Main Alpine Divide. Section 01. Lower Austrian Alps

Day 000. Vienna. 0 Km. 0 Hrs. 0m up. 0m down. I had allowed myself a couple of days in Vienna before I set off. I knew from bitter experience that things always take longer than planned and simply I had to get my packages ready and sent before I set off on the walk. That included buying the smallest gas 100 gram gas cylinders for the occasional camp. I arrived on a Sunday and everything was closed so I passed the time with a 3 hour stroll around the Innere Stadt, which was deemed to be the most historic, administrative and touristic. Vienna could certainly boast some very impressive buildings indeed and my curiosity pulled me the sumptuous streets and through the manicured and well kept gardens.

The next day I set off to get the gas cylinders from an outdoor shop. It took me nearly 4 hours to walk what would have usually been a 2 hour walk due to gaping at the magnificent classical architecture. It was on a scale I had seldom seen in Europe with the average height of the stately buildings about 6 stories rather than 4. Perhaps only Paris, Madrid and London could match it. On the way back to my hired apartment I stopped at the Hotel Sacher for one of their infamous “sachertorte”. I thought the hype outdid the taste which was quite ordinary. 

I spent the afternoon dividing all the consumables, medicines and the of bit of clothing into the 6 boxes and then folded then down to their minimum size before taping them up and fixing on the prepared addresses. It was a hot haul getting them to the nearby post office in the afternoon sun but by late afternoon they were all on their way and I was free of any pressing burden. 

I went for a longer walk that evening setting out to cross the main Danube and see the place I had intended to start my walk at Kopa Beach. It took longer than I thought to get to this mighty river and cross it. I walked downstream on the NE side bewtwwn the bridges where hundreds of middle eastern families were having picnics and BBQs in the evening. The aroma from the many large water pipes with the families gathered round was lost among the burning flesh and woodsmoke. Kopa beach was exactly as I wanted. The river was still and slow here and many people were swimming. There were pontoons with stainless steps going into the water. I recrossed and continued my walk back to my apartment with tired legs having pounded some 20km of hard city street. 

I still had a day left and wanted to spend it easily an as a tourist so went to the Schonbrunn castle. the seat of the Hapsburgs and centre of the Austra-Hungarian Empire. I spent all day here happy to explore every part of the huge garden which must have been a good square kilometre of hedges and avenues. The castle itself was impressive, with the private residences adorned with rich furnishings, priceless made wall papers, and treasures from around the world. It was the nerve centre of the Hapsburgs which ruled the Austra-Hungarian Empire for centuries until it all came crashing down for them in 1918 when the state took over its upkeep. The garden upkeep alone must employ hundreds of men and women today and so I did not grudge my expensive ticket to marvel at these spectacles. The top half of the gardens were forests where perhaps deer once roamed. There were some venerable trees here which would have watched the Hapsburgs come and then go and are still here to witness a century of the Austrian Republic.     

Day 001. Kopa Beach to Perchtoldsdorf.  25 Km. 6 Hrs. 280m up. 180m down. I set the alarm for 6 and after breakfast took the underground to the Donau Isel station on a large long island in the middle of the main Danube river. From here it was just a short walk to Kopa Beach which was completely abandoned, much to the relief of my self conscious. It was a beautiful day and I managed to rope in a Venezulean who was putting out chairs to take some photos of me as I went for a swim and emerged from the Danube. I was how I always planned to start emerging from the river.  I dried off and put my shorts over my wet underpants, shouldered my rucksack and took the first of many millions of steps on my path to Menton near Monaco which I hope to reach on the 20 September. 

I crossed the river to the island on the floating bridge and then walked on the walkway beneath a combined train and road bridge. Within half an hour I was in the bustling centre of Vienna and manage to tread a pre planned route to the Donaukanal which is a large waterway splitting off from the much bigger main river above Vienna and returns to it below Vienna.  There was a quiet path beside the canal which went past a bohemian quarter with an eclectic sculpture park and this took me right into the heart of the Innere Stadt shopping area.  I scurried through this makinf a determined dash for Stephansdom cathedral. 

