Wednesday 1 August

Děčín to Bad Schandau

Border Sign

We set off on a short day to Bad Schandau and the gorge of Saxon Switzerland (Sächsische Schweiz), and the Bastei rocks. The going was rough until we came to the German border but then the the cycle path had been smoothly surfaced and the riding was attractive and shady. On the other side of the river at Hrensko there was a bustling market benefiting from the border. We rode on to Bad Schandau, a spa town and tourist attraction with a national park on its doorstep, and had lunch on the river bank.

Bad Schandau is a spa town where the River Kirnitzsch flows into the Elbe. The Kirnitzsch rises high in the Saxon Switzerland National Park and its waters were considered to have beneficial properties. Also it was accessible via the Elbe and became a popular tourist destination.

After gathering us all together Liz and Mick led us up two miles of cobbled road with a tram track to a busy campsite where initially we were told they were full. However, Liz eventually got us on just for one night and we squeezed ourselves in amongst the many small tents already there. The facilities were excellent and we cooked our evening meal in the camp kitchen and ate it sitting on a bench outside the facilities block, to the amusement of other campers.

The tram track follows the Kirnitzsch valley from Bad Schandau to the Lichtenhain Waterfall where the Lichtenhainer Bach joins the Kirnitzsch, giving access to the park for hikers etc. We didn’t use it but after our meal set off in the car to the Bastei rocks that overlook the river. A defensive castle was built at the top sometime in the 17th century but only rooms carved into the rocks remain. It has been a tourist attraction since the 1800’s and is now crisscrossed by accessible walkways and a stone bridge replaces an earlier wooden one. We spent the evening there and returned to the campsite at dusk. I don’t think our close neighbours appreciated us squashing in between them.