Travel report: The Kocher Jagst Cycle Path

At Oberregenbach we pass an old stone bridge over the Jagst for a change. In Unterregenbach a real surprise awaits: an Ottonian crypt, which is the last remnant of a huge basilica from the 10th century. The basilica probably did not exist for long and it is not known which relic or which saint was pilgrimaged to here. The crypt was in use for 300 years longer than the basilica, but then fell into oblivion and was later used as a cellar. Opposite today's little church and the crypt is the Zur Getränketruhe rest stop, which we use to drink a delicious apple-elderberry spritzer and eat an Irish cream ice cream. On this stage, it is noticeable that we cycle through many small villages that do not have a bakery or store, but there are signs of such rest stops everywhere in the form of a vending machine or in a small hut, e.g. next to a farm.

As we continue our journey, we pass another beautiful wooden bridge, the Archenbrücke. Next, a school of swans glides past us on the Jagst, like a symbol of this decelerating region.

In Mulfingen , the St. Anna Chapel, a pretty little church with a carved altar from the Riemenschneider school, stands at the edge of the path. It has been drizzling lightly since Unterregenbach and is now starting to drizzle more heavily, but it's not far to the Hotel Altes Amtshaus in Ailringen. What a beautiful, special hotel. We can store our bikes in a garage and charge our batteries in the lockers provided in front of the hotel. We quickly find out that the hotel belongs to "Schrauben Würth", who has had it renovated. Everything is done here to make guests feel at home. The rooms are beautifully furnished, there are drinks in the fridge, free water and pictures from the Würth collection hanging on the walls. There is a photo in our room showing the "Schraube Würth" with the Dalai Lama, who has probably stayed in our room, the Amtsstube . We change and move over to the sofa in front of the fireplace for cappuccino and a delicious pear crumble. We stay there and later eat dinner there, salad and tarte flambée.

After dinner, we take a short walk through the village. This gives us the idea of changing the tour due to the forecast rain and driving to Künzelsau tomorrow to spend the rainy season there at the Museum Würth 2 in the Nolde exhibition.

Stage 2: Ailringen – Künzelsau-Gaisbach – Sindringen (09.09.2025)

Because of the weather forecast for today, Martin rescheduled the day's stage last night. The Radweg-Reisen tour book includes a ride through the Jagsttal valley, but it doesn't seem suitable for a rainy day as there are few opportunities to stop for refreshments or other "dry" activities. We would also like to visit the Nolde exhibition at the Museum Würth 2 in Künzelsau-Gaisbach and have time to do so, so we cycle to Sindringen via Künzelsau.

After a particularly hearty breakfast with freshly prepared fried eggs, Bircher muesli and other delicacies, all served in small jars, we set off at 9.50 am. We have already secured our luggage on the bike against the rain, but have not yet put on our rain pants. Shortly after leaving Ailringen, we have to tackle the first steep climb to Hohebach.

Once we've made it, it starts to drizzle. We ride a few more kilometers, but after the next village we put on our rain pants. Luckily, because now it really starts to rain. We reach Künzelsau in the rain and, after a short period of uncertainty, find our way to Künzelsau-Gaisbach. It is now pouring with rain and we realize in the pouring rain that the alternative route that Komoot spit out yesterday contains an 18% ascent. We manage climbs of up to 12% or 13% quite well with the e-bikes, but not 18%. I can't even manage to push my bike up such a climb, even with a push-assist. We stop briefly in a carport to see if there is an alternative, less steep, route. We decide against trying to cycle along the main road because we can't see if there is a cycle path with the fogged-up glasses on our cell phones and riding directly on the main road seems too risky in this weather.

A little digression: After visiting the museum, we will cycle back to Künzelsau and discover that there is a separate cycle path next to the main road. However, it does not appear on Komoot, perhaps because it is not continuous and you have to push your bike about 100 meters along a narrow gravel path. As I read the tour book carefully in preparation for the last stage, on which we could visit the museum, I realize that we could have overcome the difference in altitude with the Künzelsau mountain railroad. Now Martin pushes the bikes up the 18% incline in the pouring rain and we cycle to the museum. Fortunately, there are covered bike racks there so that we can get rid of our rain gear in the dry, and charging facilities for the batteries in lockers.

