Gravel bike routes in the Black Forest

Somewhere between the road bike and the mountain bike, a discipline of its own has taken hold in recent years, and few landscapes suit it as well as the northern Black Forest. Gravel bikes want exactly what the countryside around Baiersbronn has in abundance. Kilometre after kilometre of forest and gravel track, little traffic, plenty of woodland and the freedom to combine ridges and valleys as you please.

Around 1,000 kilometres of trails are open to cyclists in the region, and a large share of them have precisely the surface these bikes are built for. Firm gravel and compacted forest floor, joined up by short stretches of tarmac.

The forestry tracks of the Black Forest might have been made for gravel bikes. Wide enough to ride at a steady cadence, grippy in nearly every kind of weather and so densely linked that circuits of almost any length can be pieced together. A typical ride is about two thirds gravel and woodland track, the rest quiet connecting roads.

Then there is the scenery. The tracks pass dark glacial lakes, climb to viewpoints above the valleys and run through the silent outer reaches of the national park region, often for hours without a single car coming the other way.

For a first outing, a relaxed loop of around 30 kilometres through the valleys is enough, for example down the Murg valley and back along forest tracks. If you want more, combine the ridges. Proven circuits from Baiersbronn or Freudenstadt come to 55 to 70 kilometres with 1,400 to 1,900 metres of ascent, an honest day's work.

Gravel routes are not signposted as such out on the ground. But the established tours of the national park region and the Black Forest web portals are available as GPS tracks in the usual apps. Load the route onto your device and set off.

Three things are worth planning for. First, the altitude. Many circuits sit between 600 and 1,000 metres, the weather up there can be far rougher than in the valley, and a windproof jacket always belongs in your pack. Second, the light in the forest. Under dense firs it gets dark earlier than in open country. Third, consideration for others. Gravel riders share the forest tracks with walkers, foresters and the occasional timber lorry.

The infrastructure makes up for it. Serviced huts and villages are spaced out so that espresso stops and snack breaks can be planned like waypoints.

For gravel riders, Obertal is an ideal starting point. The valley sits at the top end of the Murg valley, and the crossings over to Zuflucht, Kniebis and the Schwarzwaldhochstraße are short. If you like, you can collect the first 400 metres of ascent straight after breakfast. From Engel Obertal, loops head out in three directions, with no need to drive anywhere first.

And when your legs are heavy after a hard day of climbing, the same rule applies as for every endurance sport in Baiersbronn. The way to the sauna is shorter than any climb of the day.