn’t quite cleared but the view was fantastic. We then walked down the hill to the castle itself to be met by even more visual treats. We didn’t go in (the tours are booked up months in advance) but the views of the castle and its surrounds are breathtaking.
We then too a chance and drove the Austrian side of the border back towards Schloss Linderhof. A chance because I didn’t have the required GPS toll device but it was worth it. The road along the Plansee lake is far beyond the ability of a good camera to capture. Turquoise water, brilliant blue sky and Alps seemingly rising from the lake. Memorable.
Next on the list was Schloss Linderhof another one of King Ludvig II’s extravagant palaces. Again we didn’t go it, but the garden and architecture really need to been seen to be believed.
The shear volume of tourists here at the moment is causing a rethink in our holiday strategy. We thought we would be able to visit the places we wanted and find a campsite/stopover close by. That is simply not achievable. It seems the only way to get a place at a stellplatze is to get up early and beat the Germans to the places. That might be OK if you have bikes, but with our dog we are limited to walking distance of the stellplatze or we loose our place. And all the camping sites around lake chiemsee and lake komigsee are fully booked. I spent a few hours on my laptop and phone contacting each of them. This was our direction of travel for the next week or so. Time for a rethink.
Distance so far 1596 Km according to google maps.