Breitachklamm

The Breitach cut a gorge about a hundred and fifty metres deep and in places only two metres wide, and until the twentieth century it was impassable. A local priest, Johannes Schiebel, raised the funds and drove the project to blast a path through it, opened in 1905, which runs about four hundred metres along galleries and through tunnels above the water. A log jam and flood in 1995 destroyed sections and closed it for a year. In winter the gorge freezes into ice curtains and columns and stays open, lit for evening visits, which is when many people prefer it.

What you actually see

• The narrow cut - walls 150 metres high closing to about two metres apart.
• The blasted path - galleries and tunnels opened in 1905.
• The winter ice - frozen curtains and columns in the cold months.
• The torrent - water forced through the constriction below the walkway.

When to go

May to October for the summer route and December to February for the ice; the gorge closes for a period in spring during snowmelt and rockfall clearing.

Honest expectations

It closes for several weeks in spring and after storms. The path is wet and slippery, and crampons are advised in winter. Parking is paid and fills.

Nearby

Oberstdorf lies east; the Austrian border is close.