Walking in Southern Bavaria

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Over the years we have traveled with Headwater to both multi-centre and now a single centre holiday. The booking process, the choices made, and the research done concerning the areas visited is expertly handled, and very valuable. When visiting an area that you have never been to before the combination of the informative Headwater literature plus a degree of your own initiative promises an enjoyable experience.

Mr Mcintosh, 7 Sep 2024

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The assistance setting the hol up to suit our needs and timing was excellent. The details given were accurate and the place we went to as selected from Headwater’s website was as good as described.

Richard Douglas, 13 Aug 2024

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Lovely patient staff on the phone happy to manage non techy travellers and send us everything by snail mail. Nothing was too much trouble

Alyson Everson, 29 Jun 2024

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We have enjoyed 4 Headwater holidays. The travel arrangements are particularly good.

Jessica Glauert, 22 Jun 2024

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Overall a pretty good holiday. Weather hot so all walking carried out before early afternoon. Pretty much as expected but Alte Poste was an ideal hotel.

Nigel Homer, 8 Jul 2023

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Very enjoyable holiday. Public transport and lifts always on time. Food wholesome but rather unimaginative. Bedroom and dining room very clean and comfortable. More help from an English speaking member of staff at reception would have helped us to get more out of our holiday as communication was not great. They were willing to try but we got no extra information ie Oberammergau theatre and tours were not mentioned nor cafes to visit in the rain.

Mr Latham, 21 Sep 2019

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A good combination of sightseeing and easy walking in pretty Bavarian village.

Ms Rushton, 21 Sep 2019

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Oberammagau is an excellent location for hiking and is a beautiful setting. The hotel was located conveniently for shops and transport. Unfortunately we don’t speak German so there was a little bit of a problem communicating with some staff when we asked questions although the tourist office was very helpful. The meals were very tasty although were a little small after a day walking- we noticed that other people who were being served from the a la carte menu, their meals were twice the size! E.g.Two Wiener schnitzel instead of one.Maybe it was because we had a four course set menu? Also when we arrived the hotel was not open as our flight was early and as everything is closed at lunch time we had no one to welcome us. The son who was not very friendly came eventually and told us to leave our suitcases in the reception area so we could go and wander for two hours, trusting that our suitcases were safe. All else was fine and we were given a glass of wine on checking out which was a nice gesture. The trails were good although for a one boot walk somevwere more challenging than we were expecting. We were going to recommend this holiday to my father in law but there needs to be something easier for his age range as he likes walking but more on a level. We have a lot of good memories and really enjoyed the holiday.thank you

Mrs Mackay, 3 Aug 2019

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Value fir money 👍🏻

Mr Sheldon, 6 Jul 2019

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Excellent location with access to beautiful walking country, but let down by a mediocre hotel.

Mr Finnegan, 6 Jun 2019

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Very good walking, lovely wild flowers, accommodation not good enough

Mr Fulford, 6 Jun 2019

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Hotel Jacuzzi great. Upgraded room great. Breakfast v. Good (healthy!), location v. Good. All the walks we went on were enjoyable for 1 boot. Bus to Schloss Neuschwanstein meant a (simple) change each way. A long day, but worth it.

Mr Osborn, 6 Jun 2019

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An excellent location and a friendly family run hotel. The food was varied and interesting and the staff were helpful. The walking routes were well thought out and instructions were pretty good (we had one minor issue but were quickly back on the right track). The only thing to watch is that a number of days start with a rail , bus or chairlift journey so you need to have done your planning the day before to make sure you get to the right place at the right time. There were always different levels of walk on offer in the same location so would suit a group of mixed ability.

Mr Maitland, 11 Aug 2018

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The Hotel was lovely and clean, but as others have mentioned, on a main road with people walking past at night - not a problem unless the windows need to be open (no A/C). The food was really lovely traditional Bavarian food and the staff were friendly. One point worth noting - they may ask if you want your water with gas (not "ice" or "a glass" as I first thought). Turns out that means sparkling (obviously)! The route notes were almost completely flawless - just one bit of confusion in Saulgrub, but otherwise perfect. The walks were stunning and very well planned and the details of train times and costs were helpful too (although we managed to get some money off one train ticket by buying a "hopper" ticket instead of a return to Murnau). Overall a lovely experience, a good chance to practice my German (they seemed really pleased when I tried!) and a unique place to visit with lovely clear streams, cow bells echoing around valleys, mountains, waterfalls, quaint buildings and good food. Also, Herbert the taxi driver who picked us up from the airport was incredibly helpful and informative, and happened to have relatives in our home town of Malvern!

