The Allgäu

All this talk of lists on various other blogs almost dragged me in, except for one thing. I can never remember the best pub, or best beer, or favourite anything really, though obviously a few do stick in my addled mind a bit. One day I'll write them down, if I can remember and relevant brain cells haven't been killed off in the meantime. Instead I am prompted by Ron's thoughts of his hols to share what I'll be doing on mine with you.

The Allgäu is a German region in the south west of Bavaria also extending some kilometres into south-eastern Baden-Wurttemberg The region stretches from the pre alpine lands up to the Alps themselves. That's where I'm going in August, directly after a week serving Bavarian and Franken beer at the Great British Beer Festival. Despite my avoirdupois being on the positive end of the scale, I'll be going by bike, or rather, once I get there I will. It is a few years now since I did one of these cycling tours, so I am bit trepidatious, but they are great fun and despite the 30 or so miles a day, fairly easy, especially if like me, you are not remotely embarrassed by pushing a bike up a hill. Of course, the skinny and incredibly fit E will accompany me. She doesn't have to push her bike much!

There will be beer too. I quick look at our route shows a veritable array of breweries, all I think new to me. In at least two of the towns we stay at there are breweries or brew pubs including a Dampf (Steam) Bier Brauerei and those we pass through seem richly seamed with beery delights. So I'll be all right, though these days I have to watch my lunchtime intake as it goes straight to my legs!

The map shows where we are going, though not our route as that will be "off road". Click on it to see it bigger unless you have particularly good eyesight or just don't care to.