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07:30: Out of bed. Today I walk towards Ulm.
08:00: Washed and dressed. About to have breakfast.
09:16:49
09:30: On the road to Donaueschingen.
09:40: I’m following a grassy track alongside the Breg river.
10:24: I visited the Donauquelle decorative spring between the church and the palace, and now I’m sitting down to an Apfelschorle. To Tuttlingen: 33km.
10:35: Embarking on the trail!
10:57:31: The confluence of the Breg and the Brigach. Behind me, the Donau flows to the Black Sea.
12:15: Stopped for lunch in the shade of some trees. The weight of my bag had become insufferable despite only having a half load of water. I ate the delicious crumbly moist load I bought in Hüfingen with butter and the last of the Bavarian-made Limburger cheese and the rest of the marmalade. It’s 13:03 now and I’m ready to move on. I’m close to Neudingen, but I’ll swerve away from it soon. I’m hoping to get to Tuttlingen, but that’s still about 30 km away. We’ll see.
13:13: I just met my first fellow walker: Marisse, from Nantes in France, who’s walking from Donaueschingen to Vienna. She has three weeks holidays in which to do it.
13:25:03
13:52:15
13:50: Tuttlingen: 23 km from here.
14:32: Donaueschingen 16 km, Tuttlingen 20 km.
14:28:24
14:35: Entering Geisingen.
14:48: €2.00 for an Apfelschorle and two litres of tap water.
14:52: Moving again.
15:43: Entering Hintschingen.
15:45: Tuttlingen: 15 km.
16:29: I’m in Immendingen. Tuttlingen is 12 km. I’m grimacing a lot.
16:42: Departing Immendingen. A bit to twee for its own good.
17:12: Tuttlingen 9 km.
17:44: Arriving in Möhringen.
17:54: Tuttlingen 6.2 km. A slow, tortuous hour.
18:07: The backs of my calves have come up in red blotches. I mustn’t have whacked on enough factor 50 this morning. I’m on the path out of Möhringen. Putting more factor 50 on now.
19:06: Arriving at the camping on time, but shit, that was tough.
19:13: So the camping is just a green spot surrounded by hedges. No security of any sort. Fuck.
19:52: Tent set up. I’m lying down exhausted. I’m in a public park beside some football pitches. There are showers apparently, but I have to ask for a key at the swimming pool, which I passed a kilometre outside town.
20:19: OK, sitting up. I way overdid it today. My calves are aching and my left calf has a really sore spot deep within the muscle. I had been planning to spend two nights here all along, so that even if I did push it a bit hard, I’d have a recovery day during which to explore the town. Because of the zero-security camping setup, I’ll have to break camp, pack everything and bring all my shit into town tomorrow.
I’m not even feeling energetic enough to boil up soup and couscous, but I think I’ll do it anyway. The temperature has dropped slightly so I’ll put on another layer.
I’ve even thought of backtracking to the ‘basic camping’ setup I passed near one of the other villages; that might actually be more salubrious. I’m sure I’m totally fine here, but I won’t leave my gear unattended for any length of time.
21:03: Wow, I relished every morsel of 600-700ml of onion soup with a good few shakes of couscous thrown in the thicken it up. I’m gonna see if the loos are still unlocked, so I can wash the pot. I guess not.
21:15: The bathroom was open! Pot, spoon, ruler and pot handle all washed and packed. I feel much livelier with some food in my belly. Sunset is about now, so I’m going to get in the bag.
