Hikes in Ried

Starting from the hiking car park at the Eurasburg Forest, a 14 km route around Hergertswiesen and Freienried.

Prehistoric Traces and Burgstall Chapel Kissing – possibly with Alpine PanoramaThe Burgstall Chapel of the Sorrowful Mother of God in Kissing stands, as the name suggests, on the site of a former castle, where probably in the 11th/12th century the local noble family of the Lords of Kissing resided. After their disappearance, the ruins were torn down. From 1681 onwards, the Augsburg Jesuits, who acquired the Kissinger Hofmark in 1602 and promoted Marian devotion intensively, had the Baroque chapel built. Soon, a very lively pilgrimage developed. The hill is artificially sculpted out of the Lech terrace, protected on the west by the natural steep slope, on the other sides by ditches. On the forecourt and separated by a neck ditch, where once the forecastle stood, there is today a 1907 established Way of the Cross with cast iron plaques.

​Our hike is ideal for a bike ride, as it follows almost exclusively wide farm roads. Of course, those traveling on foot can enjoy the beautiful landscape more fully, even if some paths seem to stretch on endlessly. After arriving, we park our car in Parking Lot 1 near the Burgstall Chapel on the southern outskirts of Kissing and set off along the wide gravel path, passing a barn.  We hike along the path with a scenic view over the Paartal valley; on a clear day, the view extends all the way to the Alps. Soon we begin a gentle descent. At the large power pole, the trail makes a 90-degree turn to the left. Pay close attention: at this point, we continue straight ahead on an inconspicuous meadow path! A narrow wooden footbridge (2) helps us cross the stream. We then follow the wide gravel path to the left. We hike westward for quite a while, ignoring all paths branching off to the right. Please take note of the magnificent old field trees in the flat stream valley! When we pass a biogas plant on the right, we continue straight ahead for a short distance and reach a road, which we follow to the right toward Hörmannsberg. At the Hörmannsberg restaurant 3, with its outdoor dining area and children’s playground, we turn left onto Feldstraße. About 10 m before the end of the paved road, we take the path branching off to the left and hike slightly uphill—past a wonderful old field tree. With great views, we head north through fields and meadows. After our path takes a right turn, we turn left at the next opportunity and then immediately left again—this brings us to an intersection with Field Cross 4. There, we turn right and head north toward the edge of the forest. Walking along the forest edge, we reach the Seewieshof. We come to a road; we walk a few meters to the left on it and then to the right, following the bike path signs toward Mergenthau Castle. At the parking lot for Forest Kindergarten 5, we walk straight ahead to the left of the two parking signs. We head north, guided by the bike path signs.  At an information sign, we enter the private forest of the Mergenthau estate. At the first intersection in the forest, the bike path leads to the right—but we continue straight ahead! We come to a T-intersection by a meadow 6, turn right, and then immediately left. Finally, we leave the private forest—there’s another information board at the edge of the forest. We walk slightly uphill under the high-voltage power line and through fields and meadows toward the village of Ottmaring. We can already see the tower of St. Michael’s Church from a distance.  At the cross by the wall 7, we keep to the left and walk to the yield sign. We follow the road to the left for about 150 m, then turn right onto Vogelherd Street. A few meters past the last house, we follow the bike path signs to the right and arrive at the Paar River bend 8. At this natural river bend, a pedestrian bridge crosses the Paar; there’s also a ford next to it.  At the parking lot, we turn left. We follow the river westward. At an intersection where there’s a trash can, we keep to the left so that we stay in the Paar Valley. We cross the river at the sign pointing toward Kissing. After the Paar Bridge 9, we walk to the right—the bike path signs point again toward Kissing. For quite some time, the route takes us through the private forest of the Mergenthau estate. At a prominent intersection of six trails, we take a detour to the Mergenthau estate. To do this, we use the path closed to horseback riders near the sign that says “Dogs must be kept on a leash.”  We return to the intersection and follow the bike path toward Kissing and Mehring. An avenue of ash trees leads us past horse stables and pastures; afterward, we keep to the left toward Kissing and Mehring. On a wide gravel path, we make our way through the Paartal valley.  On the outskirts of Kissing, we follow the river, walk to the main street, and head toward the town center. Note: At two glass display cases for notices, we cross the county road and, on the left side of the middle garage, climb the steps up to St. Stephan’s Church. It was built in the 12th century as a fortified church where the population could take refuge in times of danger. The Battle of Lechfeld is said to have taken place very close by in the year 955. Over the centuries, the church has been remodeled and expanded several times. Note for cyclists: At the glass display cases, follow the county road to the left and then turn sharply right onto Kirchberg Street—this way, you’ll avoid having to carry your bike up the steps to the church.

