Andy

On what was probably my last Sunday tour of the year, the route took me via Apolda to the Ilm River, then along the Ilm via Bad Sulza to Großheringen. From there, I returned to Jena through the Saale Valley. The weather was initially very foggy, later turning autumnally gray.

This tour begins in Jena, heading west. It follows the railway line up to Großschwabhausen, and from there continues into the Ilm Valley. From Mellingen via Weimar to Oberroßla, the tour follows the Ilm Cycle Path. The return to Jena takes you via Apolda, through the beautiful Schienen Grund region, and over the Cospedaer Höhe.

A very beautiful ride in today's changeable weather. My first destination, the Galerie Plinz, was off the main roads. A former mill, which I reached through the picturesque Forellenbach valley. The route continues up the valley on very pleasant forest paths to the heights of the "Beckerskirchhof" farmstead

Yesterday I undertook one of my longest tours. From Jena, you have to cycle a long stretch of the Saale Cycle Path via Rothenstein and Kahla to Kleineutersdorf, before you can choose between two options. You can either take the steep climb directly to the "Rieseneck" hunting lodge, or you can continue

Starting from Jena, the paved cycle path through the Rodatal Valley leads to Stadtroda. A visit to the ruins of a Cistercian nunnery is a must. The route then climbs the Zeitzgrund valley beneath the trees. The path is very well-maintained, and in summer, you'll experience a pleasant coolness. Passing

Through the Pennickental Valley, you reach the top of the Wöllmisse. Then, the trail descends to Schlöben and continues to Lotschen. Past the Zippelteich ponds, the trail climbs through the forest and then descends along the tree-lined country road to Schöngleina. After the climb to the airfield, the

The monastery church in Thalbürgel is an exceptionally beautiful church with significant artistic and historical value. Along with the monastery ruins in Paulinzella and the Pererskirche church in Erfurt, it represents the Hirsau Reformed style in Thuringia. The route there leads up through the Pennickental

Via Ammerbach, I headed through the forest up to the Coppanzer Höhe and on to Vollradisroda. My return route led me via Döbritschen and Großschwabhausen, down the Schwabhäuser Grund, and along the cycle path along the B7 back to Jena.

Today's tour took me to the plateau northwest of Jena, where the Prussian-Saxon army was decisively defeated by Napoleon's troops in 1806. I passed the 1806 Memorial, then the route led over part of the former battlefield. Through the beautiful Nerkewitzer Grund, I descended back into the Saale Valley

Hidden in a small valley in the Thuringian Forest - that is what the former Paulinzella monastery is today. And the spirituality that this place exudes has also been preserved...

Like every year on the first day of November, we set off for a lovely autumn hike :-)