Travel: Oompah-pah for Bavaria!

Nov 25 2009 By Wayne Stackhouse

WOULD you fancy a holiday where the prospect of humble hay, the stuff largely associated with horses in the UK, figures highly? No? Well maybe you should think again.

This is because hay is just one, underrated, component of a potentially life-enhancing break in one of the most beautiful parts of Europe.

It’s a chance to explore and savour a region of Germany which has all the outdoor grandeur of, say, neighbouring Switzerland, while remaining uniquely idyllic in its own right.

This is the Allgäu region in southern Bavaria where Germany effectively meets Austria, and only around four hours travel time from Birmingham, yet, sadly, largely neglected by UK visitors.

I flew with the dependable German airline Lufthansa which has direct and regular flights from Birmingham to Munich Airport – an award-winning airport and certainly one which lives up to its reputation as one of the most attractive and user-friendly airports I’ve ever experienced.

Then it was around a two hour transfer by road south to my party’s first stop – Oberstdorf, the southernmost town in Germany.

With spectacular views of the High Alps, the place itself almost oozes a breath of fresh air with its spotlessly clean, well laid-out streets. A perfect base to enjoy skiing and other winter pastimes at a certain time of the year, while plenty of leisure activities from golf, pony riding to nature hikes can be experienced all year round.

Our group stayed at the five star Park Hotel Frank, run by the same couple for more than 45 years.

While it had plenty of upmarket, old world charm along with the warm and welcoming staff, the place was thoughtfully blended with a more modern feel in terms of the decor.

As well as a wide range of soothing spa treatments available, amenities were first rate stretching to a superb balcony view from the luxurious bedroom with a divine ultra-contemporary bathroom.

If our experience of an Oberstdorf Friday night is anything to go by – while there are plenty of places to enjoy eating and drinking – the streets are relatively quiet, giving the town a decidedly genteel air.

We dined at the Konigliches Jagdhaus which provided a delectable mix of contemporary feel cusine and traditional Bavarian gastronomy. Part of the starter actually incorporated dripping, yes DRIPPING!.... but not as you necessarily know or remember it.

Of course, an integral part of a break in the region is experiencing ‘the great outdoors’ and a visit to Brettachklamm, a short distance from Oberstdorf, is something of a must.

It is the deepest gorge in central Europe, only ‘discovered’ in 1905, and to say the scenery is breathtakingly spectacular is something of an understatement.

Equally, the mountains beckoned and three cable cars later a view of 400 peaks can be savoured at the top the Neblehorn on a clear day.

Rising to more than 2,000m, we experienced a bracing hike descent to the Hofatsblick mini shops complex by a cable car station.

There we enjoyed a welcome Bavarian beer with the region’s famous tasty white sausages, an improvement on the variety.

It was then time to discover Oberstaufen, less than an hour’s drive away.

Like Oberstdorf, this small town is the stuff of romantic picture postcards and classy chocolate boxes, with its own slice of a gorgeous mountain backdrop and lush meadows embracing plenty of walking and sporting opportunities. It’s also something of a mecca for golf fans with numerous greens.