As a health and spa town, nordic walking is very important in Bad Urach. We feel, nordic walking is not a passing trend, but an ideal opportunity to promote your own health and movement, with lots of fun and a great way to enjoy the most beautiful landscapes of the Alb. The large Nordic Walking Park in Bad Urach with a specially signposted network of paths offers you optimal conditions for a varied exercise and training program.
This tour is rated 'difficult.' It leads past the stud farm and the Güterstein chapel as well as the Gütersteiner waterfall and the Rutschenfeld rock faces.
Open on the weekends is the "Rohrauer Hütte" run by the Nature friends Group, it is a great place to stop for food & drink and has a lovely BBQ firepit.
Autorentipp
You can get the “Nordic Walking” brochure free of charge from the Bad Urach spa administration and Tourist Office. Information about guided tours and rental poles is available from the Schwäbische Alb Health and Rehabilitation Center, Bei den Thermen 10-12, Tel. 07125/1570.
Wegbeschreibung
This rather challenging tour takes us directly between the paddocks to the Güterstein stud (a branch of the Marbach main and state stud farm). Shortly after we branch off to the left and reach the wider Fohlensteige, which we follow uphill through the beautiful beech forest. In the next curve we go straight ahead and reach the small chapel Güterstein. (The Güterstein monastery used to be there). A few steps down we get to the idyllic Gütersteiner waterfall, which splashes over many moss-covered calcareous tufa stone steps into a larger pool, and thus offers a unique natural spectacle.
To continue the route, we climb the steps again and follow a steep, narrow and often stony forest path through some boulder fields and finally arrive on the plateau. Here the forest opens up and we are already at the paddocks of the Fohlenhof. (Branch office of the Main and State Stud Marbach). Detour: If we were to walk along the avenue from here, we would come directly to the St. Johann stud farm Inn, open daily except Monday. The distance is approx. 1.5 km. Instead we walk past the farm and turn left onto a well marked road and keep left until we reach the forest. There we turn right at the next fork in the road, and reach the Rutschenfeld outlook point. On the weekends you have the opportunity to stop off at the Naturfreundehaus "Rohrauer Hütte," with a nice rest place and firepit. After a short time we are right on the steeply sloping Albtrauf Rutschenfeld, from which we have a fantastic view at any time of the year. Now we continue along the mountain edge until we come down narrow, partly wild forest path, curving directly down to the high meadow of the Urach waterfall, here is a kiosk serving regional products, snacks and drinks daily during the summer. Here we can take a break and enjoy the beautiful old trees and the waterfall. Taking the upper waterfall path, which is easy to walk on, we eventually pass the Kreuzhütte (shelter with a grill pit) and choose the path that branches off to the right - the Untere Schlosssteige - which descends over a zig zag paths. Then we turn half left, slightly uphill, into the Graf-Eberhard-Weg, which leads us back to the P 23 along the foot of the Hohen Urach mountain.
Ausrüstung
Sturdy shoes and Nordic walking poles are recommended.
Sicherheitshinweise
Sturdy shoes and Nordic walking poles are recommended for all tours, particularly after and during rainfall and in the winter months, the limestone rock and soil can be very slippery, especially on slopes. We also point out the presence of natural forest hazards. We ask you to exercise caution.
In an emergency, always dial the number 112. If necessary, please mention that the people involved in the accident are in inaccessible terrain, so that the Bad Urach mountain rescue service is also informed and there is no unnecessary loss of time during the rescue.
On the hiking signposts of our trails, you will find a plaque with the exact location number on it. The location number consists of the letters BU and a max. 4-digit number. Communicating this number to the control centre in an emergency, helps to provide assistance faster.