The Cathedral was a mighty construction and although it did not have the flying buttresses of the medieval giants which sprung up across Europe in the 12-14 centuries it was still massive with thick walls and an sky piercing steeply which was jaw droppingly high. On the main roof panel slates were used to depict the Austrian Eagle. After the cathedral I carried on past the big names of the fashion and luxury world with their flagship stores until I reached the place I ate my overrated cake 2 days ago at Hotel Sacher.  Beside it was the Opera House and I had gleaned that virtually every classic composer had spent some time here, especially Mozart, Beethoven and the Strauss’s. 

I crossed the inner ring road near the Hofburg castle and administrative centres and then started a long a varied walk up beside the Wien River which is now trapped in a deep stone and concrete chasm so it can do no harm in flash floods. The chasm cut a swath through the city which was lined with enormous and very grand town houses of perhaps merchants or institutions of the 19th Century. However the ribbon of land between these opulent houses, through which the Wien River once flowed before it was incarcerated in its chasm is now home to a kilometre long section of food and cafes, then a kilometre of markets and parking, and then further upstream it is dominated by underground lines and trains and is totally charmless. There were frequent cycle ways through this urban landscape and it was an easy and perfunctory route to the gates of the Schonbrunn castle. Here the noise of the city fell away and it did not reappear. 

The Schonbrunn castle is a bench mark for superlatives and undoubtedly the highlight of the day. After some 3.5 hours and 14 km of fascinating, vulgar, noisy and stressful urban hiking, walking through the Schonbrunn gates is like passing into Nirvana. I knew these grounds well from my explorations here yesterday some went round the front of the palace and then round the west end into the rose gardens before heading south up to the huge Neptune water sculptures with their cascading waterfalls. From here there is an easy high up to the Gloriette, a very elaborate building on the skyline overlooking the palace. I lingered here taking in the views of the palace,  its grounds and across Vienna towards the distant skyscrapers around Donau City near where I was swimming this morning at Kopa Beach. 

I now left this world of bygone royalty behind and headed south into suburbia, through the regal parks SW gate which closes near sunset. After an hour I realized I had been walking for 5 hours straight and without eating so when I passed a cafe I went in for soup and a snack.I carried on through modern suburbia for another half hour at least until the route I had previously chosen entered much older leafy streets where the houses were perhaps 100 years old. This was much more middle class and the gardens reflected this with middle class plants like weigela, forsythia and clematis, and the air was full of the sound of petrol lawnmowers. I followed bicycle path beside a small stream which wove its way across the shallow valley floor. Some of the older houses here were probably once homesteads which got engulfed by middle class expansion 100-150 years ago.

My feet were weary from pounding tarmac for the last 3 days with over 60 km in Vienna now and it was with a bit of relief when I walked into Perchtoldsdorf. It was a very quaint town with many older 2 story buildings and quirky shops many with “attelier” written above the doors. It had a peaceful, relaxed air on this warm summers afternoon. In the main square wasa market with artisanal foods, none of which were cheap. What dominated the whole town was the church and the tower which I think was a medieval town hall. It was very imposing and characterful. There was a whiff of money here too. Many of the shops sold specialty wines and the street was lined with urban SUV’s. There are a few hiking opportunities here and I thin the town benefits from the wealthy of Vienna coming here for a small hike, some fine dining and some culinary souveniers. 

I found the hotel I had booked months ago and managed to negotiated the rate from double occupancy to single occupancy however it was still expensive for what it was. I decided to buy my food at the local Spar and eat in my room to save the hassle of trying to find somewhere to eat, which always takes ages and being vegetarian often means a dissapointment. There were plenty of places for fine dining and wine tasting, but they would not only be wasted on me but I would find them irritatingly pretentious. So it was a baguette and cheese in the hotel room was down with a litre of delicious yoghurt before writing the blog and doing the photos.

