While on my flight back to Europe from Borneo/Malaysia this September, I was rummaging round the in-flight entertainment system and came across a mini travel guide for Germany, edited by Rough Guides. The German locations that the authors recommended as insider tips particularly worth visiting were Bamberg and Würzburg, two towns in the Bavarian region of Franconia which is my Heimat and where I come from.

I was born in Ebermannstadt which is located in the triangle formed by the towns of Nuremberg, Bamberg and Bayreuth, the so-called Fränkische Schweiz (Franconian Switzerland). This is where I grew up, in a playful, romantic landscape, characterised by valleys deeply carved into the Jurassic rock, and scarce plateaus 500 metres above sea level.

People associate Bavaria with the Oktoberfest, white sausages and politicians who think of themselves as being the best, and for whom it’s not unusual to be labelled as Großkopferte (big headed ones). Even if Franconia is indeed located in Bavaria, Franconians are actually not too happy about this association. They’d like to be independent, and at least emotionally and mentally they are. People are very much down-to-earth here, understatement is a character trait, and whoever lumps Franconia together with the entire federal state of Bavaria is likely to get a gruff remark in return. If you want to insult a Franconian, simply call him Bavarian. Admittedly, there’s a bit of a minority complex at play.

Although there’s hardly a region in Germany with more castles and ruins on such a small surface. Potato fields, grain fields, and forests dominate the landscape. It is not only my home but also that of potato dumplings that are even being fed to toddlers, therefore starting a life-long love affair with this specific dish. During my prolonged stays in various corners of this world as a travel writer and publisher of travel guides I have occasionally been overcome by a culinary ‘missionary spirit’, grabbing a grater and potato tubers in order to dish up some proper potato dumplings to my local friends.

Unfortunately, each time my enthusiasm has been disappointed: they don’t seem to like Kartoffelklöße, the Franconian’s beloved potato dumpling, in other parts of the world. With one exception; Maria, the Spanish wife of a good friend of mine, who has taken to them. But she’s also come to terms with other German customs and now lives in Düsseldorf!

If you want to give the Kartoffelklöße a try (and have someone to help you with German recipes), Michael Müller’s ‘Gscheitgut’ is a new Franconian cooking book and cultural guide. His ‘Fränkische Schweiz’ (Franconian Switzerland, also German only) was – when published more than 25 years ago – one of the first German travel guides dedicated to an individual German region.

Are you able to walk again?

I made it round a lap of the course in one piece, although I don’t think I gave the pros too much to worry about – the winner lapped me at the 8km mark! Blame my lack of lycra. Well, that and not really having trained at all.

Tell us a little bit about the race. Who took part? What was the course like?

It was chopped down to 42 km because part of the course wasn’t skiable, but the rest was great fun and very scenic – if you had to design a picture postcard winter wonderland scene, this would be it. There were thousands of competitors from all over the world – we met people from Australia, Belarus and the USA, for example. Hardly any Brits, though. The course was relatively flat, but the first two kilometres were all up hill, which was a shock. I’d like to thank the chap at one of the drink stalls who let me have his beer when I explained I was English and would rather have that than some warm isotonic nonsense.

Did you have a chance to enjoy the scenery of the Oberammergau Alps?

Yes, the day after the race we drove to Neuschwanstein via the Linderhof Castle (both built by so-called Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria). Seeing them both under clear blue skies and surrounded by snow, without summer crowds, was pretty magical.

Oberammergau is best known for the Passion Play which takes place there every 10 years.  After your recent visit, would you say it’s worth visiting for UK travellers at other times too?

Hmmm, that’s a tough one. It was a decent base for exploring, and had some nice restaurants, but I was really only there for the race so it’s difficult to tell.

What is typically Bavarian for you (and you’re not allowed to mention Lederhosen!)?

Beer and brown food! I can’t say I ate the healthiest meals in my life last weekend but they were extremely tasty.

You’ve travelled quite a bit in Germany.  Any particular travel experiences that stand out?

I was really surprised by Cologne. There’s a lot to do there for a weekend. And I love Berlin. It’s becoming a bit of a summer tradition for me now, a long weekend there just mooching around cafes and trying to appear intellectual while clutching German newspapers. (In reality I’m just looking at the photos.) Although I do feel like a total frump alongside the impossibly hip Berliners.

I spent a week walking in the Harz Mountains two years ago which, as well as the scenery, was interesting because I love modern history and I got to talk to people who lived in the former DDR in the shadow of the Wall and hear their stories.

Hamburg is definitely on my to-do list, as is going from London to Berlin by train, and I’ve reached the age of young fartdom when the thought of just collapsing into a Strandkorb on Sylt for a long weekend of book-reading and cups of tea is very appealing.

Please complete: Germany is Wunderbar because …

… it’s not what you expect!

More on Sylt, King Ludwig’s castles and the Harz Mountains.