Westweg
Pforzheim to Basel
This multi day hike is 285km long and wanders its way through the Black forest all the way into Switzerland. There are 13 stages and I will complete it over a number of years probably doing two to three legs in a row over weekends. Its mainly through forest and on well maintained paths. I have so far completed 3 stages . I found it to be quite hard with a lot of vertical and long stages. So far there were lovely villages to stay in at the end of each hiking day. See above the old bridge in Forbach.
Stage 1 Pforzheim to Dobel 13th May 2019
Distance 28km Ascent 857m Descent 568m Time 7:10 Average Speed 3.97km/h
I parked in the center of Pforzheim beside the main train station.It was around 2.5km walk to the actual start of the wetweg so you may consider skipping that. I had my dog for company and it turned out to be a long day that thought me a good lesson. The first 10 or so kilometers is walking beside forested river punctuated with passing through Pforzheim suburbs. Its very enjoyable as you can see from the photo. After about 15 km it becomes more rural and it becomes a forest walk . This is when I encountered a large problem. My phone died but at the time I did not see this as a big problem as the markings of the Westweg are very good. But suddenly they all disappeared and I had no map with me. Trees had been cut down recently to make way for the bringing in of wind turbine parts. I came across a number of people who were all lost. It had been a long day and we had a way to go and we were lost. We stuck together and I followed them and we found our way out. Two lesson today always have backup of your maps whether it is a battery charger or actual paper maps and the other lesson if lost stick together. I wanted to go off in another direction but stuck with the group .I was wrong and would still be lost today.
Stage 2 Dobel to Forbach 14th of May 2019
Distance 27km Ascent 831m Descent 1231m Time 6:44 Average Speed 4.01km/h
I was tired and a touch weary from the day before. It was a long walk through a forest along a forest road. Every now and then the forest would clear and a good view in the distance would appear. After 16km you cross a road with a restaurant to stop for refreshments. Another couple of 2kms after this is a tower to climb and check out the view. You pass by a marshy lake and then the walk down to Forbach is very nice.
Stage 6 Auf Der Hark to Hausach 8th of August 2019
Distance 16.6km Ascent 554m Descent 1019m Time 5:24 Average Speed 3.06km/h
I was dropping my kids to Europa park and did this walk I parked in Hausach and got a Taxi to the start as it is quite remote. It's a nice walk through forested track but no passing through villages. There was one highlight though which is pictured which is about 3/4s the way through is a lovely beer garden with a fantastic view which made the day very enjoyable. The village of Hausach is quite nice if I remember correctly.