The tour leads from Brenz via Möhntal up to Härtsfeld. In the wonderfully fragrant forest, we cross the Erzweg, along which charcoal and iron ore were once transported down to Königsbronn in the Brenz Valley. From Kleinkuchen, the open Härtsfeld greets us with a magnificent view of Neresheim Abbey. But before we reach it, we enjoy the hilly landscape until we reach the Egau Valley in Neresheim. The Härtsfeldschättere also squeezes through a narrow valley until just before the Härtsfeld lake. Further Baroque architecture and the following art periods accompany us to Dischingen. A detour to the Middle Ages to Katzenstein Castle is a must at the Härtsfeldsee lake. Those who still haven't had enough of the abundance of water in the middle of a typical karst landscape in Dischingen can cycle past the water intake of the state water supply in Ballmertshofen to Dillingen a. d. Donau. Via Lauingen, you will soon reach the Brenz River, and from Sontheim you can return to the starting point on the Brenzbahn railway. But our tour of the Härtsfeld region continues from Dischingen via Fleinheim to Nattheim, where you can trace the history of the ancient primordial sea and industrial history in the Nattheim Local History and Coral Museum.
The Water & Stone Tour is marked with the symbol of three water waves on a dark blue background. It starts at the train station in Schnaitheim and leads via Fischerweg and Lammstraße to the Möhntal valley. It continues straight ahead on a forest path, under the highway and up to the Härtsfeld plateau, always heading towards Neresheim. Shortly before Kleinkuchen, we leave the forest and are rewarded for the long, gentle climb with a beautiful view across the Härtsfeld to Neresheim Abbey. Immediately afterwards, a rest area with a playground invites us to take a break.
Härtsfeld means hard or stony field. Life in this natural environment has always been tough for humans, animals, and nature. The climate is harsh, the typical Alb soils are poor and littered with limestone. Charcoal burners still work in the forests today. It is one of the old crafts of the Härtsfeld. With its early bog iron deposits, it was considered a supplier of raw materials for the iron ore smelters in the Brenz Valley until modern industry brought about change. You can find out more about this at the Local History and Coral Museum in Nattheim.
We pass through Kleinkuchen and after Steinweiler we descend on the normal local road. Caution is advised at the junction with the B466. Through Steinweiler we have to accept about 200 meters on the B466.
This small town actually owes its name to stones. The quarry we pass was created specifically to supply wall and floor tiles for Neresheim Monastery. Today, it is one of the most valuable natural areas and is under nature conservation.
The tour branches off to the right from the B466 and climbs up to the quarry. Once at the top, the rolling hills of the Härtsfeld spread out before us. On the right, the municipal road leads to Auernheim. We turn left and descend. On a farm track running alongside the B466, we reach Neresheim. Passing the source of the Egau, the tour leads through the city park, always along the Egau.
It is worth taking a detour to the old railway station with its museum and to Neresheim Abbey. On some days, the Härtsfeldschättere tram also runs on its old route from Neresheim to Sägmühle. Along the railway tracks, an idyllic route through a narrow valley awaits us, accompanied by the Egau river and juniper heaths, past the cabbage factory in the Zwing nature reserve, the teaching apiary with herb garden, and the terraces of the former lime works. It doesn't take much luck to encounter the shepherd with his flock here. Several information boards provide interesting facts about the geology and the Härtsfeld Museum Railway. Our next destination is the Härtsfeldsee, an artificial lake created as a water reservoir. Here you can take a break, stop for refreshments, and make a detour to Katzenstein Castle. At Härtsfeldsee, we ride to the left of the Egau to Dischingen. After the town hall, our tour branches off into Grabenstraße towards Heidenheim. If you follow the Egau a little further towards Ballmertshofen, you will see Thurn und Taxis Castle on the hill to the left. The princes always played an important role here. Many architectural monuments owe their existence to them. The Danube-Härtsfeld Tour leads along the Egau to Dillingen. Our Water & Stone Tour leads from the center of Dischingen out of the Egau Valley, through a forest, along the country road to Fleinheim, a place where local products play an important role. At the Ochsen restaurant, for example, they are served, and the Green Path bike tours connect these suppliers of local products.
The upcoming climb out of Fleinheim makes us feel the Alb in our calves again. Once at the top, we either take the bike path alongside the road directly into the center of Nattheim or choose the more scenic route and turn right into the forest. The route descends to Nattheim, past Keltenschanze and Sachsenbrunnen. At the B466, we turn left and arrive in Nattheim with its very special church and the coral and local history museum in the old school. Through the village, we head straight back to Heidenheim, where our tour meets the Brenz Cycle Path at Brenzpark. We follow this towards Schnaitheim to the starting point at the train station.
