Another river cycle path? Yes! But not just along any river, but along the last wild river in Europe. You start in Marxheim, where the Danube and Lech rivers meet, and follow the latter upstream as it flows through Augsburg, Landsberg, Lechbruck and Weißenbach to Steeg.

The river changes from gently flowing near its mouth to the ‘mature Lech’, to a narrow Alpine river near Steeg. You experience all its diversity of the Lech Cycle Route.

In total, you cycle 250 kilometres (155 mi) along the Lech though spectacular landscapes. You cycle towards the Alpine panorama, eventually reaching it and testing your legs in the mountains. You don’t ride higher than 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) in altitude though, which is surprising considering you ride through four mountainous regions: Bavarian Swabia, the Allgäu, the Reutte nature park region in Tyrol and the Lechtal.

If your phone runs out of battery en route, signposts will guide you to your destination. In Germany, you can recognise the route by signs with green lettering on a white background; in Tyrol, it's the other way round. Most of the route is paved and in excellent condition, so a good touring bike is ideal for this adventure. But remember – it's a lot of uphill, though rarely steep.

As always, I recommend getting there and back by bus and train. You can't get to the starting point in Marxheim by train, but Rain nearby has a station. I’ve added details on how to get from Rain to the Lech Cycle Route in the first stage description. From Steeg, catch the bus to Reutte where you can take the train to Germany. From the wise to the wild Lech – I wish you lots of fun!

Don't have that much time? Then this collection might be for you: komoot.de/collection/2486930/entspannt-durch-die-berge-auf-dem-tiroler-lechtal-radweg