Cattle drives In Germany

You’ve seen it on television, exclaimed ‘oh how quaint’, but never really thought much about it. However, it really is quite an event.  The herders bring the cattle down from their Alpine pastures to the valley, where the various herds are separated and then lead them in a grand procession through the town. The townspeople - dressed in traditional garb - adorn the head of the lead cow from each herd with ornamental head-dress and huge clanking bells. After the procession, the fun begins!! Another fest…. local food, oompha music and beer!!

 A friend once told me that he, his wife and two other couples had rented a small holiday house in one of these mountain pasture areas. One day, as they were leaving their house to go hiking, they were unable to get onto the main road because it was blocked by the Viehschied herds. Apparently, in modern times, realizing that the cattle lose a lot of weight during the long walk to town, the herders now load the cows onto trucks and drive them down to the valley, where they are unloaded and readied for their triumphant welcome home!!

While waiting to be loaded onto a truck, one of the cows took a misstep and tumbled off the road, down the side of the hill. The herders were having a devil of a time trying to get the cow back on her feet and up the hill. As a result, the herders enlisted the help of my friend and his male friends!! They, of course - being city men one and all - had no experience with cow-hauling!! But – men being men – after an hour or so, they devised some sort of rigging which was attached to one of the cars and were able to tow the cow back-up to the road. (Ok, ok… truth be told… for the first 30 minutes or so, they employed the time-honored pull-push approach. That is, 2 men pull the cow with a rope while the 3 men push from behind!! When that failed to do the trick, they devised the rigging /towing by car method.)

If you are in Bavaria … this is a great place to soak up some local culture, take nature walks, alpine treks (more than 300 kms of hiking trails), and do a bit of climbing while enjoying panoramic mountain views (more than 400 peaks)!! All of the trails are clearly marked and maps are readily available.