LechErlebnisWeg, 4. Etappe: Lechbruck - Roßhaupten

This is crossed, and from Helmenstein it's time to climb up the panoramic hills to Hof Rehle. A rest bench offers another mountain view. The route then leads through a wooded hollow to another farmstead. The Schmuttersee lake is reached next on a variety of paths and trails. The dark moorland water is perfect for a swim. A detour to the Herkomer chapel and the inn in Sameister is recommended here. Passing other individual farms, the path winds its way through the lovely hilly countryside directly towards the high mountains and reaches the village of Tiefenbruck. Shortly afterwards, you could include the highly interesting information center at the Forggensee power station in the tour.

A varied climb follows through the wooded slopes of the former Illasberg gorge, which was incorporated into the Forggensee. Next up is the Mangmühle mill with all kinds of animals. Sheep, goats and donkeys graze the land, geese swim in the fish ponds where magnificent trout frolic. After another section of forest, you come to the Roßhaupten landing stage, from here you could also take the regular boat to Füssen if necessary. However, it is worth continuing to the beautiful natural bathing area of Roßhaupten with a view across the lake to the mountains already close to the right. A path then leads up to the bridge that spans the truly deep valley next to the cut of the Tiefental. To get to Roßhaupten, you need to plan an additional quarter of an hour.

Author's tip: The information center at the Forggensee power plant is open daily, guided tours with a visit to the power plant take place every Wednesday at 2 pm.

Equipment:

Hiking without luggage

King service - just enjoy, no ballast. Your luggage will be transported to the hotel reserved for you by the tour operator. You can discover the magnificent Bavarian Alpine foothills without a care in the world. The LechErlebnisWeg is offered with 6 overnight stays. The package deals with accommodation, luggage transportation and hiking maps can be booked at:

Alpenland-Touristik, Postfach 101313, 86833 Landsberg a. Lech, Tel. 08191-308620, Fax 08191-4913, www.alpenlandtouristik.de, [email protected]

Further information and links:

Restaurants
Lechbruck, Prem, Sameister, Rosshaupten

Accommodation in Lechbruck
Hotel auf der Gsteig, Gsteig 1, Tel. 08862/98770
Pension Elisa, Am Bichl 12, Tel. 08862/8528
Auerberghaus, Auerbergweg 12, Tel. 08862/932720
Gasthof Pension Hirsch, Brandach 20, Tel. 08862/9118406
Gasthof Holler, Bahnhofstr.10, Tel. 08862/8557
Gasthaus zum Weißen Rößl, Grubweidach 3, Tel. 08862/987205
Haus Enzensberger, Lechwiesen Str. 1, Tel. 08862/8626
Haus Braunegger, Flößerstr. 42, Tel. 08862/8532

Accommodation in Prem
Gästehaus Groß, Kirchplatz 3, Tel. 08862/7679

Accommodation in Rosshaupten
Hotel Kaufmann, Füssener Straße 44, Tel. 08367/91230
Haus am Wettebad, Wettenweg 4+6, Tel. 08367/631
Gästehaus Böck, Seeger Str. 42, Tel. 08367/250
Haus Mariner, An der Leiten, Tel. 08367/847
Pizzeria Taormina, Füssener Str., Tel. 08367/912050
Gasthaus Schwägele, Hauptstr, Tel. 08367/305
Haus Riedhofer, An der Leiten 20, Tel. 08367/264
Ferienhaus Walk, Weberweg 9, Tel. 08367/241
Ferienhaus Settele, Seegerstraße 14 b, Tel. 08367/240
Landhaus Klöck, Sameister 8a, Tel. 08367/913195

Info addresses

Verkehrsverein Prem, Schulweg 6, 86984 Prem, Tel. 08862/7256, [email protected], www.prem-am-lech.de

Tourist Information Roßhaupten, Hauptstraße 10, 87672 Roßhaupten, tel. 08367/887, [email protected], www. rosshaupten.de

Way description:

On the east side of the Lech bridge, you continue walking, partly directly along the river, partly through alluvial forest and over charming bridges and footbridges to the high dam at Prem. This is crossed, and from Helmenstein it's time to climb up the panoramic hills to the Rehle farm. A rest bench offers another mountain view. The route then leads through a wooded hollow to another farmstead. The Schmuttersee lake is reached next on a variety of paths and trails. The dark moorland water is perfect for a swim. A detour to the Herkomer chapel and the inn in Sameister is recommended here.

Passing other individual farms, the trail winds through the lovely hilly landscape directly towards the high mountains and reaches the village of Tiefenbruck. Shortly afterwards, you could include the highly interesting information center at the Forggensee power plant in the tour.

The Info Center at the Forggensee power plant is open daily, guided tours with a tour of the power plant take place every Wednesday at 2 pm (registration at the Roßhaupten tourist information office). Above all, visitors receive information about the construction and function of the huge Forggensee, which extends as far as Füssen.

A varied trail follows through the wooded slopes of the former Illasberg gorge, which was incorporated into the Forggensee. Next up is the Mangmühle mill with all kinds of animals. Sheep, goats and donkeys graze the land, geese swim in the fish ponds, where magnificent trout frolic.

After another section of forest, you come to the Roßhaupten landing stage, from here you could also take the regular boat to Füssen if necessary. However, it is worth continuing on to the beautiful Roßhaupten natural bathing area with views across the lake to the mountains, which are already quite close. A path then leads next to the deep valley cut up to the bridge that spans the truly deep valley. To get to Roßhaupten, you need to plan another quarter of an hour or so.

The history of Roßhaupten dates back to Roman times. The former Via Claudia Augusta, which led from Italy to a Roman military camp that founded today's Augsburg in 15 BC, ran close to the Mangmühle. At the Tiefental bridge, a dragon commemorates a legend according to which Saint Magnus is said to have killed a dragon in the gorge around 750.

The history of the village is documented in the village museum, including the extensive iron production in the early Middle Ages using a replica "racing furnace". Regardless of the museum's opening hours, the Via Claudia information center can be visited at any time.

Hiking map Pfaffenwinkel, scale 1:40,000, HW-Verlag, nominal fee 1 EUR, available from the Pfaffenwinkel Tourist Office, www.pfaffen-winkel.de