An easy, short hike in the Paartal Valley

​The hike begins at the large parking lot in front of the Heilig Kreuz 1 church. There we’ll find an information board with a map of the Eurasburg Forest. We’ll follow some of the marked routes. But first, we’ll walk through the cemetery and take a look inside the church, which is still Romanesque at its core, likely dates from the second half of the 12th century, and stands on the site of a 10th-century castle ruin. We leave the cemetery heading west, descend just a few steps, and immediately turn left. After another, longer flight of stairs, we reach Eismannsberger Straße, which we follow to the left. The street signs for Eismannsberg point us in the right direction. We walk through the entire village to the first intersection after the second village sign. There, we turn left onto a wide dirt road and hike into a beautiful, flat meadow valley lined by forest on both sides. At first, we walk along the edge of the forest . Where the path across the meadow leads toward a sign, we keep to the right into the forest and, after a few steps, turn left again. We then continue hiking uphill through the forest, with the meadows still in sight. At a rest bench, we keep to the left and walk to the first T-junction 3, where we turn right. At the large beech tree with the sign “Jägerbauernbründl,” we keep to the right, then turn left at the following Y-intersection. Our path approaches the edge of the forest but doesn’t reach it. Soon it heads southwest. We ignore a path branching off to the right, walk slightly downhill to the second T-intersection (4), and turn right there.    We cross a wide, dead-straight path and hurry to the third T-junction 5. There, we head left to the fourth T-junction 6, where we follow the straight road to the right. After about 500 m, we pass another equally straight road (there is a building on the right just before the intersection) and then arrive at a Y-intersection 7, where we take the left path. We walk to the edge of the forest north of the Holzburg settlement. We walk along the edge of the forest in a northerly direction, away from the houses and back into the Eurasburg Forest. The path climbs up to the X-junction 8, where we turn left. After about 100 m, we branch off to the right and walk to the fifth T-junction 9, where we turn left.    Now we head briskly westward. Crossing a tranquil clearing, we leave the forest and head toward Rohrbach. Passing a wayside cross “framed” by two birch trees, we come to the commemorative stone j marking the land readjustment.  We continue straight ahead onto the paved road and, after a short stretch through the woods, turn left to the Goldener Stern Inn k in Rohrbach. You should treat yourself to a stop at the upscale restaurant with its well-maintained beer garden (www.gasthaus-goldenerstern.de; reservations recommended). Afterward, you can visit the Romanesque church of St. Philipp and Walburga—it was built between 1250 and 1300, making it one of the oldest churches in the region. Following the familiar path, we return to the intersection by the small wood east of the village and turn left. Passing a fish farm, a farm garage, and two field crosses, we reach the Eurasburg Forest once again. At the edge of the forest, we find a yellow-and-blue marker pointing in the direction we came from.     In the forest, we keep to the left at a Y-intersection (there’s a marker stone for the water pipeline there). At the end of the climb, there’s a water tank. At the corner where the forest meets the edge of the meadow, we take the path to the left—that is, heading north. After a slight climb, we sit on a bench and enjoy the view of Eurasburg. We stroll down through the flat meadow valley toward the village. At the first house, we turn right and, after about 200 m, left over a bridge. We walk to the main road and follow it to the right until we reach the village square. There, we turn right onto Eismannsberger Straße—after a few meters, Kirchweg branches off to the left, leading back to Parking Lot 1.

Rundweg

Waldwanderung auf festen Wegen

Wallfahrtsroute von Friedberg nach Andechs. Meist abseits der Hauptstrassen.