An hour's drive from Frankfurt, just in the state of Baden-Württemberg you will find the Kraichgau-Stromberg region. To be honest, I have always driven past it with great enthusiasm. On the way to Freiburg (for the Black Forest), to Switzerland or onwards to Italy. That you are in Kraichgau-Stromberg can gravitate well, you can actually guess. The nickname is the land of 1000 hills (land of 1000 huegel) and these are dotted with beautiful gravel paths. Time to take a look there and tell you why you want to gravel in Kraichgau-Stromberg. At least, we have yet to see that.
Basecamp Knittlingen - Digging in Kraichgau-Stromberg
When I pull up my bike case and backpack towards Knittlingen church in late August, I cannot yet fathom what awaits me. After all, I have only been given a hotel name. Gasthaus Faust, in the middle of Knittlingen. I had never heard of Knittlingen, let alone could point it out on a map. Faust does not refer to the 'famous' Faust, but to 'that other one'. Also convenient. Still. I'm there, so I'm also lkaar for it. As it turns out, there is a real welcoming committee. One of the co-owners of the almost brand-new guesthouse in the town is waiting for me. An animated conversation ensues and I am immediately sold. What a lovely place. Once inside, my mouth falls open. The half-timbered house has been beautifully renovated and everything exudes solid luxury. In the rooms, likewise. Space, peace and quiet, a lovely bed. I am going to enjoy this. Will I come and try the menu? We'll see later then.
Getting to know the region
That this region is a gravel region par excellence, I soon notice. On the road to Knittlingen, I can already see the vines and hills around me. Sometimes I see a nice path running uphill, but more often I see woods and fields. That means: lots of unpaved roads, so beautiful graveling. The region itself is also aware of this. We get a whole komoot collection of varied routes in advance. A nice mix between challenge and relaxation, we will also notice later. I deliberately say 'we', because on this trip I am not alone. For partner platform ZijWielrent.nl Dorien and Sandra joined me. Experienced world travellers, who have visited many exotic countries by gravel bike. Kraichgau-Stromberg fits right in.
Around the neighbourhood
We start our journey with a tour of the area. Just warming up as it is so nicely called. A coffee round doesn't make sense at this time (late afternoon). More like a pre-dinner ride. On to the vineyards and to the Monastery of Maulbronn, one of the region's attractions. We'll take a closer look at the monastery later, but it provides a nice backdrop on the first ride. From there, we head into the fields and forests. The signs show pretty village names like 'Zaiserswieher' and 'Freudenstein'. Here you can find those beautiful long gravel strips that we so miss in the Netherlands. Here it is still possible, because there is so much land and relatively few people. Yet you are never really alone. We see other cyclists, greet walkers and dog lovers. All amicably together. We finish this tour of the area with a beautiful descent towards Knittlingen. Dinner at Clubhaus 1920 is as surprising and fine as this first ride.
Delicious 'Genuss' route
The next day we face a wonderfully long adventure. We head into the forests, through the monastery of Maulbronn towards the Neckar river near Besigheim. There is also our first stop of the day at Kramer's Biergarten. Widely praised and we look forward to it. To get there, we will be on the road for a while. It's about halfway through our tour (which totals more than 100km) and we also have to go on dirt roads. Plus making the pictures, means we still have some pedalling to do. But with scenery like this, where we trek right through vineyards and then dive back into the forests, that's no problem at all. We sporadically see other cyclists and encounter villages and towns along the way. In Sachsenheim, we pause for coffee and something sweet. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Kramer's Biergarten
So our sub-target is Kramer's Biergarten in Besigheim. By the way, would the name Heimwee come from here? There are many villages and towns that end with 'heim' in German. Also in Alsace, by the way, but that could also have to do with German-French relations there. In Bietigheim-Bissingen, we drive through the Japanese gardens to pick up the river there and then head towards Besigheim. We follow the water and in Besigheim we meander through the old town, with beautiful half-timbered houses, to Kramer's Biergarten. There we indulge in local cuisine with Maultaschen (a speciality), a good burger and a 0.0% beer. Because we have a long way to go after that!
