Mittelweg 2022

The Mittelweg runs from Pforzheim to Waldshut-Tiengen. Over nine days, we hiked a total of 243 km, with just under 4,600 m of elevation gain and 4,300 m of elevation loss. Here is the account of our trip:

We get up early and have breakfast at seven. This time my cousin Tyson from Canada is joining us. It was a fairly spontaneous decision, but he is young, after all, and is doing the whole hike just like that, with no training. Shortly after half past seven, we walk to the bus stop and take the bus to Bad Liebenzell station. Our little regional train takes us to Pforzheim, where our actual hike begins at exactly 8:26 a.m. Of course, we still have to get to the official starting point at Kupferhammer, the Golden Gate. After taking a small detour past the post station, we arrive there a good 45 minutes later and meet another hiker with a pack, who is going to hike the Westweg, though.

So off we cheerfully go, and before long we are in Weißenstein at the pretty arched bridge. It doesn’t take long to reach the first observation tower, either. It stands in Büchenbronn and looks much more modern than its construction date would suggest: 1883. From up there, you get a lovely view over Pforzheim and, in the other direction, the Black Forest, which we will be crossing over the next few days.

We continue through Engelsbrand and Langenbrand to Charlottenhöhe, a former sanatorium and current abandoned site. On the way to Calmbach, we start craving a wheat beer, but have to wait until we get to Bad Wildbad. There, we enjoy a Swabian-Croatian meal. The stage is quite strenuous for a first day of hiking, so afterwards we head straight to our first hut. It is only a few kilometres uphill, and we can look forward to our first night at ease. Unfortunately, the spring at the hut, like many others, has no water.

We wake up around seven and pack our things. It still takes us a while, but we will get into a routine as the hike goes on. We set off towards Grünhütte at 8:20 a.m. We know it does not open until 10, but when we arrive at 9:30, we can already get a cappuccino and hot chocolate. The first break is so cosy that we while away the time until the kitchen opens, then fortify ourselves with a blueberry pancake as well.

Now we continue through two wonderful moorlands. First we cross Wildseemoor and then, past Kaltenbronn, head to Hohlohsee. This time Kik is the one who gets stung by a wasp. Of course, we climb the Hohlohturm, and, as luck would have it, run into the Westweg hiker from the day before again (the Westweg also passes through here).

The trail continues along a narrow little footpath through beautiful scenery. It almost looks like the Grindenschwarzwald, with little colourful bushes and deadwood everywhere. The ground is also much nicer to walk on than the gravel tracks.

We have two huts to choose from and decide on the one near Besenfeld. Partly because that means two fewer kilometres to walk the next day, and partly because the hut has a wonderful view over Besenfeld.

We enjoy that view in the evening as a thunderstorm moves across the countryside and the sky lights up again and again. Commendably, Tyson walks all the way to Besenfeld and back to get us drinks for the evening. It rains during the night, but the hut's roof is mostly watertight and the open side is sheltered from the wind.

Fortunately, the rain came from the right direction during the night, and there was only a small leak in the roof, so apart from a small spot on Tyson's sleeping mat, everything stayed dry.

As a precaution, we put on our rain gear; it is still drizzling a little. But by the time we reach Besenfeld, where we can have a good breakfast at the bakery, it has stopped. Refreshed, we continue to Freudenstadt, arriving at around two in the afternoon. Unlike on the Westweg, finding food here is working out pretty well. We eat at the brewery restaurant, then walk on across the market square. It should be mentioned here (Kik insists) that Freudenstadt claims to have Germany's largest market square. The one in Heide is actually larger… in the small print, they admit that theirs is only the largest “built-up” market square. It is lovely, either way.

We briefly leave the Mittelweg on the way out of Freudenstadt to reach our overnight hut, the Maushaus. We have bought a little red wine and enjoy the end of the day.

An animal runs across the roof during the night; otherwise, the forest is as quiet as usual. We get up with the sun again at around seven and set off. In Zwieselsberg, we hope to find breakfast, but apart from a closed Russian hotel with lots of Ukrainian cars parked outside, there is nothing there. So we continue along small forest paths, following the border between Württemberg and Baden. The boundary stones all date from between 1730 and 1850.

