Travel report: The Kocher Jagst Cycle Path

Day 1: 17.08.2025, Arrival

We set off at 9.00 am from Aachen Central Station bound for Schwäbisch Hall-Hessenthal. In the afternoon, we arrived in Schwäbisch Hall in lovely weather. A friendly local student helped us carry our luggage. What a wonderful welcome to Swabia! Our hotel was the Hotel Goldener Adler, centrally located on the market square and next to St Andrew’s Church.

The picturesque town lay lazily in its Sunday afternoon slumber. Our hotel room offered a wonderful view of the market square. Upon checking in, we learnt that an open-air theatre festival was taking place in the town and that the musical ‘Hairspray’ was to be performed that evening on the church’s Grand Staircase. First, we went for a stroll through the town and wandered down to the River Kocher. With its half-timbered houses in the old town, the town has real character and charm. After a delicious meal, we returned to the hotel.

We didn’t need tickets for the musical, as we could comfortably hear and see part of the performance from our window. However, the enjoyment didn’t last long, as we were very tired and the acoustics weren’t that great either.

Day 2: 18.08.2025, stage from Schwäbisch Hall to Ailringen, approx. 50 km

After an excellent breakfast, we found our e-bikes in the hotel’s bike room. Everything was there: a pannier, luggage bags, a charger, a pump, a repair kit, route descriptions and information on places of interest.

We set off along the River Kocher, initially on a narrow cycle path which then opened out into a wide valley. The view of the gigantic Kocher Valley Bridge (185 m high, 1,128 m long) was truly impressive. We noticed there was a very bountiful fruit harvest as well as lush floral vegetation. A feast for the eyes and a wealth of subjects for our shared hobby, photography.

We’d got ourselves ‘lost’ – through our own fault – and were huffing and puffing our way up the hill to Langenburg Castle, the residence of the Hohenlohe-Langenburg family. Here’s our first compliment for the fantastic bikes from Radweg-Reisen. They’re sturdy and handle the climbs well. The batteries didn’t let us down, and we still had a bit of ‘reserve’ left on the display in the evening.

Every now and then, with permission, we nipped over to the lush fruit trees to snack on an apple or a pear. Delicious!!! In Ailringen, we spent the night in a former town hall, converted into a guesthouse and tastefully furnished.

Day 3: 19.08.2025, from Ailringen to Sindringen, approx. 42 km

This time, in glorious weather, we cycled through floodplains and orchard meadows along the River Jagst, past Muschelkalk cliffs and grain fields. Time and again we crossed the Jagst, which flowed picturesquely by. Now and then there were also spots where we could have gone for a swim. The temptation to take a dip in the cool water was strong. However, we preferred to carry on cycling. After all, who knows what else the day had in store for us. We visited Schöntal Monastery, founded in 1153 and now an educational centre.

We noticed that there was little sign of life in the villages. We searched in vain for an ice-cream parlour or a café. It was the school holidays here too, and the locals were also away. There were steep climbs here again. Once more, we were glad to have such sturdy bikes. The final climb, up to Sindringen, in particular, was a challenge both physically and in terms of keeping our breath. At the top of the hill, we were rewarded with sweeping views across the Kochertal valley and a vista of sunflower fields. Completely drenched in sweat, we arrived in Sindringen, and all we wanted to do was have a shower, eat and go to bed.

Day 5: 21.08.2025, from Neckarsulm to Sindringen, approx. 62 km

We set off from Neckarsulm in the morning under overcast skies. To be clear from the outset: this was the most challenging section of the route. We made a detour to the Imperial Palace at Bad Wimpfen. The town lies on the plateau on the left bank of the Neckar. The narrow cobbled streets nestle close to the town centre. We climbed 134 steps up the 58-metre-high watchtower (Blauer Turm), which is visible for miles around. At the top, we were greeted by a friendly Swabian tower keeper, who told us about her life there. We enjoyed a fantastic panoramic view over the old town and the Neckar valley.

We cycled on to Neudenau with its Franconian half-timbered houses on the market square. Here we treated ourselves to a delicious ice cream sundae. On the way, we were caught in the only thunderstorm of the tour. How fortunate that we had very good, waterproof cycling gear to hand. Once again, we had to tackle the steep climb through the beautiful orchards to Sindringen. We made it in the end. We were staying at the same hotel as two days earlier. It’s worth noting that, without exception, all the hotels have separate rooms or garages for storing the bikes safely. Another plus point for the organisers of Radweg-Reisen.

Day 7: 23.08.2025, Schwäbisch Hall – A day of relaxation

On the last day of our trip – we’d booked an extra day – we took another good look around Schwäbisch Hall. We strolled through the beautiful old town and visited the Kunsthalle Würth, which featured fantastic exhibits and an interesting special exhibition on holograms. It was only later, during our walk, that we discovered the Schwäbisch Hall saltwater spa, situated right by the River Kocher with a stunning view. A visit there would have been perfect had the weather been bad.

All in all, this cycle tour had everything we love about our trips: beautiful routes and good signposting, very good, sturdy hire bikes, excellent and friendly service, hassle-free luggage transport, good hotels, a generous breakfast, lovely weather that wasn’t too hot, friendly and helpful locals, and interesting sights.

We’ll definitely be planning and booking our next cycling holiday with Radweg-Reisen again!