Ms Rees, 21 Jul 2018

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Southern Bavaria end of June beginning of July was spectacular - beautiful scenery, forests, mountains, flower meadows with lots of bees, butterflies, lovely area of a bygone way of living in the UK so lovely to see its still out there, beautifully painted houses and good walking with the services of rail and bus.

Mr Bagnall, 30 Jun 2018

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Excellent location for walking and visiting the famous castles of Southern Bavaria.

Mr Lucas, 16 Jun 2018

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The area is really beautiful and we were blessed with hot and sunny weather for the whole week. The hotel room was superb - one of the best we've had with Headwater - very spacious and well-appointed with a balcony and views of the surrounding mountains. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful and the food was tasty with lots of choice at the breakfast buffet and a choice of main meal in the evening. It's helpful if you can speak a bit of German but not necessary. One of the hotel staff came to translate the evening menu for us each day and she was delightful! The walking was ideal for us and not too demanding. We stuck to the one-boot walks as I had a leg injury. There was plenty of variety within the walks and the transport options were efficient and well-timed. We loved the cable car and especially the chair lift ride! There was a lot of choice given in the walks options which we really liked. The area is lively with lots to do from a lovely big swimming pool complex in Oberammergau itself to visits to Schloss Linderhof and beyond. We could have stayed longer as we didn't manage to do everything we wanted. Oberammergau is quite a busy place with a relatively busy road through it (and past the hotel) so would not really suit those wanting a very quiet, get-away-from-it-all kind of holiday but it suited us perfectly. We did the lake walk on a Bavarian holiday (Assumption Day) which was an error on our part as it was absolutely teeming with people especially as the day was a really hot one - in parts it was overwhelming. I'm sure on a normal day this walk would be much quieter. Overall we had a totally stress-free holiday where we had everything we needed for a completely relaxing week. I can't think of anything that would have improved it for us. We didn't want to come home!

Duckworth, 12 Aug 2017

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A relaxing holiday walking in beautiful Alpine valleys and meadows, with several of 'Mad' Ludwig's palaces and castles within easy reach.

Mr Lowe, 10 Jun 2017

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Bavaria is a wonderful destination, the walking is excellent. Oberammergau and the nearby villages are a delight, in June the meadows are a joy to behold. My limited German was a help as in some restaurants and bars, there was limited English, and even then the local accent was tricky, (but Apfel strudel is good in any language).

Mrs Hodgson, 10 Jun 2017

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We found the Bavarian countryside quite fascinating. Everything was good, the scenery, the walks, the accommodation and food. We also met interesting people who were also on the holiday as we usually do. Earlier this month we had a twenty year re-union with four friends we met on one of your holidays in Corsica.

Mr Andrews, 17 Sep 2016

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Excellent walking in lovely surroundings. Good accommodation.

Dr Cobner, 10 Sep 2016

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The hotel is lovely, with great staff. The service was brilliant.



Mr Carr, 10 Sep 2016

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Oberammergau is a wonderful base for varying levels of walk. The town is beautiful, picturesque and immaculate. the whole area is worth visiting. The trains and buses are excellent and efficient. Unfortunately we did not feel welcome at the Hotel Feldmeier. On arrival Frau Feldmeier was brusque and uninformative. I was a German teacher and had no difficulty at all with the language but she made no effort to communicate. I had to ask for a change of room as our original room was directly onto the main road and was extremely noisy at night. Our second room was tiny. The safe was broken and when I pointed this out she was quite indifferent. She asked us to pay our bill the evening before we left which we were quite happy to do but when my partner tried to pay she looked at him and said 'Ten minutes' and then turned away and spoke to someone else. Throughout the holiday she was at best brusque and at worst downright rude. I would like to add, however that her sister and the rest of the staff were helpful and friendly but I could not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Mrs McKinstry, 3 Sep 2016

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Landhaus Feldmeier exceeded expectations- an excellent room with plenty of seating and a balcony. Veggie food better than expected. Excellent and varied walking with options increased by good local public transport (rail and bus). A longish and not especially pleasant taxi ride to/ from Munich (no criticism of drivers).

