Day 11 (11. Tag) 11th September
Nesslbach - Kohlbachmuehle 55 kms (603 kms from start)
Nesslbach - Hofkirchen - Windorf - Maierhof - Steinbach - Passau - Klosterberg - Ilzstadt - Erlau - Obernzell - Kohlbachmuehle
Click here for Day 12 - Kohlbachmuehle - Fall
We left the campsite around 7.30 am. It was very foggy and quite cool although not cold enough for the leg warmers yet. Usually at home a foggy morning indicates a fine day afterwards so we were optimistic. Our washing was still wet so we resorted to drying them on the packs as we rode. The riding was quite easy along a good cyclepath on the left bank of the river. We could see industrial buildings on the other bank as we passed. We bought supplies at an Edeka in Hofkirchen and continued riding away from the river and then back to it near Hilgartsberg. From here the track ran alongside the river and we looked for a place to have breakfast looking over the river. We stopped near the 2250km sign. This was the distance to the Black Sea. Along the track we ran over many giant slugs which we'd seen almost every day on the track. They come out of the grass and cross the track. On some days we'd even seen a few small grass snakes which moved extremely quickly to get out of the way.
We passed Vilshofen on the other bank but decided not to cross over although there is a Radweg on the other side. We had to cross the main road leading to the bridge and this was a bit tricky as there were roadworks happening and it was dangerous getting past the machinery. There is a small airfield just past the bridge and we stood for a while watching a helicopter take off. Then we continued on a good path towards Windorf.
Soon we reached the ferry landing and took some photos. We watched the small car ferry powered by an outboard motor come across. You had to ring a bell to alert the driver. These ferries are fairly common and they charge a small fare. They are only operational from the middle of March to the middle of November. By now the day had fined up and it was a pleasure riding along the river.
Don carried a compass on his wristband at all times. This proved to be invaluable as there were times when we couldn't decide which way to go. Reading the sky was difficult for us as we are used to southern skies. Finding north nearly always put us 180 degrees out, so we headed west instead of east! Even when it is cloudy, you can often tell where the sun is. In the southern hemisphere, the sun is in the north, but here it is in the south. Instinctively you look at the sun and decide which way is north, and act on that. We never did succeed in convincing our instincts that this was now reversed! We continued along the excellent track which ran alongside the roadway past Gaishofen and under the highway bridge near Schalding.
We rode along the good cycle path to Woerth and soon we were nearing the outskirts of Passau where we found a cafe and had coffee and cheesecake. We had decided to cross over to the city to get some postcards as we've had very little opportunity to buy any along the way. There are several bridges across the river and we took the F.J. Strauss Bruecke. It was a bit tricky finding the Radweg over the other side as it seemed to run along the roadside but there seemed to be another track right on the river bank. We took a wrong turn and ended up on a dead-end peninsula. We turned around and followed the main road again towards the town. Along the way we came to the cruise boat wharf and there were small tourist shops nearby where I bought my postcards. This was excellent as we didn't need to go into the centre of town. We then crossed the river to the left bank again.
There was an excellent cyclepath along the left bank to Erlau and we had some nice views of Passau along the way. Cruiseboats and barges were plentiful and it was a most enjoyable ride. We rode through Erlau and headed towards Obernzell.
On the outskirts of Obernzell I took a curve too sharply and the bike gave way under me. The front wheel buckled and was finished. What a disaster! The angels must have been smiling that day because about 100 metres down the road into the village was a bike shop. It was closed for lunch so we found a garage opposite and sat on a park bench in front to eat our lunch and wait for it to open. The owner was fantastic. He found me a 2nd hand wheel and fitted it while we waited outside. The wheel was much stronger than the original. We had travelled over 600 kms to this point in many isolated places. Then to have this accident so close to a bike shop was just unbelievable. We had planned to take a return ferry ride back to Passau from Obernzell but ruled this out as it was important to get to the campsite in one piece.
Our campsite was not very far away so we rode on to Kohlbachmuehle. The campsite was fantastic - right on the river next to a great Gasthaus with good facilities for campers. We had a beer to celebrate the new wheel and Don's flat feet (they are his lucky charm), set up the tent, showered and did the washing, wrote up the diary, waterproofed the tent and sat and watched the boats go by. In the evening we had an excellent meal (turkey strips with salad) then sat by the river till dark drinking cups of tea and being very grateful for our good fortune.
