If you ride this tour as part of the five-day Rhön route collection, this is your second tour today. This one is completely different from your tour yesterday. This time you travel towards the North, deep into the Bavarian and Hessian Rhön. The first tour is characterized by thick, almost ghostly forests. Today you drive through beautiful meadow landscapes, over rolling “mountains”. Along the way you will pass a number of beautiful sights and enjoy the beautiful nature and views around you.

You can still take care of your household matters in Bad Brückenau, such as refueling and buying groceries. From there it goes directly onto the main road towards Riedenberg. Fortunately, you only follow this main road for a short distance, before almost entering a narrow forest road into the Rhön Biosphere Reserve.

This low mountain range with volcanic mountains is known for its versatile landscape. You also notice this today while driving. Forest areas alternate with meadow landscapes and swamp areas. There are even moments when you get the feeling of driving over a plateau.

But first you come across Stangenroth basalt quarry. Due to the volcanic activity in this region, the soil was rich in basalt. In the 19th century, several basalt quarries were set up to excavate the rock. One of the youngest quarries was that of Stangenroth. This was started in 1923 and only stopped in 2013. The buildings have been demolished, but the old quarry is still visible. It has filled up with water, creating a beautiful biotope with clear blue water. From the parking lot you can walk to the edge of the quarry. Please note that you cannot enter the quarry: the walls are extremely steep and unstable. The local government has placed a fence around the edge of the quarry to prevent (even more) people from falling into the deep quarry.

After this geographical low point, a high point awaits you. You travel to the Klosterkreuzberg via the Burgwallbacher forest. You climb to a height of about 850 meters, next to the top of the Kreuzberg. Here you await a final climb on foot to the top of the mountain and the 3 crosses of Golgotha, referring to the mountain where Jesus is said to have been crucified. Fortunately, you don't have to be a religious person to want to climb the 300 steps. The view from the top of the Kreuzberg is beautiful. From here you have a beautiful view of the Rhön nature park. And as a reward after this climb, you can sit on the terrace of the Franciscan monks. It's a good place to be here. The food is simple and delicious, the beer is said to be heavenly.

Once you descend the Kreuzberg, the landscape in the biosphere reserve changes again. This time you seem to be driving onto a plateau. There are few trees, so you feel like you are “above the tree line” on the Hochrohnstrasse. The only thing that distracts your attention from the views are the grazing Rhön sheep in the meadow and marsh landscape. This is a beautiful route, especially when the flowers and plants are in bloom. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to stop on the side of the road to take photos, but fortunately there are parking lots for hikers here and there, where you can stop to take photos.

Because it can sometimes be quite busy at the Franciscan monks on the Klosterkreuzberg, you can also take a break at the Fischerhütte am Rothsee or the Schlossbergschänke. The Fischerhütte is an ancient little restaurant along a lake on top of the Hochrohnstrasse. From here you can walk to a large old basalt quarry. Or you can opt for a “stand-alone” break at the Schlossbergschänke, a little further along the route and lower down, among the woods.

In the meantime, the route continues to wind along beautiful meadows, spooky forests and through sleeping villages. You will notice that you will encounter few restaurants on this part of the route. But luckily the kilometers fly by under your engine, so you don't notice that almost 2 hours have suddenly flown by. Time for a break at Restaurant Zur guten Quelle. Immediately after the building you can turn into a small driveway on the right. For a moment you have the impression that you are driving onto the terrace of the restaurant, but soon you see the parking spaces. When the weather is nice, the terrace is highly recommended. Here you can enjoy a delicious lunch, but keep German portions in mind. You will continue your journey with a full belly!

Time to hit the road again. Take your after-dinner dip into account. The roads undulate wonderfully through the landscape, making it easy to lull you to sleep. Fortunately, there is plenty to see along the way. For example the Bieberstein Palace. This palace was built in the 18th century in Baroque style. It is well maintained and is now used as a boarding school.

If you want to stretch your legs, you can visit the Steinwand. With a walk of about 1.5 kilometers (about 30 minutes) you walk around the basalt columns, hidden in the forest. On weekends it is a popular place for wall climbers.

Motorcycle routes are known for often not following an efficient route, but rather scenic routes. This also applies to this part of the route. You could take a faster route from the Steinwand to the Wasserkuppe, but the nicest route zigzags via wonderful bends towards your next attraction.

The Wasserkuppe is the highest mountain in the Rhön and has a rich history. For example, it is called the “Berg der Flieger” (aviators' mountain). The first attempts to fly gliders were made here in 1911. Due to the increasing popularity of silent flying, a hangar with a flying school was opened in 1923. At the same time, a statue was erected to commemorate fallen airmen from WWI. This statue still stands proudly on the mountain. After WWII, the British set up a radar station on the mountain, which was expanded over the years. You will see that the radar station and gliding club are still in use. This also applies to the mountain restaurant, which has been operated here since 1914.

This mountain is very popular, especially on weekends. Motorcyclists, hikers and glider pilots like to come here. It's your choice whether you want to stop here to look around and take a break. If you prefer to avoid the crowds, it is better to leave the mountain quickly. Along the way, swing by the source of the Fulda river (Fuldaquelle) to arrive 12 kilometers further at Berghütte Simmelsberg. It is a mountain inn at its best: a cozy beer garden with the characteristic wooden picnic benches and tables.

From here it is only 40 kilometers to your hotel. Enjoy the small country roads through nature for a while. Back onto a wide main road you reach the top of the Mottener Höhe. This 680 meter high mountain marks the border between the Bavarian and Hessian Rhön. Down the mountain is a pleasure. You drive a number of wonderful bends over the tight asphalt before ending back in Bad Brückenau. Just refuel at the OMV before you drive back into the hotel parking lot.

Enjoy the peace and healthy air in the spa for one last evening. Tomorrow the one-day drive back to the Netherlands starts.