Westweg - Baden-Baden, stages and getting home

Greetings!

I am lucky enough to be headed to Germany for some work in mid-July,
and decided to hike some of the Westweg over the weekend after work is
done, before flying home. I have a few questions I am hoping folks
here can help me with.

I like the idea of a Roman-Irish spa in Baden-Baden after a couple
days hiking, but I'm a novice hiker and the two northern stages of the
Westweg (to Dobel and then to Forbach) look kind of long. I could
probably do them, just probably not in the official time estimated by
the Schwarzwaldverein.

So, can y'all recommend where to jump into the Westweg on a Saturday,
hike the day, stay overnight somewhere, hike Sunday, and be able to
get to an international airport on Monday sometime for a return to the
US Monday (to Houston)? I'll be coming into the Black Forest from work
in Dueren (near Koeln). What's the best way (either cheapest OR
fastest) to get between towns around there (or down there from where
I'll be working)?

Also, I've seen references to having luggage shipped ahead to
destinations while out hiking, but haven't yet located resources on
who does that, where they service, how much it is, etc. Clearly, I
don't want to haul my laptop bag and luggage through the woods

Thanks all!

Holly wrote:
Greetings!

I am lucky enough to be headed to Germany for some work in mid-July,
and decided to hike some of the Westweg over the weekend after work is
done, before flying home. I have a few questions I am hoping folks
here can help me with.

I like the idea of a Roman-Irish spa in Baden-Baden after a couple
days hiking, but I'm a novice hiker and the two northern stages of the
Westweg (to Dobel and then to Forbach) look kind of long. I could
probably do them, just probably not in the official time estimated by
the Schwarzwaldverein.

So, can y'all recommend where to jump into the Westweg on a Saturday,
hike the day, stay overnight somewhere, hike Sunday, and be able to
get to an international airport on Monday sometime for a return to the
US Monday (to Houston)? I'll be coming into the Black Forest from work
in Dueren (near Koeln). What's the best way (either cheapest OR
fastest) to get between towns around there (or down there from where
I'll be working)?

Also, I've seen references to having luggage shipped ahead to
destinations while out hiking, but haven't yet located resources on
who does that, where they service, how much it is, etc. Clearly, I
don't want to haul my laptop bag and luggage through the woods

Thanks all!

This place organizes hiking tours where they transport your luggage for you:
Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH
Schwenninger Str. 3
78048 Villingen-Schwenningen
Tel.: 07721-846415
Fax.: 07721-846411

Go to this page
http://www.fernwege.de/d/westweg/wan...gen/index.html

to get the e-mail and internet links.

I have done this kind of tour in the past (in other areas, not Black
Forest). The tourist office fixes up the room bookings and arranges
transport.

OTOH I must say it seems to be an awfully long way to to go for a
weekend hiking. Düren is right on the edge of the Eifel region, which is
also great hiking country.

T.

On Jun 26, 7:15*am, Tom P wrote:
Holly wrote:
Greetings!

I am lucky enough to be headed to Germany for some work in mid-July,
and decided to hike some of the Westweg over the weekend after work is
done, before flying home. I have a few questions I am hoping folks
here can help me with.

I like the idea of a Roman-Irish spa in Baden-Baden after a couple
days hiking, but I'm a novice hiker and the two northern stages of the
Westweg (to Dobel and then to Forbach) look kind of long. I could
probably do them, just probably not in the official time estimated by
the Schwarzwaldverein.

So, can y'all recommend where to jump into the Westweg on a Saturday,
hike the day, stay overnight somewhere, hike Sunday, and be able to
get to an international airport on Monday sometime for a return to the
US Monday (to Houston)? I'll be coming into the Black Forest from work
in Dueren (near Koeln). What's the best way (either cheapest OR
fastest) to get between towns around there (or down there from where
I'll be working)?

Also, I've seen references to having luggage shipped ahead to
destinations while out hiking, but haven't yet located resources on
who does that, where they service, how much it is, etc. Clearly, I
don't want to haul my laptop bag and luggage through the woods

Thanks all!