Just before we reach Neuenstadt , it starts to drizzle again. We park our bikes in front of the castle, as we find out a little later from a local in the bakery where we are sitting. She speaks to us when she overhears me reading to Martin from the guidebook and tells us what there is to see here. The most famous inhabitant was the poet Eduard Mörike (we immediately think of Akud Ödreimer in Walter Moers). Next to the bakery is the Mörike family's pharmacy. Eduard Mörike was later a pastor in Obersulzbach, a village nearby. I search the internet for poems by Mörike and discover that he wrote witty poems such as 'Auf eine Lampe' and 'Auf ein Ei geschrieben'. I also find a poem by Mörike that fits today:

A September morning

“The world still rests in the mist.

The woods and meadows are still dreaming:

Soon, when the veil lifts,

You’ll see the blue sky unobstructed.

The subdued world, full of autumnal vigour,

Flows in warm gold.”

We go to the town church of St. Nicholas, which is also a Radler church. We then visit the lime tree park, where many lime trees now form a dense canopy in a place where, until 1945, this canopy was formed by a 1000-year-old lime tree.

From Neuenstadt, the cycle path leads us along the Kocher river to Bad Friedrichshall. The salt mine is still in operation and can therefore unfortunately only be visited at weekends.

We decide to take a detour a few kilometers further along the Neckar to Bad Wimpfen. We can already see it from afar, towering over the Neckar, like a picture of a German town.

Stage 4: Neckarsulm – Neudenau – Möckmühl – Jagsthausen – Sindringen (11.09.2025)

Today we set off at 10.15 am. The route takes us very quickly to the Neckar and we ride to just before Bad Wimpfen. We then cross the Neckar on a railroad bridge and cycle along the Jagst. Here, too, it is a great cycle path for the most part. We encounter few people. The path meanders through the meadows, the Jagst valley is sometimes narrower, sometimes wider. Autumn crocuses bloom under the apple trees in a meadow orchard and swallows fly low in the opposite meadow.

The first place we reach is Neudenau, another pretty little half-timbered town. We then pass the chapel of St. Gangolf, which can only be viewed from the outside. The next small town is Möckmühl. We had expected more, but perhaps we were disappointed because it was lunchtime and it was starting to drizzle. We pick up sandwiches from a bakery and eat them on a bench in the forest right next to the Jagst.

Because it keeps drizzling lightly, we don't look for the center of Widdern, but drive to Jagsthausen, the home of Götz von Berlichingen. Here, too, we only make a short stop and just take a look at the Götzenbrunnen fountain because it's raining again.

After Jagsthausen, we have to cross the hill that separates the Jagst and Kocher rivers, which is easy to manage with the e-bikes. On the other side of the hill, we come back to Sindringen, where we spend the second night at Hotel Die Krone am Fluss. Because I'm very tired, I get a good night's sleep first. After a refreshing shower, we take a look around the village. It is also very cute, with a town wall and pottery details scattered everywhere. We end the day with a delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant. Sheep's milk ice cream is a special treat.

Stage 5: Sindringen – Forchtenberg – Künzelsau – Schwäbisch Hall (12.09.2025)

The weather is better today. It's still quite cool, it rained at night, it's cloudy, but the sun is slowly breaking through.

Today's stage takes us along the Kocher river the whole way. We stop for the first time at the Kocher plant in Ernsbach . Unfortunately, it is still closed, otherwise we would have visited it. Along the way there are lots of small towns and villages with half-timbered houses and churches, one of which is a fortified church.

Conclusion:

The tour "The Kocher-Jagst Cycle Path" is a very beautiful river cycle tour. The cycle paths are mostly excellent and well signposted. Almost all the time you are close to the river, it is very tranquil and you only meet other cyclists every now and then.

The organization by Radweg-Reisen was excellent as always: very nice hotels, all with bicycle storage facilities and the very informative tour book with all the information you need.