Germany: SUP river tour on the Pegnitz
There's a golden rule that says: if you're looking for miracles, you don't have to go far. In search of a crowning tour for the end of the season, we actually wanted to head to the Alps, to Austria, and conquer the Lech. But everything turned out differently: the weather forecast for the Lech region was too mixed for the long journey from Nuremberg. For our home region of Franconia, on the other hand, the forecast is first fog and then glorious autumn weather. So we set our sights on the Pegnitz. We've often explored Franconian Switzerland along the Pegnitz on foot or by bike. But we've never been there on SUP boards. The journey from Nuremberg is short and sweet. After just an hour's drive, we arrive at our starting point in Velden an der Pegnitz.
Start at the hikers' car park on the ST2162 towards Neuhaus. There is a shallow entry point here on slightly sloping meadow terrain. Anyone who has travelled down a smaller river for the first time will know the excitement and joy before the start. Flowing waters are not as tranquil as the sea or a lake. Bends and plants hide what is to come. It's like the famous box of chocolates from Forrest Gump: You never know what you get - the you-never-know-what-you-get feeling. A river consists of many bends and, depending on the gradient, there are rapids, but also obstacles such as trees or weirs, and new perspectives from the water. Every river tour, no matter how harmless it may seem, should be researched in advance. And despite all the research, every new start on the river promises a new adventure.
Right at the start of the tour, we paddle along the slowly flowing Pegnitz past the colourful half-timbered houses of Velden. On leaving Velden, the river flows past spectacular cliffs and then leads out into the beautiful Pegnitz valley. The river offers many interesting passages along its course. Sometimes it winds slowly and narrowly through narrow gorges with small waterfalls, sometimes it goes down a few small rapids at a brisk pace. Or it splashes gently through green meadows. As the Pegnitz regularly flows through villages such as Rupprechtstegen, Artelshofen or Vorra on this section, we have to carry our SUPs a few metres around small weirs, but the exits and entrances are perfectly marked and constructed, as the Pegnitz is also a popular river for canoeists.
The sun has laboured to fight its way through the thick fog and our hearts smile with every ray - like gold diggers at the sight of precious metal. The trees glow in all colours, the sky is blue, the half-timbered houses look as if they were made of sugar. We often stop to take photos and enjoy the day. Unfortunately, these are very short in autumn. Time seems to flow by. Our second car is parked in Eschenbach. What is quick by car can take considerably longer on a meandering river. We have probably underestimated the distance on the river and dusk is gradually eating away at the golden light we have found. On the last section of the route, things get really adventurous once again: the Pegnitz becomes narrower and narrower, winding its way through many trees that hang just above the surface of the water - so narrow that in places we can only paddle on our knees. Relieved and somewhat exhausted, we reach the village of Eschenbach after around three and a half hours of pure paddling time and 22 kilometres in the last light of day.
The destination of Eschenbach was of course a smart choice. In the restaurant/guesthouse Der Grüne Schwan directly on the main street, you can enjoy a well-earned beer after work and chef Norbert conjures up excellent dishes with delicious ingredients from the region. Let's go there, just like the epicure Goethe once said: "A good evening comes when I have done all day.
INFO PEGNITZ
The Pegnitz flows just over 100 kilometres through Franconian Switzerland to the east of Nuremberg. There are few rapids and weirs between Neuhaus and Eschenbach, making the Pegnitz easy to navigate on a SUP board.
Best touring time - Important: Between 1 November and 31 May, it is forbidden to paddle the Pegnitz from Neuhaus to Güntersthal. From 1 May to 31 October, it is forbidden to paddle on the Pegnitz between 19:00 and 08:00. - Further details can be found in the canoeing regulations of the Franconian Alb: www.frankenalb.de/urlaubsthemen/aktiv/kanu/kanuverordnung.html or www.kanu-allesimfluss.de
Tour tip
- Tour: from Velden (start at the hikers' car park on the ST2162) to Eschenbach (exit before the road bridge on the left, with car park) - Tour length: 22 kilometres - Tour duration: four to six hours
The right board
We were travelling with two boards:
1) The JP RivAir, of course cool for the slightly faster passages, as it is extremely stable and manoeuvrable. Thanks to the five fins, it was easy to remove the centre fin, which was very pleasant in some shallows. Of course, this "tank" doesn't glide so well on the many longer, calmer passages and you have to use a lot of power to keep up with a touring board. A tip would be any sporty iSUP all-round board, as you can also remove the centre fin here.
2) The Naish One 12'6'': our first choice when we do the tour again. As usual, the board feels great in the water and is fast in calm sections. But the fast sections of the river were also easy to master in terms of stability.
Further information, hire and tours www.boardnerds.de
