Thanks to the crappy weather in the past few weeks, I’m falling behind on my 2021 cycling challenge. Today looked like a promising day for a ride though, so I somehow talked the Snook into joining me for a trip south along the Isar.

We rode on the right bank of the Isar on the outbound trip, and there were plenty of folks out enjoying the sunny Spring day. The cycling path actually goes right next to the Zoo, and you can peek in at some of the exhibits. (The zoo is open but you have to reserve tickets so they can control numbers, and it’s booked out for several days in advance.) I saw Ziegen (goats) and Ponys!

The bike path was wide and mostly flat, but we could also see mountain bike paths off to our left and a fair number of folks whizzing through the trees. We stopped every so often to have a drink of water and look at the scenery. There are a lot of channels (natural and man-made) and islands along the river, and it divides at various points into different streams that come back together.

We stopped next to the weir about halfway to Grünwald for a picnic lunch. We sat on the river stones and ate our sandwiches while the clear water trickled past. It was very pretty.

See that high bridge behind us? We did not relish the idea of figuring out how to get up there, so we decided to keep going to Grünwald and use the bridge there. It wasn’t far on the map, but those last few kms were tough. The nice flat path ends, and you end up on a fairly hilly and rocky bit with the mountain bikers. We walked most of that section, partly due to tiredness and partly for safety. (Our bikes aren’t really designed for off-roading!) See the spiky bits on the elevation chart? Yeah. That part.

One last panorama of the river…

We didn’t really check out Grünwald, but I did spot the castle high up on the hill. The ride home on the left bank was much flatter and easier, and we did the return trip without stopping. Final distance was 27.1km (16.8mi), bringing my total for 2021 to 79km. Poor Mr. Snook is cross-eyed from tiredness, and my face is the colour of my shirt! 😂