Kiesbank und Badeplatz an der Iller

The Kiesbank und Badeplatz an der Iller is a wide beach of stone on a river near Ulm in southern Germany. Look down and you see thousands of rounded pebbles, polished by water over thousands of years. The river carries these stones out of the Alps and lays them along its banks. Floodplain forest surrounds the shore, and the water takes on a green-blue colour.

Farther south, in the Oberallgäu, the river plunges as a wild mountain torrent with rapids and whirlpools. Here in the lowlands, weirs have tamed it into a calm summer flow. Each flood reshapes the beach, spreading it wide at low water and almost erasing it at high. A gauge on the far bank marks the usual level, about two metres seventy, deeper than it looks. Calm does not mean harmless: the current stays strong, so the water suits swimmers alone. Small children need an adult's eye on them at every moment.

Most bathing places along this stretch suit bicycles better than cars. This one is among the easiest: a car park sits beside it, and buses three and nine towards Wiblingen stop close by. A second gravel bank on the left admits no car at all. On the right sit banks with parking and a small lake nearby. At low water a stony shoreline appears beside the open-air pool Atlantis on the Ulm side. Swimming makes you hungry: a small tavern by the water sells ice cream, drinks and a hearty afternoon snack. Kick off your shoes and walk a few steps across the pebbles. The stones hold their warmth, the water murmurs, and the forest casts its shade over everything.