~90 km today. I woke up very early, given the traffic noise at the campsite, so was on the road by 07:30. The first part of today’s ride closely followed the motorway, so I didn’t get to avoid it even then.
My path headed off east along the Altmuel after about 10km or so, where things became much more peaceful. The path was closed for resurfacing in a few places, so I had to follow the road .
At Dietfurt an der Altmuehl the Main-Donau Kanal (i.e. the canal between the river Main and the Danube) joined, and essentially subsumed the Altmuehl. I didn’t know there was a canal that joined them. Some research on Wiki-trave-guides reveals that it was only finished in 1992, construction having started in the 60s
There was a predecessor canal – the Ludwig Donau Main Kanal, which closed in the 50s. You could still see where this was in places (in some places I guess the new canal was built over the top). I guess the new one is now the main Main Donal Kanal.
part of …[the old canal] has been filled in to build the new A73 motorway, including ironically the site of a monument celebrating the completion of the canal.
Wiki travel
It was very scenic following the canal. The landscape reminded me of a larger version of the Avon Gorge east of Bristol.
At Kelheim the Danube joined the canal, with the path running on the N/W side.
It was very pleasant riding along this, although a lot of the path isn’t sealed, so everything was covered in grey dust by the end of the day. At one point I missed a turn and ended up climbing a hill before having to retrace my steps.
Shortly after this there was a ferry crossing. This consisted of a wire running above the river with another wire attached to it that’s able to run along it on a couple of wheels. This wire is attached to the boat. By changing the position the wire is attached, and with a single oar, the ferryman is able to use the river’s current to move the boat across. Though it was, as he explained very slow at the moment as there wasn’t much current. It was lovely and peaceful with only the water splashing against the hull for sound.
Following the east side of the river led me to Regensburg, where I’ve stopped for the night. The Canoe club does camping. It’s a very nice spot, right on the river a couple of km from the town centre. As I’d set off early, I’d plenty of time to explore the town.
A quick stop off on the way back to the campsite from an odd supermarket in the basement of a closed/closing department store. It was very odd walking past lots of taped off half empty areas to get to the otherwise normal supermarket.