Day 002. Perchtoldsdorf to Weissenbach an der Triesting.  32 Km. 9 Hrs. 1200m up. 1080m down. It had all the promise of another beautiful day when I pulled the curtains at 0600 with a warm glow cast across the buildings and distant forest. After a large and varied breakfast I set off at 0730 conscious it would be a long day. I fell in with the schoolkids heading up past the imposing tower and grand Gothic church and continued up the path through some meadows near the school and then into the forest on marked trails. It was a mixed forest which eventually became almost exclusively beech. The light flickered across the forest floor as shafts of light descended through the leafy canopy unimpeded. Not much made it and the undergrowth was sparse, emerging from an ocean of last year’s leaves and twig debris. 

The path climbed without letting up for an hour to reach Kammerstein, a traditional large cabin. It catered to tourists but its opening hours were quite erratic and currently it served food 3 days a week. Like many of these cabins in the forest there is an influx of tourists at the weekends and holidays and the rest of the time it is not worth opening. I am not sure if it had rooms when it was open. 

The path now dropped off the crest of the knoll and went down again into the beech woods. There was a lot of birdsong at last, especially from the abundance of thrushes. There was some birdsong in the leafy suburbs yesterday around Perchtoldsdorf but it was on another level here. In the woods I came across an information board which told me of a path called the Wiener Wallfahrerweg from Perchtoldsdorf to Mariazell. It was about 100km and followed old pilgrims’ ways. It seemed for the entire 32 km of my day today I would be on this path.

The path was largely forest track with the occasional bit of footpath. Although the tracks were largely through forest they occasionally spilled out onto open meadows, which were warming in the morning sun. They were already full of tall grasses and full of flowers especially the taller buttercup varieties and umbellifers. Beyond the open glades of grass the forest continues covering much of these rolling hills. The path continued keeping quite level as it past a couple more hibernating forest cabins waiting for the busy summer weekends to spring into life like a May Fly before wilting back into dormancy again. 

I passed a few homesteads in their glades in the forest. Their meadows were encircled by electric fences to contain the lethargic cows which were all sitting in the deep grass, which almost hid them, as they soaked up the sun and chewed their cud. Having spent the winter inside the release into the pasture must have been a blessing. The tracks and roads now started a more determined descent down into the valley and passed a large medieval castle called Schloss Wildegg. It rose some 4-5 stories from the grassy pastures surrounding it. Horses grazed in these pastures. Indeed on the final descent to Sittendorf there were many large equestrian barns and training paddocks, and the pastures were full of horses.

Sittendorf itself was quite a charming village with older characterful houses and a nice church. It was perhaps ruined a little by the road junction whose tendrils dissected the village. I took the southern branch and climbed past the church and up a bridal way towards the hamlet of Fullenberg. Just before Fullenberg I came across a herd of heritage sheep in an orchard. The sheep looked like they would shed their own fleece but few had done so, and they looked very hot. A bit further I entered the horse kingdom of Fullerberg. There were perhaps 5 large ranches here all involved in training or the livery business and at least 100 horses in the paddocks surrounding each barn and circular training coral. Lively thoroughbred horses were being tamed in a couple of the corals by young men. From this horse mecca the path now descended across fields and crossed under the motorway to reach Heiligenkreuz. 

I had been on the go for nearly 5 hours now so it was with great joy when I saw an outdoor restaurant at the monastery entrance in Heiligenkreuz. I was just half way through today so I ordered 2 cheese rolls with fresh tomatoes. Everybody else seemed to be eating asparagus which must have been in season.  It was nice sitting in the shade as the day was getting increasingly warm. After my meal I went into the monastery courtyard and then the very old church which someone told me was from the 1100’s and was Gothic. It was simple in its furnishings and without the usual Catholic opulence. 

The second half of the day started with a climb over a hill between Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling. It took an hour and was quite ordinary really especially as the path was never far from the road. However at one stage in a pine forest I saw something move on the track. I could not work out what it was until it saw me and leapt into the undergrowth. It was a hare and far too big to be a rabbit. I passed the relatively modest Hapsburg’s hunting lodge as I reached Mayerling and then carried on down to the crossroads. Again it could have been a quaint village if it were not for the road. 

