A family holiday in the Black Forest

Baiersbronn has been proving for years that children and hiking are not natural enemies. So convincingly that the state competition "familien-ferien" has already named it the most family-friendly holiday destination in Baden-Württemberg.

The recipe is simple. Here, nature is the playground. Instead of counting kilometres, children look for forest spirits, go on treasure hunts or say hello to the red deer at the enclosure. And because the valleys keep distances short, there is rarely more than half an hour between breakfast and adventure.

Baiersbronn's discovery trails turn the forest path into an adventure. Talking stones, forest spirits and an oversized set of chimes turn the loop into a voyage of discovery, where children solve riddles and turn detective. The hiking gets done along the way, without anyone noticing.

The starting point for many of these is the Wander-Informationszentrum, the hiking information centre in Baiersbronn. It has equipment for treasure hunts and GPS tours and, handily, child carriers and explorer waistcoats to borrow.

If there is one perfect family walk around Baiersbronn, it is the one to the Sankenbachsee. The path wanders gently past the red deer enclosure and a playground to the dark glacial lake in its valley basin. There you will find a barbecue spot for the sausages you brought along and, right beside it, the Sankenbach waterfall.

The mix simply works. Animals, water, fire and a lake you are allowed to throw stones into. An afternoon needs nothing more.

For cycling families, the Tour de Murg is the benchmark. Downstream it is a gentle descent, and the Murgtalbahn railway brings you comfortably back. That turns 67 kilometres into a relaxed family stage, one that can be shortened or broken up wherever you like.

If you would rather build skills off-road, take the youngsters to the freely accessible Bike-Area Baiersbronn. It is a playful place to practise cornering, balance and braking before the first family mountain bike ride. The tourist board recommends child-friendly routes for exactly that.

The classic family outing is the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park Black Forest in Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, just under three quarters of an hour away. Rescued bears and wolves live there in large, near-natural enclosures, each with a story that adults do not forget in a hurry either.

Add to that the Mummelsee, with its fleet of pedalos and a path around the shore, and the family programmes of the Black Forest National Park. At the ranger sessions for children, the protected area becomes a vast open-air classroom, just one where you read animal tracks instead of vocabulary.

That is taken care of too. Under the arcades on Freudenstadt's market square you can stroll and stay dry, and at the National Park Centre at Ruhestein the interactive exhibition tells the story of the wild forest. The Skywalk waits for the brave as soon as the rain eases.

And sometimes the rainy day turns out to be the loveliest of all. When the clouds hang low in the valley, the forest steams and afterwards everything smells of fir, the Black Forest puts on its strongest family programme. With no admission charge at all.