Exploring The Black Forest: Part I

Karla and Stephen of Adventure Wheels delve into the depths of the Black Forest in a two part blog about their trip.

We love nothing more than exploring the great outdoors—the more immersed in nature we are, the better! So its no surprise that high on our list was the Black Forest in Germany, with its tall, dark trees and rushing rivers urging us to visit.

We could hear the soothing burble of one of those rivers from our pitch as we excitedly set up camp at our first site—Camping Belchenblick—situated in the south of the Black Forest and surrounded by pretty villages and rolling countryside. Ideal for motorhomers, a short walk along the river led us straight into the quaint town of Staufen. As we peacefully wandered along the cobbled streets, admiring the centuries-old buildings housing independent cafes and boutique shops, we couldn’t wait to get out and explore more of the area.

Cruising The Open Roads

One of our favourite things to do when visiting somewhere new is a driving tour. Not only is this a very disabled-friendly activity as you don’t have to leave the car if you don’t want to, but it’s great for all weathers too. And there’s no better way to get the lay of the land than cruising around (with or without a sense of direction), discovering things you otherwise wouldn’t have!

Setting off under bright blue skies littered with cotton-ball clouds, we weaved through villages full of half-hipped roofs and dark wood panelling that contrasted with the bright red window box flowers.

Then out onto the open roads.

We were expecting hills in the Black Forest, but the landscape was steeper and more mountainous than we could have imagined. And covered in dense forests as far as the eye could see!

Soon we were weaving through deep valleys and climbing the hairpin bends of Sirnitz Pass, to get a view of it all from above. At over 1000m high, we found our first stop—a car park, looking down across the hills that stretched out beneath us and appeared to change colour as the cloud shadows danced over them. From here, there are numerous hiking trails, but we just took a moment to breathe in the view, noticing a ski lift that looked almost out of place in the 25º heat, before continuing our drive.

Falling In Love

By late afternoon, we found ourselves in the quietly bustling spa town of Titisee, on the edge of its own glacial lake. It’s not often that we fall in love with towns—much-preferring trees and birds to concrete and, well… people—but as we strolled through its high street, it captured a piece of our hearts. Popping into a shop that caught our eye, we observed an entire wall of cuckoo clocks all ticking in unison and were blown away by the amount of detail in their intricate designs! Although the hand-carved creations were beautiful, we agreed that €5000 is a little over our souvenir budget and opted for a small wooden Christmas tree decoration instead. After all, this was definitely a place we’d want to remember.

Enticed by the scent of currywurst, we wandered down to a small hut selling it on the lakeside beach. And our first taste of Germany went down a treat! We enjoyed this mouthwatering delicacy as the water gently lapped up on the shore and the sky turned from blue to pink. It had been a fantastic yet long day, and once again, we were thankful to have a comfortable and familiar bed to return to.

To understand more of the Black Forest’s history, the following day we ventured out to Vogtsbauernhof—otherwise known as the Black Forest Open-Air Museum. This fascinating place transported us back through time, with its village of traditional, fully-furnished farmhouses dating back to the 1500s. It struck me that, although hundreds of years have passed since their conception, the architectural style really wasn’t a lot different from the modern Black Forest homes we’d seen over the past few days—only, people don’t tend to live under the same roof as their livestock anymore! Bright red flowers adorned ornate balconies, the half-hipped roofs hung low, and inside the woody scent of old fires still lingered in the rooms. It really was an experience for all of the senses!

A Place Of Extremes

We were en route to our next destination of Triberg when we remembered something. The Black Forest is home to the Guinness World Record-holding “World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock,” and it resides on the outskirts of this lively and picturesque town! By now, we’d seen our fair share of cuckoo clocks, but we couldn’t leave the Black Forest without seeing the biggest! This gigantic spectacle chimes (chirps) twice an hour, and we happened to arrive with just a few minutes to spare. The hands ticked closer and closer, and then suddenly, the gentle birdsong from the surrounding trees was replaced by an almighty “CUCK…COOO!” from the 23-stone bird peeping out the top of the clock.

Triberg is a place of extremes—home to the largest cuckoo clock, smallest cuckoo clock, and our favourite extreme of them all, the tallest waterfall in Germany! After a quick stop at a cafe to refuel on a huge (and deliciously light!) slice of famous Black Forest cake, we excitedly made our way to it.

Usually, to reach a waterfall, I have to do some degree of off-roading in my wheelchair. Carefully making my way over bumpy rocks, through mud, and across uneven ground. But Triberg Waterfall is unlike any we’ve visited before! We started on a smooth tarmac path, which continued through the tall trees as the sound of rushing water grew closer. Soon after setting off, the trees parted, and the cascading water came into view. And it was breathtaking—all 163 meters of it! The path continued right to the base of the falls, with a metal platform that allowed us to get close enough to feel the cool spray emanating from it. Sitting there, soaking it all in (quite literally!), we noticed the tarmac zig-zagging up the hill and a wooden bridge crossing over the top of the waterfall. It was very steep, but the evening was still young, and the elevated views were too inviting to not at least attempt the ascent.

Slowly but surely, we climbed the height of the waterfall, with the delicate aroma of pine filling our lungs… Then we made it to the top. As the water thundered beneath us and trailed down towards the town, we were eye-to-eye with the dark treetops, and simply looked at each other and smiled. It was certainly worth the climb!

At that moment, we thought that we had discovered the best that the Black Forest had to offer. But little did we know that there was still so much more to come!

Join us in Part Two, when we delve even deeper into the Black Forest, find a fantastic treetop trail, and take on the official Black Forest High route