I followed the one to the south for a km and then turned off on a smaller road linking two farming hamlets. The first was Untermeierhof and it had about 3 farms and 15 houses. The farmers were busy taking in the silage from the first cut of hay and the lanes were busy with tractors. One was never far from the smell of manure. A little further was Maria Raisenmarkt which had a maypole erected on the edge of the village. It too was full of older houses whose timbers had been blackened by centuries of the sun. Both villages and the lanes between them were a mature cultural landscape and there was much to see here for a curious mind. 

From this second village the path now left the lane and climbed up the west side of a ridge, sometimes quite steeply in the beech forest. It climbed some 400 metres past some ancient ruins to eventually gain the crest of the ridge which now leveled off. There was now a glorious walk through the beech woods with the occasional breeze to cool one down. The wild garlic re-appeared and it covered the entire forest floor all the way to the summit of Peilstein, 716m. At the summit was a larger cabin, The Peilsteinhaus and it was open and seemed to be developing as a rock climbing and bouldering centre. 

The descent to Neuhaus took a good hour and it was quite easy despite the 300 metres elevation loss. The path crashed down on forest tracks and smaller trails, alternating between forest and pasture until it spilled onto the tarmac road at Neuhaus. Here I made a small mistake and went through the village, which although nice was probably not a patch on the large fortress church which overlooked the village. Had I gone to the church I could have then shaved off a half kilometre and seen the church also. At the village itself the planned route met a road and followed it for 2 km to Wiessenbach. 

It was not a pleasant walk as the road was quite fast and the traffic was noisy, however there was no avoiding at least a kilometre of it. The road reached Wiessenbach at a junction and near a railway line and regional station. The buildings here were all small scale industries and with the road and rail I could find no redeeming features for Wiessenbach, which was an perfunctory communications hub with a small industrial estate. The route I needed followed a side road for a couple of kilometres to the south of the town to the Gasthaus Zum Bruthenne where I had booked to stay. It was not that nice but a head and shoulder above everything else in Weissenbach. Unknown to me the kitchen closed at 1900 so they reluctantly made me a plate of potato and asparagus which did not fill me up by any means. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise great day. 

Day 003. Weissenbach an der Triesting to Pernitz.  14 Km. 4.5 Hrs. 710m up. 650m down. I got my own back for the extremely parsimonious dinner and laid waste to the breakfast buffet with the finesse of a labrador dog. By 0800 I was ready to set off under another blue sky. I said my goodbyes to 4 Austrian hikers I met yesterday and headed into the sunlight of the open valley reaching the woods on the south side and climbing into their cool shade. It was a gentle climb but there was no let up as the path, slightly damp from the morning dew on this north facing slope, climbed up through the beech forests. The freshness of the green cool light and nurturing trees in a beech forest never cease to make me feel welcome and it was with a light heart I climbed for a good 90 minutes. As I climbed I past nearly a kilometre of cut and split logs, each about a metre long. They were stacked like a stone wall a metre high and a metre thick beside the road in a continuous strip while time seasoned them. They would eventually be taken down by tractor and once cut into 3 or 4 pieces each would be ready to stack and burn. 

Eventually the path levelled out and the trees shifted from Beech to Black Pine, the 2-needled stalwart of south eastern Europe.  I noticed many of the pines had previously been stripped of bark on one side to a height of 5 metres and then V shaped notches had been cut in the exposed xylem. I presumed this was to harvest the resin, which I had seen in some place like Nepal distilled into turpentine. The markings were old, perhaps 10-15 years old, and it seemed the practice had stopped now. I was surprised there were no blueberry bushes beneath the pines as the two seem to go hand in hand. 

After 2 hours I passed another large meadow. It had a table and rustic shelter in a copse in the middle of it and an encased shrine with a crucified Christ at the edge of the meadow. All the meadow had their names on the map and each seemed to have its own identity, and possibly its own spirituality and patron saint watching over it. These meadows were magical openings in the woods, full of wild flowers and tall grass which were swaying gently in the breezes. This meadow was called Rotes Kreuz and then one half an hour later Hohenwarth. The shallow ridge between the two was just high enough to support some spruce trees. 

