Turning right at the cement works I felt rather downbeat about the hike we had planned. Rain was falling steadily and I was thinking that we should skip the hike and drive straight home.
20 minutes later and I was almost in heaven. We had parked up and waited for the rain to stop and after a short stroll through the forest we reached the lookout at Känzele where we could see the Danube winding below us in the foreground and hills rising in the distance. The view I had imagined would be ruined by inclement weather turned out to be really special.
From Känzele we did a short loop through caves cut into the rock face, marvelling at the geology and spotting the occasional squirrel and Captain America doll nailed into a branch.
We retraced our steps then headed across the Teufelsbrücke with its scary 20-metre drop to the Danube below and on to the Swiss-built hanging bridge affording views of the Amelienfels. En-route we saw the biggest mushrooms ever and admired the middle-aged men standing in the river doing a spot of fishing.
After that, we decided against the uphill climb to the top of the Amelien cliffs and instead strolled slowly back to the car via the former monastery at Inzigkofen.
All in all, it was a surprisingly enjoyable hike on a slightly rainy Saturday afternoon. Sometimes plans turn out better than expected.
Travel tip
The walk starts in Inzigkofen, close to the German town of Sigmaringen. We stayed for a few nights in nearby Mengen and found the hike on Komoot.
Language tip
Can you identify some examples of past perfect and think about why they have been used. Read this post to learn about this slightly tricky tense.
