Even in the rain there is enough to do around Lake Schluchsee. At the Auerhahn a wet day can be spent with pool, sauna and wellness; anyone who still wants to go out can combine shorter outings in the High Black Forest with a quiet afternoon in the hotel.

Rain is not a special case in the Black Forest. The only question is what holds on such a day and what is better left behind.

The reliable part is indoors. In the wellness area there is an indoor pool with a counter-current system, a brine pool, loungers and rest rooms. The outdoor area belongs to it; the indoor pool is the part for the rain. In the counter-current system you can swim laps even when nothing outside invites you out.

The saunas do not depend on the weather:

• Finnish sauna, about 90°
• Bio sauna, about 60°
• Steam bath, about 45°
• Black Forest Mist steam bath, about 50°

Tea and water are in the pool area.

Without an overnight stay this is the Day Spa: €65 per person, daily 9 am to 6 pm, subject to availability, bookable at most two weeks in advance. Included are the pool, brine pool, rest rooms, saunas and the fitness room. The day’s activity plan, for example yoga, is added if a session is on the plan that day.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays there is the Night Spa from 6 pm to 10 pm for €32 per person, without reservation. Guests bring towels and a bathrobe or borrow them on site. A massage is not included.

A dry hour is often enough for a loop by the lake or a short path into the woods. A ridge walk in standing rain is not worth it: gravel turns slippery, and the heights disappear in the cloud.

If the afternoon clears, a short destination is wiser than a four-hour route. The Menzenschwand Waterfalls and the Geißenpfad are an outing for a dry day, described in the autumn hike on the Geißenpfad. In persistent rain this loop stays for the next morning. A waterproof jacket and sturdy footwear still belong in the bag.

Wet paths do not change the kitchen. At Restaurant Auerhahn the evening menu begins at 6.30 pm. The published price is €126; the courses change with the season. There is a classic sequence and a vegetarian one. External guests reserve via contact@auerhahn-hotel.com or +49 (0) 7656 / 1543.

Anyone looking for a plate without a set menu is in the right place earlier in the day at Brasserie Barbara: 12.00 noon to 8.30 pm, closed Monday and Tuesday.

09:00 breakfast in the house. In the morning a short walk if it eases, otherwise the pool. In the afternoon sauna, brine pool, rest. In the evening the table in the restaurant.

A rainy day needs no more programme. The rooms and booking are the frame if that one day is to become a stay.