Did I write the day before that finding food was going well? Well, not so much today. Fortunately, we knew that in advance. The stage is very short because we really want to spend the night at Theisenkopf (Tysonkopf 🙂 ). There are no places to stop for food, either. We arrive at Theisenkopfturm shortly after 2 p.m. and use the rest of the day to recover a little and dry our clammy clothes. The weather is great and the view is magnificent. We have cheese, bread, cucumber, sausages and wine, so we won't go hungry today.

In the evening, we sit in the tower's common room and play a dice game.

The sun rises at 6:45 a.m. and we take pictures. Clouds still hang over the valley; it looks beautiful.

After descending about 5 km into the valley, we arrive in Schiltach, where we meet Jan, who is currently walking part of the Way of St. James. He wants to go as far as Cluny. On the spur of the moment, we decide to have breakfast together at the bakery.

Our paths soon part again, and we have a serious climb ahead of us. A few kilometres later, we pass the Höhengasthof Heuwies. Finally, another wheat beer. Not much farther on, there is a drinks cellar right in the middle of a rock, so of course we have to stop there too.

And then we are already at the Gedächtnishaus am Fohrenbühl. There is a tower to climb there. We skip food and drink this time because we realise it is getting quite late and we still have some distance to cover. At around 6 p.m., we reach the “Zum Deutschen Jäger” inn. We have dinner there. We are running late, but it is only 3 km to Wanderheim Lindenbüble. Tonight, we won't be sleeping in bivvy bags but in a proper bed.

When we arrive, we are surprised. We had expected a simple dormitory with mattresses, but instead we get a beautifully renovated little house, complete with a stocked fridge, showers, a living room… wow! We find our first tick. There's always something. We go to bed fairly early and can finally get a good night's sleep again.

Tyson makes coffee for us in the morning. We pay for the perfect accommodation and set off towards St. Georgen. A town festival is going on there. We keep breakfast at the bakery to a little something. The trail is unfortunately no longer very well marked, and we briefly lose our way, but find it again. Unfortunately, it starts raining now. At first just a few drops, then it really comes down. We can hear thunder in the distance already. We hope the storm won't catch up with us. At least we are already quite high up and sometimes have to cross open fields.

When we arrive at Stöcklewaldturm, soaking wet, we take a break and have—look out!—a wheat beer. Of course, we have to climb the tower. As soon as we get back down, the sun comes out. That's how it should be!

We continue to Furtwangen. It's a fairly large town, so there must be lots of places to eat. Just not at 3 p.m. The only thing open is the kebab shop. That's fine too; the plates are generously filled and taste great.

Just a little farther now to the campsite. We couldn't find a decent hut nearby beforehand, so we're heading for the dormitory with mattresses. We'll regret it…

The night was awful. The dormitory with mattresses is in the attic, and it's in poor condition. The farm's owners are rather alternative, and if you like partying, that's great. If you want to sleep because you're tired from hiking—not so much. To make matters worse, there was a wedding, so we got to enjoy overdriven bass speakers until 4:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, the party room is directly below the dormitory.

Completely exhausted, we leave the place before 8 in the morning. After only a few metres, an electric fence blocks our hiking trail. We bravely climb over it. It probably isn't live, but nobody wants to test it.

At around nine, we rejoin the Mittelweg at Kalte Herberge. The restaurant is open, but we're told we're too late for breakfast. What a shame. But we can still get coffee. And cappuccino. And hot chocolate. Oh, and we can also have cake. Well, that's plenty for us; we're happy and enjoy the peace and quiet here after the night before…

We walk the rest of the way to Neustadt in sunshine and good spirits. When we arrive, we sit down at the pizzeria and have lunch. We need to fortify ourselves for the climb ahead. The trail climbs steeply to Hochfirst, and we each walk at our own pace. Although we lose sight of each other along the way, we all arrive at the top within ten minutes. We have another wheat beer at the inn. Unfortunately, we can't climb the tower; it is closed.

