After two days of traveling through the Eifel and the Westerwald, today it is finally time to take a tour of the Rhön, from Hotel zur Mühle. This tour is one to look forward to: there are plenty of bends, the forests are impressive and the restaurants with local dishes are delicious. Breakfast can hardly be over quickly enough so you can start the route...

Once on the bike the fun starts quickly. You drive out of Bad Brückenau and you immediately have a beautiful view of the surrounding nature. And slowly, in the distance, you see a castle looming. Schwarzenfels Castle. This castle, first mentioned in 1280, takes its name from the black basalt of the Hopfenberg. Schwarzenfels served as a strategic base and imperial fief throughout history, generating revenue from forests, agriculture, livestock and taxes. Nowadays the hotel has multiple functions as a hotel, conference location and facilitates all kinds of festivals and parties for the local area.

After leaving this castle behind you, turn south. First beautiful rolling bends through a valley along the Jossa river. And soon you will drive the first hairpin bends in a thick forest today. The road meanders through the woods and is occasionally alternated with a short stretch through built-up areas.

Via Alsberg you will eventually pass the Hirschbornteiche. You can stop here to stretch your legs and breathe healthy air. The lakes are part of the Alsberger Hang natural forest reserve, consisting of pure deciduous trees, beech trees and grape oaks. The area is described as “wildly romantic”, so perhaps a nice short walk if you take this tour with your partner?

The route dives further into the thick forest and it is time for a short break. In Jakobsthal you have two options. Just before the village, at a junction, is Waldhaus Zum Engländer. This wooden forest hut has a lovely terrace with picnic tables, where you can enjoy delicious typical German dishes. In the village there is a second place where you can take a break: Restaurant Zur Knöpphütte. They also have a lovely terrace where you can recover from the first few hours of touring.

Even after this break, the fast bends continue to follow each other. You can speed up the pace, but don't forget to stop at the Pollasch along the way. From this viewpoint you can, in good weather, see 44 kilometers into the Laufachtal up to the Mainzer mountain. You also have a memorial here for fallen soldiers from the Spessart region.

The route continues to bore its way through the continuous growth of national forests. Every now and then the forest opens up, allowing you to drive along a babbling river or through a short valley, such as Hafenlohr.

Finally you arrive in Langenprozelten and you can have lunch at Hotel-Gasthof Zum Letzten Hieb. First pass the building and then immediately turn left so that you can park your motorcycle behind the hotel. The food here is good, but keep in mind that the portions – German style – are large!

With a full belly, the route continues northwards, zigzagging along wonderful roads towards Michelau. Along the way you will encounter two special sights.

The first is “Strecke 46”. You may have noticed it before, but hidden in the landscape you see traces of strange buildings along the route. One of these is the viaduct that you will drive under in a moment. You will notice that this viaduct is in good condition, but that no road passes over it. During Hitler's time in power, he planned to build a 70 kilometer long highway (Autobahn) between Fulda and Wurzburg. The construction of this highway was never completed and the remains were slowly taken over by nature. Further along the route in Schonderfeld you can also see bridge parts in the meadow.

The second place along the route is Kloster Schönau. The Franciscan monastery dates from the 12th century. In 1699, the monastery and church were renovated in Baroque style. Today, monks still live in the monastery, which means it is only open to visitors on a limited basis. Check their website for opening hours if you want to take a look inside.

Back in Bad Brückenau you can refuel your bike so that you can start the second tour tomorrow, which is of a completely different nature.