Hotel Opera was rather odd. Service was excellent - there seemed to be almost as many staff as guests. However, the room was rather weird and a bit shabby/ dirty (e.g. stained bright mustard carpet and grubby bed trim) and I found the hotel a bit pretentious. The location was excellent though with easy access to the city centre and the English Gardens.

Mrs Hart, 30 Jul 2016

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An excellent holiday. Lovely sunshine and masses of flowers in the meadows made it especially beautiful. The walks were very varied and there were some interesting places to visit en route and on any non walking day(s). A very good centre.

Mis Lee, 18 Jun 2016

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Helpful Headwater staff who made planning and booking our holiday easy. Oberammergau is a wonderful location, Hotel Feldmeier was excellent with friendly, helpful staff. As well as the fantastic scenery and walks there is plenty to see and do in the town. Free bus pass made it easy to get to nearby towns. Also good rail connections from the local station.

Mrs Cross, 18 Jun 2016

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We (3, 60 something adults) had a good walking holiday in the Oberammagau area. The walks were varied, well graded and easy to modify as one cared to, and dependent on weather. Also plenty of other places to visit and experience. For eg, we chose one day to go to Zugspitz using the local bus, cog train and cable car and then walk around the Eibsee, about 7km, with spectacular views. An excellent add on. Accommodation at Landhaus Feldmeier was ok. We had upgraded to a deluxe room out the back which was great. Food generally good, certainly plenty of it, but we would have liked side vegetables/salad with the main courses. Some confusion in arrangements: no car to pick us up from Munich airport, and no record at hotel of our upgrading to comfort room: both issues sorted very promptly by Headwater / manager. Gift bottle of good red appreciated. Highest level of excitement was on our way to Oberammagau: 160km/hr in our replacement taxi, a Toyota Prius, with driver fiddling with his phone Sat Nav.

Mr Clugston, 10 Jun 2016

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A lovely relaxing holiday in a great location and fantastic walking opportunities.

Mr Curwen, 28 May 2016

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A really lovely holiday: excellent walking, and a chance to enjoy the special culture of the area.

Dr Hodgson, 29 Aug 2015

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A great holiday with fantastic walk suggestions that we used in conjunction with the map to explore the area.

Ms Hancock, 22 Aug 2015

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Very enjoyable walking in spectacular countryside, along well signed and maintained paths, guided by excellent route notes.

Mr Valk, 18 Jul 2015

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A great holiday with varied walking options available, Village had great atmosphere and opportunities for shopping and sightseeing away from just walking. We extended our trip with 3 nights in Munich at the hotel recommended by Headwater which was a super place and gave us chance for a bit of culture and city life after the scenery!

Mrs Stocks, 6 Jul 2015

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Very good worth doing, may do it again, great food and beer, watch out for the mountains they are not the same as the hills in Kent.

Mr Tribe, 4 Jul 2015

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We were very happy with the holiday from the headwater point of view. Accomodation i would not be happy with.Compared to other places we visited in the area the level of english spoken in this hotel was very poor,even when we asked what something was on the menu ,the waitress didnt understand us .Thank you for the bottle of wine which we appreciated very much.the walking was superb and the guides provided for the walking were very good. Beautiful country and people were very friendly and most helpful.

Mrs Magnier, 27 Jun 2015

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Walking in Bavaria in June was just amazing. The wild flowers were beautiful to see in the meadows. Oberammergau is ideally situated with easy rail and bus access to the wider area.

Mrs Wright, 20 Jun 2015

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Fabulous holiday in great location. Walking was delightful. Accommodation was brilliant - only downside was the food where there was little if any choice and it was not to our taste.

Mrs Cockburn, 6 Jun 2015

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Oberammergau is an excellent place to visit for walking and historical sites, the whole area is beautiful (think the sound of music) we really enjoyed the whole time we were there.

Mr Upton, 13 Sep 2014

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Good. But the food was uninspired, with too much use of factory-made sauces. The deserts were dull - ice-cream almost every evening. No fruit available at breakfast and the yoghurt was definitely 'off' on one day. Staff nice but their English very limited - it is incorrect to say that the family speak the language.