At Hohenwarth meadow there was a large farm which was encircled by a tall fence. The owners did not want people to wander through. Indeed large parts of the meadows and woodland adjacent woodland had the same fences. I suspect this farm was the hobby of a Vienna businessman who had brought his xenophobic ways from the city. The official path I was following, The Nordalpenweg, made an unnecessary detour up a hill here, probably to avoid the businessman’s fiefdom, but I cut across the meadow on a track for a kilometre, rejoining the Nordalpenweg at a pass on an alpine road. The type of pass cyclists like to test their mettle on. I crossed straight over this road and was soon back in the forest again. 

I followed the forest track SE for about a km and then came to a T junction. I turned south and followed the forest track beside a row of simple leisure cabins before the track petered out onto a footpath. This footpath twisted its way through the spruce trees until it reached the crest of the Spatzenwaldkogel ridge where the pines took over again. For the next 2-3 kilometres there was a magnificent saunter along this undulating ridge going over 5-7 small knolls where there were occasional views. Although it was a small and seldom used path it was well marked with paint on trees and numerous stone marker posts half buried in the forest floor. After an hour I reached the last knoll and then began the steep descent down the end of the ridge until the footpath met forest tracks which like tributaries of s stream eventually merged and morphed into a tarmac road which quickly took me into the centre of Pernitz. 

Pernitz was a small town laid out along the main road. I had a room booked above the bakery and eventually I found someone to let me in. It was still early afternoon so I went for a wander in town, partly to look for some glue to address a developing problem with the soles of both boots. I had trashed these boots in the Dolomites some 7 months ago and washed them at 40 degrees and this must have compromised the original glue. I found some in a hardware store but was sceptical so ordered another pair on Amazon to get delivered at Neuberg Monastery where I will be in 6 days. I did not see anywhere I would like to eat so I bought some bread, nice cheese, eggs, tomatos and some yoghurt drinks for supper back at the room above the bakery which had a communal kitchen available. There was no one else staying here so I wrote the blog undisturbed and got an early night. Being a bakery breakfast is available from 0400 tomorrow!

Day 004. Pernitz to Edelweisshutte.  24 Km. 8.5 Hrs. 1600m up. 800m down. Despite the offer of a 0400 breakfast at the bakery I did not get up until 0700. Breakfast was sumptuous with a choice of about 20 different breads, rolls and cakes, all fresh that morning. I ate well and set off about 0830 under overcast skies. It had rained in the night and the streets and fields were damp. Pernitz was bigger than I suspected and I passed many more shops and businesses on the way out. 

The first part of my day was to climb over the shallow saddle between here and Waldmannsfeld to the south. It was only 4 km and it barely rose 100 meters before dropping down the other side. Most of the route was on a minor road which went through very green lush fields full of ripening grass, sporting every type of seed head I have seen on grasses. It was ready for the first cut of the year. 

Waldmannsfeld was a delightful village with plenty of older houses. It looked like the type of village where well off couples gravitate towards to retire. From here the route started a long near 800 metre climb up the NE ridge of a long sharp mountain called the Durrewand, with a steep bare rock wall for much of its north side. The climb was quite relentless and I had to slow my pace. Occasionally I got views down each side of the ridge, where the slightly gnarly trees struggled to survive. On one occasion I saw 3 chamois, or gams, withdraw from the forest as I approached and they disappeared over the ridge and onto the rocky north wall. I looked for them on the precipitous crags but they had already vanished. 

Although the path was steep in places it was cool in the forest. There were a mixture of trees with spruce, beech and pine being the most common. After a good two hours of climbing, gaining some 700 metres, I reached the small Gauenmannhutte at 1150m. It was cooler up here, and there was refreshing wind. I had intended to stop but the hut was teeming with walkers all clamouring to get served. I had my own food of bread, cheese and tomato and decided to carry on to find a quiet log to sit on hopefully with a view down to the valley on either side. As I sauntered along the flatter path, which switched between woodland and meadow I had to thread between trees. Here in the sheltered spots and out of the wind were swarms of small white flies. They were quite harmless but showed summer was now in full swing, and they would have made a welcome feast for fledgling birds. 

