THIRTY members of Evesham Rambling Club have just returned from the mountains of southern Germany having spent eight days walking in the Alps around the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden.

The trip, organised by club members Pauline and Alan Saunders, involved a programme of 16 walks prepared by fellow members, Glyn Hayter and Heidrun Newell.

Walks included visits to the famous churches at Maria Gern and Ramsau.

The whole party spent a day cruising in the electric boats on the picturesque Königssee (King’s Lake) and walking to the highest waterfall in Germany.

A group hiked along the ridge of Untersberg mountain range and visited ice caves.

These caves came to prominence in 2014 when a cave explorer was rescued nearly two weeks after being injured by falling rocks deep within Germany’s most elaborate cave system.

Walks were also based around the local mining of salt, following the route of wooden pipes that once carried salt water from Berchtesgaden to Bad Reichenhall. Several of the walks involved passing through landscapes made famous by the film The Sound Of Music where members of the club could be heard rendering a few bars of songs made famous by this film.

Some members took the opportunity to visit the salt mines of Berchtesgaden, while others travelled to nearby Salzburg.

Club chairman Rachel Thould said: “This was a fabulous trip that catered for all walking abilities and the amazing landscape was enjoyed by everyone who went.”

Evesham Rambling Club has a full programme of local walks. More information can be found on its website, eveshamramblingclub.org.uk, or by calling Geoff on 01386 443234.