WALK GERMANY! MUNICH TO FÜSSEN

Passed over by many walkers drawn by the icy towers of the Alps, Germany offers British walkers much they already love – and more

GERMANY, DESPITE BEING the largest country in Europe, is often missed off most walkers’ to-do lists. That leaves a large chunk of country there ripe for exploring on foot, free from the crowds!

Beginning in the Bavarian capital of Munich, this eight-day route weaves its way southward before culminating in the castle-rich town of Füssen, near to the Austrian border, the Alpine skyline becoming larger the further south you venture. It is ideal for the less experienced walker looking to experience a part of Germany you are all too likely to miss when speeding past in a car.

Starting out in Munich provides walkers the chance to experience the bustling urban heart of Bavaria, not to mention feed up on würst and beer at the bierkellers. The entire route seems geared up to quench even the hardiest beer drinker’s thirst, with ample opportunity to experience famous Bavarian brews and cooking at each evening’s rest.

Once free of urban Munich, hikers are led along wide, wellmaintained paths through rolling countryside. The route takes in two of the region’s largest lakes at Ammersee and Forgensee, not to mention the ‘Grand Canyon of Bavaria’ at Ammerleite. Despite that, the real highlight of the walk comes close to the end with a day walking past the Bannwaldsee and Alpsee lakes before visiting the fairytale Neuschwanstein castle. Built by eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the castle was to become the eventual basis for Walt Disney’s

Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland.