Ried lies in the varied hilly landscape of the Wittelsbacher Land and is a municipality in the Swabian district of Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria. The municipality features 18 hiking and cycling routes. This gives you several themes to choose from when planning: forest circular routes, pilgrimage churches and nature. Check the current availability of the routes before setting out.
Hiking and Nature in Ried
The Höglwald Forest Adventure Trail near Zillenberg is a two-kilometre circular route, estimated to take about an hour and a half. Eleven information stations and hands-on activities for families provide its framework. The combination of two kilometres, about an hour and a half, and eleven stations is more useful for planning your time than the distance alone. There is a car park at the edge of the forest; nearby stops are in Ried or Zillenberg. Check local travel conditions before your tour.
Tour 01 passes a forest climate station in Höglwald Forest, where forest research is still conducted. Tour 13 passes a fallow deer enclosure near Rettenbach, with deer and bucks. More than 100 bird species have been observed in a habitat near Glon. The forest climate station, fallow deer enclosure and bird species near Glon appeal to different nature interests: forests, wildlife and birdlife.
Pilgrimage History and Architecture
Tour 11 starts at St. Maria Zell, a pilgrimage church and a stop on the Wittelsbacher Land Pilgrimage Route. Free parking is available directly beside the church; check the current parking situation before travelling. In Holzburg, the Maria-Hilf pilgrimage church adds a historical perspective: it was built around 1200 as a Romanesque choir-tower church. The pilgrimage to Maria Hilf developed during the plague epidemic of 1671 to 1679. Its ceiling frescoes, dating from 1760, depict the Annunciation and the Assumption of Mary. The building’s history, pilgrimage tradition and iconography can be distinguished here by period at a single church.
Getting There and More Things to Do
The nearest railway stations with connections to Munich and Augsburg are in Mering and Kissing. Baindlkirch also has an additional MVV connection to Munich. Check timetables and connections before travelling. Baindlkirch also has a long-standing Thursday tradition of eating Weißwurst. Check in advance whether a meal is taking place on your chosen Thursday.
A cycling route from Ried also leads to Mandichosee. Leisure activities there include sailing, windsurfing and swimming; a kiosk with a beer garden adds to the facilities. Check the current amenities at the lake before your tour.
In the wider destination of Aichach-Friedberg
In the wider destination of Aichach-Friedberg, the Paartal hiking trail follows the middle reaches of the Paar from Aichach to Gut Schenkenau in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen; the total distance is 36.8 kilometres. Aichach is the starting point. Another cultural highlight in the same wider destination is the Herrgottsruh pilgrimage church in Friedberg: it was built from 1731 to 1753 and is considered one of the finest examples of Bavarian Rococo. The Wittelsbach Museum is housed in the Lower Gate in Aichach, while the town museum tells the story of Aichach. Aichach’s historic old town has changed very little over the centuries.
Discover more destinations: Merching, Affing, Kühbach, Mering, Friedberg, Aichach, Steindorf, Petersdorf.
Back to the wider travel overview: Aichach-Friedberg.