Not finding the perfect log to sit on I settled for a smaller half rotten one with no view and in the shade. Once I was seated I noticed my boots were covered in cream coloured pollen, whether it was from the grass in the meadows or pine pollen from the forest floor I don’t know but I was thankful I did not suffer hayfever. I finished my loaf, cheese, tomatoes and 2 apples and shouldered my considerably lighter backpack and carried on for another hour. I sauntered along the crest of the ridge through a pleasing landscape with more woodland of stunted hardy trees, and meadow. The path was easy and there were frequent views of farms far below on each side. Eventually I reached Ohlerkreuzhaus, a large hut catering for hikers who were mostly drinking under large parasols. I had no time to squander here so walked straight through.

Just after the path split. The route I planned, and hence my Garmin watch, said continue on the crest over two larger knolls, called Ohler and Scchober. But the signs said take a much easier looking path to the south. I ditched the purism of the ridge, which seemed much easier on the map at home than now in reality, and took the easier path. This skirted to the south of the knolls, contouring across the hillside beneath huge crags descending from the knolls. It was quick walking on a track through the spruce towards a meadow caller Schoberalm. It was the prettiest meadow I had come across yet and had its own small chapel. There was a farm and a larger house in the meadow and around them some 100 very healthy cows, heads down with their tongues twisting round large succulent tussocks of tall young grass. The meadow was full of flowers and was peppered with tall stately fir trees, mostly of the solitary but some forming small copses. Half way across the meadow I came across the path I should have been on as it descended steeply from Schober, and looking at it I was glad I took the alternative route. A few kestrels were working the meadow hoping to spot small rodents in the long grasses. 

From the idyllic Schoberalm I crossed a small wooded saddle and then descended to another idyllic alm called Mamauwiese, where I think there was a small tourist hut. This meadow was dominated by the imposing snow streaked bulk of Scheeberg, which rose to the west of it rising up some 1000 metres above it and reaching 2078m. It was the first proper mountain of the trip and only 4 days after leaving the plains around the Danube. My spirits had been high for the whole trip so far but this raised them another notch. 

I crossed Mamauwiese alm meadow and then started the final climb of the day. My mind knew it was coming and was prepared for it, but my thighs were taken by surprise and grumbled for an hour as I slogged up the rocky path in the forest. The ridge could have been an old moraine pile, and was called Durreleiten. At last it reached the final meadow, Putzwiese, and across on the other side of it I could see a few buildings one of which was the Edelweiss Hutte where I would spend 2 nights. This meadow was also lovely, with a herd of curious cows who came over to investigate me. The wind which had been increasing all day blasted out of the west with considerable force flattening all the flowers in the meadow especially at the saddle. I did notice some gentians already in flower as I walked across the grass.

Edelweiss Hutte, 1235m, was the highest I had been on the trip so far and a bit cooler. It was a lovely old wooden cabin, perhaps 100 years old, under a zinc plate roof. To the front was a large terrace with picnic benches and seating for at least 100. Inside it was quite small and cosy with a bar/breakfast, area a larger dining room/lounge while upstairs there were perhaps 6-7 rooms with everything from a crammed double to a room with 8 bunks. It could sleep 40 maybe but tonight there were only 3 of us and the hosts.  

The other guests were a couple called Maria and Peter from Germany. We quickly established we were doing variations of the same route and they would finish in Nice in late September also. I spent the rest of the evening talking with Maria and Peter about our various plans pouring over maps and comparing our routes. It was their 4th day also but they would continue tomorrow while I would relax here. It was quite likely our paths would cross again in the next 3 weeks as we would both be taking the same route to St Nikolai. With a day off tomorrow I did not do the blog and opted for an early bed in my sleeping bag instead. 

Edelweisshutte Rest Day.  0 Km. 0Hrs. 0m up. 0m down. I had prearranged a day off at Edelwiesshutte. Perhaps it was a bit unnecessary as I still felt intact with few aches and pains, but it was part of my schedule and it would do no harm to rest a day and explore the meadow. I had breakfast with Peter and Maria at 0700 and saw them off then I wrote up the blog for a few hours as the shadows shortened and the day got warmer. With erratic phone connections I managed to load the pictures and then lay down for a small snooze. Whe I woke it was early afternoon and the tranquil hut was overrun by day trippers who were queuing for refreshments. 

