Hiking the Konig Ludwig Weg! I have been back to Germany for over three months now and as spring started, so did my keenness for an outdoor activity. After many years in Australia I wasn’t used to sitting inside so much. Hiking in Bavaria is quite popular so I searched and stumbled across the Konig Ludwig Weg (König Ludwig Weg), south of Munich. The 150km long path was created in memory of the Bavarian King, born 1845.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
It was an amazing achievement (first one of many, as I later hiked the Kehlsteinhaus, Mt. Olympus, Norway and much more),but definitely not without pain. Carrying my own backpack with everything I needed for 7 days (between 6-10kg) it added to the challenge, although I mastered it surprisingly pretty well. I hardly noticed my backpack, but that could have also been because I had sooo much pain in my feet.
Konig Ludwig Weg
Day 1 – On that day I was confident and nothing could kill me. Keen and fit I thought I could do it all! However, I was supposed to walk only 25km and ended up walking 40km. How? Well, I thought Dießen a.m. Ammersee was closer than I thought. I misjudged the road to walk around the lake.
Why didn’t I take a taxi? Who knows? As said, I thought I could do it all. And I paid for it the next four days. Lesson learned, I would say. Don’t overdo it, if you plan to walk for a few days. (And I remembered it when I walked 11 days in France later in the year).
In addition, it was a Sunday, which means everything was shut. So, it goes without saying, once I arrived at my Gasthaus in Dießen a.m. Ammersee, I was happy to take off my shoes and let my feet breath. It was time for a big meal!
Day 2 (Dießen a.m. Ammersee – Wessobrunn – Patterzell)
The second day was pretty bad for my feet. I think that’s when I did the most damage. That said, besides the pain in my feet, the scenery was pretty nice. The path was mainly through the German forest and the alps were getting closer and closer. Stunning view to look at. It made the walking more fun. And so I did, step by step. Until Patterzell. 25km.
Day 3 (Patterzell – Hohenpeißenberg)
If I thought day two was tough, then day three was even tougher. Gee, the Konig Ludwig Weg is certainly pushing my limits. I really couldn‘t fit into my shoes anymore (due to my swollen feet). So I had to walk mainly barefoot (well, in socks).
The ‘steep’ hill didn’t help either (although it was only 200m, or less, in altitude). But I had to get up and down. Once I arrived at Hohenpeißenberg I went straight to the pharmacy, stocking up on band aids and pain killers.
Once I sat down, eating my well deserved ice cream, I decided to call it a day. Even though I only walked 20km. I stayed at a guest room and the lady host was also so kind to drive me to the supermarket so I could get some food supplies for the next day!
Well, besides my painful experience, hiking in Bavaria is really great. The Konig Ludwig Weg is quite gorgeous in scenery, and very peaceful.
Day 4 (Hohenpeißenberg – Lechbruck am See)
Day 4 was supposed to be a short trip but because I stopped earlier the day before, I had to catch up on the destination to still finish on day 5. So I walked 28km up to Lechbruck am See. It was a little bit easier and I was back in my hiking shoes (painkillers helped a lot).
The walk didn‘t have too many hills either and was more along normal roads. The villages and farms as well as country fields were a nice background.
Day 5 (Lechbruck am See – Schwangau, Neuschwanstein Castle)
After a previous day that was quite doable, day 5 was tough again. Wind and painful toes gave me the final challenges for the day.
My feet got used to the walk, although still not without pain, but the closer I got to the alps, the more I had to walk against a strong wind. Really? At parts, especially towards the end, I was literally walking almost horizontal to not be blown away. I guess a storm was coming!
And as you can imagine, when I arrived in Schwangau, the first thing I did, was to buy some flip flops. No more hiking shoes! (For now anyway). After another 30km that day, I completed my 5 day Konig Ludwig Weg hike. At last!
Hiking in Bavaria summary
If you are planning to go on a longer hike (for the first time), here is a big tip from me! Carry shoes (flip flops) you can wear after your walk, at the hotel. Because there is no way that you can walk in closed in shoes again. I was going barefoot to have dinner and even asked one of the hotel guys if they had some thongs.
On day 6 I caught the train back to Munich (in bright green thongs that I found in a shop – I know not very stylish but very comfy) to pick up my car and drive back to Thiersheim.
Follow up: It took for my feet over two weeks to recover and wear closed in shoes again. Luckily I didn’t loose my big toe although it was black for almost a year! Nevertheless, it was it all worth while. Being out in the fresh air every day, resting on random fields and having lunch out in the open, it is the best feeling ever. No matter whether it is the Konig Ludwig Weg, or other trips. Hiking in Bavaria is certainly beautiful and so are other parts of Europe.
I love nature I would do it all over again. And I did! See all my hikes here! Hiking in Poland, e.g. was quite nice! And I always remembered my lesson learned. Don’t overdo it on the first day!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering. No, I didn’t go up to the Neuschwanstein Castle. There is no way I would walk another meter nor kilometer that or next week, for that matter!
