Titisee Lake, The Black Forest
We had a leisurely start to the day, waking without an alarm clock, breakfasting and decamping and away by about 11am.
The First job was to get out of the city of Strasbourg. It being Sunday, the traffic wasn’t nearly as heavy as I’m sure it is midweek, but there were still a lot of junctions to negotiate, and I needed all my wits about me. Which is why, when the mobile phone holder – which attaches my phone to the windscreen and places it in a convenient viewing position – through which I was earnestly following the route on Google Maps – suddenly collapsed – it really couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
Mild panic (on my part) ensued; fortunately, there is a built-in alternative on the van, which we managed to instigate relatively quickly, with Tracey issuing live navigation instructions between times (there was nowhere to pull over). The phone holder is completely knackered, which is a shame, but it has given me many years of service.
The rest of our days journey was pleasantly uneventful, as we left France and crossed the River Rhine into Germany, heading for Freiburg. As we drove, the scenery became gradually more interesting, with forested hills, deep valleys and very windy roads that snaked their way through the landscape around endless hairpin bends
Our original plan had been to stay in a low-tech motorhome stop by the city’s football ground for two nights. It turns out the city of Frieberg is the gateway to the Black Forest, so after a little research online, we headed into what is essentially the heart of The Black Forest, towards Titisee Lake, where we’d identified several potential, promising-looking campsites.
Our top choice was situated on the side of a hill overlooking the lake, accessed via a windy road. When we got there, however, we discovered it was closed.
Our second and third choices – only a further 5-10 minutes drive away – were close together. Choice two had a cheap motorhome option, alongside a campsite… Neither of which we fancied very much. Debating whether or not to just go for it, checking out option three seemed a sensible idea.
In true ‘three bear’ tradition, option three turned out to be just right. It’s a tad pricey, totting up to the equivalent of £88 for two nights (I know… right?…), but the views across the lake are inspiring if not outright spectacular; it has a little shop and restaurant on site, and the toilet and shower block is outstanding.
As we’re here for two nights, we’ve put the canopy up; there have been some spots of rain and the air is thick with pollen., with all upward-facing surfaces sporting a layer fine dust, even after wiping down, after only a few moments.
Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow so that we can go off for a good walk in the surrounding forest, and have a day off from driving.
This is a long-exposure photo of the lake taken at night…