I escaped and went for a small jaunt around the meadow. In the near gale yesterday I had seen a few flowers so went back to investigate in the warm, still afternoon sun. The curious cows were still there but were less keen on seeing if I had any salt to lick and left me in peace today. 

Near the cows were the globe flowers, Trollius europaeus, I had been looking for. Most of them were not quite out yet but it was only May and I was impressed there were any at all. Summer come very early to these meadows once the winter snows have gone and the sun warms them. 

    

There were also quite a few orchids I think they were fragrant orchids of the Gymnadenia genus, but I could not tell what species they were as it is such a varied and widespread flower.

 

People were walking up and down the track across the meadow having come up for the day and I could see far down to the valley and the town of Putzberg where many must have come from on this glorious Sunday. Most had come up by the cablecar. Other hikers were going up the mountain. The meadow was teeming with people, however away from the paths and track it was quiet.

I found some yellow flowers, Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on drier rocky ground under the larches which had bees all over them, pollinating them and extracting the nectar. Wherever I looked there were flowers and plants coming up. On this chalky lush soil there were masses of the large False Helleborine, Veratrum album, coming up and they would eventually send their spike of cream coloured flowers a meter high. They were poisonous, especially their roots and even their aroma was toxic so the cows left them alone and they spread to dominate large areas. 

After a couple of hours I had made a loop of the meadow and was ready to head back to Edelweiss Hutte to have supper and see who else had arrived. after the day here I was certainly restored and ready to head up the mountain and above the patches of snow I had seen tomorrow,  

Day 005. Edelweisshutte to Weichtalhaus.  11 Km. 5 Hrs. 880m up. 1540m down. I was awake at 0500 and the sun was shining through the window but frustratingly breakfast was not until 0700.  When 0700 arrived a high clould was moving in from the west but Edelweiss Hutte was still in the sun. After breakfast I said goodbye to the host and a group of 6 Austrian ladies and started up the north shoulder of Hochschneeberg, the most easterly of the Weiner Hausberg. The other two being Raxalpe and Schneealpe which I would traverse over tomorrow and the next day respectively. The path was steep as it wove and twisted its way up through the conifers. The rocks, worn smooth by thousands of boots, were a little greasy in the morning dew and I had to consider my steps. After half an hour the forest thinned and then dissapeared as the dwarf pine Pinus mugo covered the hillside from here up. The route was still steep and slightly slippery as it continued up relentlesly, crossing the occasion scree chute. Occasionally there were cables bolted into the rocks beside the track but they were unnecessary now, but no douth they were a godsend 6 weeks ago when the snow fields still covered parts of the route. There were masses of primroses beside the track, yellow, cream and pink ones, and there were many smaller plants coming into flower which looked like saxifrage varieties. The dwarf pine continued each side of the steep track for a good half hour until the mountainside reached a lip. There was a great view from here back down to the 3 meadows I had revelled in for the last 2 days and then the Durre Wand beyond that before it dropped down to the foothills and the Danube. 

Above the lip the landscape changed completely and it became much flatter and easier to walk. It was perhaps 1750 metres here now and this seemed to be the treeline, even for the Pinus mugo. From here the grassy hillside was bare save for tufts of primroses and violas which flashed colour across the otherwise brown grass. Last years blades were dry, dead and crispy and had served their use in covering the more tender heart of the tufts from 5 months of winter snow. Now the snow pack had gone the new green shoots were just starting to push through the brown blades of last year. There was perhaps another hours walk up across this gentle plateau to the Fischerhutte near the top. It was already open for the season. Unfortunately just as I got there so did the mist and a very light drizzle which I had seen moving over from Raxalpe to the west. It was short lived but it did spoil any photo panorama. I did not go into to the Fischerhutte but continued across the plateau to the top of the Hochschneeberg, 2076m, which had a large telecoms building on top and was obviously a nerve centre for relaying our millions of messages and calls. 