Rivers - Views
So lunch tastes great and we continue on our way towards Heilbronn. We follow the river and at Laufen we cross over to the right bank. It produces pretty pictures. A little further on at the Horkheim lock, we cross back again. Heilbronn and the Heuchelberg are technically just outside the Kraichgau-Stromberg area. Yet we mention it because of the view from the Heuchelberg. This location is perfect for a drink and the view makes us completely happy. Not for nothing a popular wedding location! From there, we turn west and head back towards our home base of Knittlingen through the forests and past some lakes. Tired, but definitely satisfied, we park the bike again at Gasthaus Faust. Dinner in the evening in Maulbronn goes down just as well as the day before.
A round of wine and Hügelfest (i.e. wine)
On our last day of travel, we head west from Knittlingen. The goal? To experience the Hügelfest, which is highly recommended to us. For this ride, we saddle up for a total of 65km and take in some nice highlights. Real 'hügel' in other words, because you notice the hills here too. First we head towards Bretten, where we also pick up Lena from the local tourist office. She knows the road better than we do and leads the way towards Bruchsal. The viewpoint just before the town on Michaelsberg is a must. You can also immortalise yourself on the worldwide web! The descent afterwards is a bit technical, but doable even with a gravel bike. Once in town, we indulge in spaghetti ice cream. If anything is a childhood memory, it is spaghetti ice cream. The other surprise is the Bruchsal castle. A beautiful castle with garden and outdoor space. Imposing and unexpected.
Wine and more
I said: the region is all about wine. You see so many vines along the Moselle, for example, or in northern Italy. Also if you go graveling in Kraichgau-Stromberg. By gravel bike, you can often cycle through the vines too. Not too often, be careful. We first make a stop outside Bruchsal at Klumpp. A state-of-the-art wine grower, who also grows organically (and biodynamically). Wow. Really stunning to see. A little sip of the local elixir should be okay right? It doesn't bother us in the drive towards Weingut Klenert for the feast. The route through the Kraichbachniederung completes it.
Why and when should you go?
The reason for gravelling in Kraichgau-Stromberg is the combination of friendly people, gastronomy,(and then definitely the wine) and the beautiful gravel routes. Again, I had forgotten for a moment how good you are in Germany can gravitate. So often I let myself be surprised by a new environment, but this time it is entirely appropriate. Long gravel lanes through the forest, the vineyards, the climbs and then, consequently, beautiful viewpoints. The stops at the wineries, at the 'eisdielen' (or ice cream cafes). Everything just adds up then. The best time to go is the fringes of summer and spring and autumn. We had 35+ degrees one day on the bike and then it is really hot even in the forest. Better to go for spring and autumn then. Do take into account more rain then.
Tips for a delicious pit stop
If you are gravelling in Kraichgau-Stromberg, you will need the occasional pit stop. Here are our tips.
- coffee and more: Luisenhof Hofladen in Oberderdingen
- Germany has a good ice cream culture. In Bruchsal, among other places, we stopped for a 'gelato'. Go for Spaghetti ice cream at Gelateria GranCaffe
- Drinking. Germany is known for its beer culture, but wine is also well represented here
- Along our route you will come to Weingut Klummp or at Weingut Klenert. Stop for a tasting or a small glass
- Kramer's Biergarten has a good (non-alcoholic) beer selection
- Food along the route and in the evening
- Kramer's Biergarten -> solid German. The maultaschen are a speciality.
- Gasthaus Faust -> for just that little bit of extra gastronomy. Changing menu.
- Zum Scheffelhof - Maulbronn -> ample choice of meat but also vegetarian. Solid plus.
- Reinhards Alte Feuerwache -> perfect for 'Kaffee & Kuchen'
- Clubhaus 1920 -> nothing no sports canteen, but good food. Among other things, the pasta with mushrooms was enjoyable.
A special mention for Hofladen Luisenhof. On both our day three and day four, we stopped here. On day three, we got there after closing time and were given a 'bag to take' for the road with delicious fresh fruit and a juice. The next morning, we went back for coffee and kuchen which was enjoyable. Super friendly and really recommended for a stop!
