Along the classy Swabian Alb, just north of Ulm, is Dornstadt.
Life is quiet here in this little town on the Alb (except during the summer festival), but you’ll still have a good time.
A nice start would be a trip to and through the Dornstadt Forest. Within it is the Forest Trail, a half-hour walk with “stations” detailing the bits & pieces of information about the forest. One station tells about a tree’s “rings,” indicating how old a tree is; another is a “phone tree” where you can tap at one end and hear it at the other. Pretty nifty, if I say so myself.
I’d also suggest you do the Pilger & Naturlehrpfad am Jakobsweg. Huh? That would be the Nature Trail at St. James, part of the Franconian & Swabian St. James Way, which pilgrims have traveled for more than a 1000 years to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela.
No one said you have to travel the entire distance. You can just see the 16 “stops” on a guided tour with information on the route itself and the flora & fauna along the way.
The Forest Trail and the St. James Nature Trail aren’t your only chances to see the countryside with plenty of hiking and bicycling trails through Dornstadt and its four villages.
Over at the Kiesental, you’ve got Nordic Walking and more hiking trails. Because this is a nature conservation area, a small donation is asked to help the conservation effort. Please follow the signposted rules to keep the area beautiful for everyone.
To experience the cultural side of Dornstadt, go see St. Lawrence Church with its 14th century frescoes and Baroque paintings. In the village of Tomerdingen is the Church of St. Martin, which has been around since Carolingian times.
Those lucky visitors who are here during the Obstwiesenfestival (a summer music festival) will love all the live bands. The best part? It’s all free!
I guess Dornstadt isn’t all that quiet, after all. ;-)
