Pfaffenhausen - Kammel source

Our route begins in Pfaffenhausen at St. Stephan Church, a former bishop’s church located on Mindelheimer Straße. Pfaffenhausen was probably founded in the 8th century, first documented in 1167, and has held market rights since 1360. These market rights had supraregional importance for many centuries. Over time, Pfaffenhausen belonged to Alemannic tribal leaders, the Welfs, the Staufer dynasty, the margraves of Burgau, the bishop of Augsburg, and finally – until secularization – for centuries to the Hochstift Augsburg.
We cycle southward over the railway line; behind it begins Memminger Straße. We follow this gently ascending street out of town to the Bruderlohe woodland on the Kammel cycle path, entering the Kammeltal and the village of Unterrieden after about 1 km. In Unterrieden, we cross the now somewhat wider Kammel river. Our eyes fall on the neo-Romanesque church "Holy Seven Brothers." Here, we can enjoy some rest before turning left after the church into Dorfstraße towards Mittelrieden. After 300 m, we turn right, and 50 m further, left, straight into the agriculturally shaped Mittelrieden, 1.4 km away, and onward to Oberrieden. Shortly before leaving Oberrieden, we turn left onto Hohenreuter Straße and cross the straightened Kammel again. Following the paved agricultural road marked as a long-distance cycle path, we cycle between fields to Unterkammlach.
On February 1, 1973, a Bundesluftwaffe fighter bomber crashed near Unterkammlach. The pilot of the former Jagdbombergeschwader 34 was able to prevent a crash in the village but could not save himself and died.
A new housing area welcomes us, and we cycle along Schulstraße to Hauptstraße, turn left, and pedal on to Hauptstraße. Now we share the roads with other traffic only until crossing Memminger Straße in Oberkammlach. The municipality of Kammlach no longer shows signs of being the seat of an upper and lower court in 1800 CE and part of the Mindelheim lordship in the Electorate of Bavaria. Kammlach holds a special place in world history due to the Battle of Kammlach on August 13, 1796, which took place opposite the Joseph chapel in Oberkammlach.
We cross Memminger Straße and follow the marked long-distance cycle path to the overpass of the A 96 motorway and the Mindelheim – Memmingen railway line. A slight ascent continues to Kirchstetten. After the late 17th-century St. Antonius chapel, we turn left and cycle into Stetten to St. Sebastian church. We then cycle 50 m right, then left into Unggenrieder Straße. A pause by the Auerbach is refreshing before the short climb to Mühlbachstraße. We turn right and follow the street about 500 m further on the cycle path. At the farm on the outskirts, it goes right downhill again to Auerbach, which we follow to Erisried.
Erisried probably originated in the 10th century and has a lively history. We pass the former parsonage built in 1792, now a community and club house since 1980, under monument protection. The baroque St. Ulrich church, built in 1763, is considered worth seeing.
We follow Dorfstraße to Forsthausstraße, turn right, then left along the Bäumelbach creek into the Hochfürst forest. The Hochfürst is mostly a deciduous or mixed forest with many beech and birch trees, pleasantly distinct from the common coniferous forests.
Following the Kammeltal cycle path signposting, we reach the Kammel spring. The last stretch to the source must be walked. The Kammel is about 57 km long. It flows through Kammlach to Krumbach, where the river Krumbach flows into the Kammel; at Öffingen, the Kammel flows into the Mindel, with the Danube as the ultimate goal. The name Kammel derives from Celtic. "Kamb" or "Camb" means "crooked," referring to the winding course of the Kammel.
We cycle back the same way to Erisried. Leaving the village on Dirlewanger Straße, we keep right at the fork. Pedaling energetically, we climb to Saulengrain, leave the busy main road, and turn right toward the chapel. We follow the road to Köngetried, located on the western edge of the Westernach valley. Hungry cyclists wanting a 2 km detour can strengthen themselves with hearty snacks in the beer garden at the beautiful Katzbruimühle, reached by cycling right toward Köngetried (the path is signposted).
The route otherwise goes down left at the bus shelter to Grünegg and up left to Alesrain. Annual motorcycle races used to take place here; the starting booth is still there. What goes up must come down – following this motto, we enter Dirlewang and follow the Mindeltal cycle path signage through it. We cross Mühlbach and Mindel rivers and follow the "To the sports field" signs. We cycle on the asphalt cycle path out of Dirlewang past Hammerschmiede and arrive on the left bank of the Mindel.
On the cycle path, we pass Apfeltrach on the left, cross the A 96 motorway, leave Gernstall on the right, and soon are below Mindelburg. Then, we reach the skater park and Maristenkolleg in Mindelheim. Continuing on the cycle path, we cross the Mindel and keep on the path. We now ride on Georgenstraße until the traffic light, turn right through Untere Tor into Maximilianstraße, then before Marienplatz with its beautiful fountain, turn left into Kornstraße. We follow it to Teckstraße, cross half-left, continue straight into Westernacherstraße, then turn right into Birkenweg. We ride straight ahead past the sewage treatment plant and leave Mindelheim on the cycle path. To our right runs the B16. About 500 meters beyond the federal highway are the bathing lakes of the "Nordsee" recreational area.
After cycling left past Lohhof, we reach a natural pond inviting rest and dreams. The Mindeltal extends widely before us. We turn left and just before the Mindel river, right again. The eastern Mindel shows the way to the next fork where we keep left. We follow the road, cross the railway line (caution, no faster than 12 mph!), and reach Hausen. Before Hausen and the Mindel, we turn left, cycle along the village edge on the cycle path into the market town of Pfaffenhausen. We can now be proud! We have covered about 31 miles on various cycle paths.