At around 7 p.m., we reach Balzenwaldhütte, which has a wonderful view of Feldberg and Seebuck. The sunset confirms that hiking and sleeping in the forest and in huts are absolutely worth it.

We slept well and set off around eight, as we almost always do. And today, too, after about six kilometres, we come to a little village at just the right time. Lenzkirch is small, but big enough to have a bakery. And a particularly lovely one at that, with seating both inside and out. Naturally, we take advantage of it.

We don't need much, because we are sure to get something to eat today. At around 1:30 p.m., we reach Rothaus and the brewery. Even though we hardly saw a soul before, here they are again: day-trippers who came by car. And in droves. Since we want a proper meal, we have to join the queue of people waiting for a table to become free. It takes less time than expected, and we get a nice spot at the end of the terrace.

We also visit the brewery shop, as well as the Hüsli, which is only a few hundred metres away. Those of us who are a bit older of course know that the Hüsli was the home of Prof. Dr. Brinkmann from the TV series “Die Schwarzwaldklinik.” The show's theme tune inevitably starts playing in your head as you approach the property.

The rest of the trail follows a small stream, the Mettma. In the middle of the valley is a hut we had picked out as the final overnight stop of the trip. It is locked, but has a large covered veranda, which is just about big enough for us. We briefly dip our feet in the ice-cold water and play another round. It is getting noticeably cooler, probably because of the valley and the river. That makes you appreciate a warm, cosy sleeping bag.

The night was cool, but we all slept very well. After getting up, we look forward to a relaxed final stage to Waldshut. Things will turn out differently.

First, we stroll along the Mettma, which flows into a large reservoir. The dam is impressive. Shortly afterwards, we come to a road that is closed for work. There is a lot of dust in the air, but we have to turn back onto the hiking trail straight away anyway. It climbs steeply—really steeply. When we reach the top, we check today's elevation gain again. It doesn't look like that much. Even so, today feels like we've climbed up and down more than on all the previous days put together.

The trail doesn't seem to get much use. All the more surprising, then, when an older man suddenly appears in the middle of the forest wearing a helmet and holding a chainsaw. We have to take a picture; it looks too good. Shortly afterwards, it starts raining a little again. The trails are now very slippery and difficult to walk on. We'd better not fall here. The trail drops steeply at Schwedenfels, so don't get too close to the edge.

The trail to Witznau descends in steep switchbacks. Markus slips briefly on a rock and immediately realises that his knee can't take too many more of those. Unfortunately, there is nothing to eat in Witznau, so we head straight uphill again, uncomfortably along a road.

The Hutpfad that follows is no easier. A fallen tree blocks the trail. We can't take our packs off; we have to climb around it over the steep slope with all our gear on. Not easy at all. Eventually we reach Gutenburg, but we can't find anywhere to get some food there either. The rain gets heavier, and we can already hear the storm approaching in the distance. When we arrive in Gurtweil, we pass Campingplatz Schlüchttal. They have a restaurant, too. Unfortunately, it is closed. A friendly man comes around the corner and tells us it has been closed since November. We had been so looking forward to a cold wheat beer. Oh, just a wheat beer? Well, we can do that! Overjoyed, we stay sitting for a little while, and would you believe it, the rain lets up too.

The rest of the way takes us past a cemetery to the station in Waldshut. We arrive in the afternoon. Going home is out of the question, as the fastest connection would get us there at four in the morning. So we check into a hotel that is reasonably close to the station. It is not exactly a four-star hotel, but we don't have high expectations either. We shower, then head to a restaurant at a campsite right on the Rhine, without our packs. We enjoy one more beautiful sunset, with a view of the plume from the nuclear power plant in Switzerland, before heading home by bus and train the next day.

The return trip goes well, even though we have to catch three trains, a replacement bus service, and the last bus of the afternoon.

Our verdict on the hike: after the disappointment of the Ostweg, the Mittelweg leaves us with a positive impression again. Not quite as beautiful as the Westweg, but with some truly lovely landscapes. There are plenty of places to stop for food, and the hiking trails are varied and pleasant to walk.