Mr Tucker, 13 Sep 2014

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Perfect walking area, perfect location of very good hotel - excellent local transport and very varied mix and combination of sightseeing and walking possible. Even had perfect weather - brilliant!

Mrs Newsome, 10 Sep 2014

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The 'superior' accommodation really was very good indeed. The local tax a bit of a surprise at the end of the week - if it is mentioned, then you should emphasise it more. The walks and interest are excellent, and the notes worked well, because the paths, signposts and surfaces are so good. We have usually gone to Italy or France with you - and German food is a bit of a shock, in its solidity and calorie count.

Mr Propert, 5 Sep 2014

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Bavaria is very nice and very green because it rains a lot! Apart from that we had a good time, but Oberammergau is a bit isolated and it's best to take your car if you can, although local transport is very good.

Pro Winlow, 25 Aug 2014

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This was our first holiday with Headwater as we normally organise our holidays ourselves. We will definitely consider another Headwater holiday in the future, as the local knowledge was invaluable, the walks just great (and appropriate for our level), and the hotel was excellent (the request for vegetarian food didn't seem to have reached the hotel but it wasn't a problem, and the chef made up delicious veggie dishes specially each day). We found that the premium that Headwater provides over self-organised holidays is well worth the extra cost: it saved us substantial planning time and made logistics easy, so that we could focus on the more important business of enjoying a great walking holiday. Thank you!

Ms Morrison, 19 Jul 2014

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Excellent holiday. Covered everything, good walking at your own level and pace, good food in the area, and a good few places of interest on your doorstep to mix with your walking or do on their own.

Easy to use local transport, train, bus and ski lift - even if your German is very limited.

Mrs Jones, 12 Jul 2014

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A reasonably energetic yet wonderfully relaxed walking holiday.

Mrs Hutchison, 29 Jun 2014

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Very quiet comfortable and clean family run hotel in good location. Convenient for public transport and ice creams after a day's walking. A very good selection of walks, suitable for all abilties. We just needed longer to complete them all!

Mrs Ross, 20 Jun 2014

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Friendly and welcoming hotel, with good food and enjoyable and varied walks.

Mrs Ife, 14 Jun 2014

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Everything went smoothly with travel arrangements on outward and inward journeys.. Standard of food was exceptional for *** hotel. Would have appreciated a kettle in bedroom to make tea/coffee and fill hot water bottle. Very enjoyable holiday. Maps and information all very helpful and accurate.

Mrs Wood, 14 Jun 2014

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Our holiday was well organised and the hotel was comfortable and friendly. The walks were well chosen and the self-guiding notes were informative and easy to follow. The only slightly disappointing aspect as the weather; it rained on most days, so I would advise potential travellers to be prepared for wet weather - especially early in the season.

Mr Burch, 24 May 2014

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Oberammergau is a lovely location from which to base a walking holiday. We were fortunate to have sunshine nearly all week (21-28 Sept), and made the most it by doing many of the walks provided in the Headwater literature. The most exhilarating being Sonnenberg Ridge linked to The Kofel - quite possible in a single day, although the advice in the walking notes regarding narrow ledges and cables need to be carefully considered. The local buses, trains and chair lift are all easily accessed and efficient. The hotel owner gave us a discount card for use with the buses and lifts. The food was cooked to perfection, but not very inspirational.

Mr Robinson, 21 Sep 2013

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The holiday was everything that we hoped it would be.

Mr Powell, 7 Sep 2013

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Oberammergau was an ideal location for our walking holiday, every day we walked somewhere different which made it interesting.

The public transport was easy to use, particularly the train and the walk from the hotel to the train station was a reasonable difference.

The 4 course evening meal at the hotel was very good value and extremely tasty.

Mrs Larcombe, 6 Jul 2013

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Fantastic week 5th-12th July 2013 enjoyed all the walks best ones were the difficult route on the sonnenberg ridge, chair lift closed also path to start of walk closed due

to cycle race so had to walk to start of walk well worth it.High over the Hornle was also a good walk with fantastic views. Good food all week for the humble vegetarian.

Staff at the hotel were very helpful and friendly.





Mrs Grosschmidt, 5 Jul 2013