This place organizes hiking tours where they transport your luggage for you:
Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH
Schwenninger Str. 3
78048 Villingen-Schwenningen
Tel.: 07721-846415
Fax.: 07721-846411

Go to this pagehttp://www.fernwege.de/d/westweg/wandern/leistungen/index.html

to get the e-mail and internet links.

* I have done this kind of tour in the past (in other areas, not Black
Forest). *The tourist office fixes up the room bookings and arranges
transport.

OTOH I must say it seems to be an awfully long way to to go for a
weekend hiking. Düren is right on the edge of the Eifel region, which is
also great hiking country.

T.

Tom,

Thank you! Part of what's driving me to chose the Black Forest is that
I'm flying in and out of Frankfurt, so since the free time is on the
way back home, and I have to head that way anyhow... plus, I just want
to see it. My maiden name is Sommer, so I've got some level of that
"in my blood" I suppose

Thanks for the link to the luggage transportation folks. That helps me
out immensely!

Regards,

Holly wrote:
On Jun 26, 7:15 am, Tom P wrote:
Holly wrote:
Greetings!
I am lucky enough to be headed to Germany for some work in mid-July,
and decided to hike some of the Westweg over the weekend after work is
done, before flying home. I have a few questions I am hoping folks
here can help me with.
I like the idea of a Roman-Irish spa in Baden-Baden after a couple
days hiking, but I'm a novice hiker and the two northern stages of the
Westweg (to Dobel and then to Forbach) look kind of long. I could
probably do them, just probably not in the official time estimated by
the Schwarzwaldverein.
So, can y'all recommend where to jump into the Westweg on a Saturday,
hike the day, stay overnight somewhere, hike Sunday, and be able to
get to an international airport on Monday sometime for a return to the
US Monday (to Houston)? I'll be coming into the Black Forest from work
in Dueren (near Koeln). What's the best way (either cheapest OR
fastest) to get between towns around there (or down there from where
I'll be working)?
Also, I've seen references to having luggage shipped ahead to
destinations while out hiking, but haven't yet located resources on
who does that, where they service, how much it is, etc. Clearly, I
don't want to haul my laptop bag and luggage through the woods
Thanks all!
This place organizes hiking tours where they transport your luggage for you:
Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH
Schwenninger Str. 3
78048 Villingen-Schwenningen
Tel.: 07721-846415
Fax.: 07721-846411

Go to this pagehttp://www.fernwege.de/d/westweg/wandern/leistungen/index.html

to get the e-mail and internet links.

I have done this kind of tour in the past (in other areas, not Black
Forest). The tourist office fixes up the room bookings and arranges
transport.

OTOH I must say it seems to be an awfully long way to to go for a
weekend hiking. Düren is right on the edge of the Eifel region, which is
also great hiking country.

T.

Tom,

Thank you! Part of what's driving me to chose the Black Forest is that
I'm flying in and out of Frankfurt, so since the free time is on the
way back home, and I have to head that way anyhow... plus, I just want
to see it. My maiden name is Sommer, so I've got some level of that
"in my blood" I suppose

Thanks for the link to the luggage transportation folks. That helps me
out immensely!

Regards,
Hi, can you read that link ok, it seems to be all in German? Their
website indicates they could also organize shorter tours than a week,
probably best to phone them up and talk to them. If you are flexible
about where you start from it might be possible to tag onto a longer
tour for the two days.

We did some similar hiking tours in Franconia not far from Bamberg a
few years back. The organizers put is in fairly simple B&B type places
in small villages. Mostly the transport arrangement was simply that the
hotel owner loaded the bags in his car and drove them to the next place
on our route.

T.

On Jun 26, 11:10*am, Tom P wrote:
Hi, can you read that link ok, it seems to be all in German? Their
website indicates they could also organize shorter tours than a week,
probably best to phone them up and talk to them. If you are flexible
about where you start from it might be possible to tag onto a longer
tour for the two days.

Yup, I can read the German fine, and have emailed them already.
Phoning wouldn't work, unfortunately, because I'm 9 hours behind, and
I think my employer would not appreciate the call being placed I've
got a decent amount of flexibility of where I start and end, so that
should help, it sounds like.

Thanks again!