We kicked off our first full day of cycling with a hearty breakfast at 10 am in the heart of Augsburg, in a cute cafe/shop called Kitzenmarkt. Their pain au chocolat tastes just like the one from my fav cafe in Berlin, and they sell all kinds of products sourced locally/regionally/sustainably. At the window where we were sitting, a poster of this quote opened up next to me quite serendipitously, really!
Slightly more awake after coffee, we continued cycling through the centre of Augsburg towards the cathedral, where we saw the first Via Claudia Augusta signage. It took us south of the city through the green Botanic Gardens, Haunstetter forest and the lake Ilsesee, in front of which locals spread themselves on the green. It was a warm Tuesday in September.
The Via Claudia signs aren‘t too easy to spot sometimes, especially in the cities. Here‘s one I saw when we just entered the Botanic Gardens area In Augsburg.
Arriving in the village of Graben, we encountered the first Roman “milestone” along Via Claudia Augusta. This one says that the path was established in the year 46/47 passing through the city of Augsburg.
Shortly before 2pm, we stopped for lunch in Untermeitingen. The restaurant was actually about to close (before opening again for dinner), but the lady was kind enough to whip up a gratin for each of us.
With a full tummy, we continued cycling through the villages of Hurlach and Igling. The urban landscape slowly changed to a mountainous one and without realizing it, we steadily gained altitude.
Before calling it a day and heading to our accommodation in Hohenwart, we decided to do a detour to Landsberg am Lech. J had read impressive things about the old town and we were not disappointed. We walked our bikes through the town center and stopped for coffee & cake (a German custom I love) in a cafe called Zirnheld. The waitress kindly helped charge my phone but my bike GPS unfortunately died at this point. Lesson learned: bring a power bank and charge the bike GPS every evening.
Leaving Landsberg am Lech, J decided that we still had enough energy left to cycle through the gentle hills of Pitzling, Pürgen and Vilgertshofen. The view was breathtaking. Little did we know at this point, though, that our accommodation in Fuchstal lies at the top of a steep hill.
There were, of course, the occasional grazing cattles on green meadows.
I pushed my bike for what must have been the last 100 m towards our accommodation, exhausted and famished. Hotel Boarding House Hohenwart is a family-run establishment with a vast garden and a bike storage facility. At 7 pm, we unloaded our bikes, took a quick shower, and headed to the garden where a generous portion of rice with vegetables was waiting for us (the lady of the house had kindly cooked it for us although it wasn’t on the menu).
Day 1 of Via Claudia Augusta complete!
Key stats and stops
Distance traveled: 74 km
Total ascent: 205 m
Total descent: 103 m
Max altitude: 622 m
Terrain: mostly paved (tarmac/asphalt), fine gravel in the Haunstetter forest. Steady increase in altitude, nothing too sudden it felt almost flat except at the end.
Bike guide: Augsburg-Denklingen on https://www.komoot.com/tour/40938942?ref=wtd
Breakfast: Kitzenmarkt on Kitzenmarkt 14, 86150 Augsburg
Lunch: da Antonio Trattoria-Pizzeria on Lechfelder Str. 13, 86836 Untermeitingen
Coffee & cake: Zirnheld on Alte Bergstraße 400, 86899 Landsberg am Lech
Accommodation: Hotel Boarding House Hohenwart on Hohenwart 1, 86925 Fuchstal
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