As I started down the mist cleared and the sunny weather which I have rather taken for granted returned. The descent was quite sustained as it plunged down the brown grass of the hillside for a couple of hundred meters until it reached the dwarf pine. There was the odd snow patch but they were metling fast and the flowers were springing up just a few days after they were uncovered. Below the dwarf pine at the main treeline around 1700 metres were the first spruce and they continued down all the way to Kientalerhutte. On this steepning descent where the path had to negotiate a route between outcrop and gully the path occasionally broke into small glades in the spruce woods. In one glade I was delighted to see 6 chamois, or gams, just 15 metres away. They were not afraid of me initially and I managed to photo a few of them.

Kientalerhutte was a lovely old logs cabin but it was only open at the weekends, when it served hikers. However the 6 Austrian ladies were already there having come round the side of the mountain rather than over it. We chatted a bit and then I decided to push on down to Weichtalshaus, which was only some 6 km away but with 800metres of descent. However, the root and stone path above the hut was initially replaced by a man made path with a graded surface and log steps. It plunged into almost luminescent lime green beech forests with large tall erect trees supporting a leafy canopy bathed in sun. The path made good progress down numerous zig zags for half an hour until it came to a forest track. Here I could really stride out not worrying if I would slip on a root or trip on a boulder but I knew it was too good to last. After a kilometre it was back into the steep beech forest again. 

As I plunged down the steep woods on the now less manicured path I did indeed stumble and came crashing down, luckily mostly onto a bed of beech mast so nothing was hurt except my panache. From here on I was much more cautious. Down and down the path went across calciferous rocks, roots and leaf mould, sometimes 25 cm deep. Between gaps in the trees I could see I was heading down into the bottom of a deep valley and on the other side was tommorrows climb up the Raxalpe. At last, nearly 2 hours after leaving the Austrian ladies at Kientalerhutte I saw the roof of the Weichtalshaus were I was spending the night deep in the valley. 

Weichtalshaus was relatively modern but still had the rustic cusine and bunk beds of a mountain hut. It was extremely welcoming and I was shown a bed in an 8 bed bunk room, However, I knew I would probably be the only guest in it. I ordered a lentil and dumpling and was told it came in a normal helping or a “bergstiger” helping. I went for the latter and was not dissapointed. I thought I should have got a prize for finishing it and it was thick and flavoursome. After a shower and a small cloths wash I wrote the blog in the afternoon and then found a German book on alpine flowers which had latin names. There was no internet here so in the evening I chatted with the friendly hosts and the 6 Austrian ladies. 

Day 006. Weichtalhaus to Karl Ludwig Haus.  13 Km. 7 Hrs. 1600m up. 350m down. Again I woke early but breakfast was not until 0700. I ate well as I knew I had a big climb and there was probably nothing else until dinner. The 6 Austrian ladies were going up to Otto Haus in the same direction as me and they suggested I went a different way with a bit more challenge. It was the same way I had planned to go anyway from the comfort of my study while looking at maps and the internet 3 months ago. I said goodbye to Manu, the manageress of Weichtalhaus, and whose warmth and cooking made the place so welcoming and set off crossing th crystal clear river which was apparently half of Vienna’s drinking supply. I then followed the road north for a few hundred metres to the tunnel, when the path branched off up the hill. 

I followed it until it quickly came to a junction. The official Nord Alpenweg went straight up the hill and I could see the Austrian ladies 20-30 minutes above me. My plans, and their suggestion, were for me to continue north west above the road and go up the Grosses Hollental valley where I could apparently easily clamber up the east side of the valley to gain the path they were on. The first thing I came across was a long set of steep metal steps with perhaps 200 treads. There was a cable handrail beside the steps as slip down the rocky ravine would not have been good. Thereafter the path levelled out as it contoured the rocky buttress and went into the valley.

As they valley unfolded I could see it was a horseshoe shaped amphitheatre with steep bare walls of a calciferous rock type going up hundreds of metres. After half an hour I reached the spot where I should start to ascend, up a route called Akademiweg. It zigzagged up the steep scree on a very small and faint path for a good half hour until it reached the foot of some cliffs. It seemed to carry on up the cliffs where the way was marked with red paint and stainless anchor bolts for belay points but there were no cables. There must be some mistake surely. I had chosen this route as it was popular for walkers but there was no way a walker was going up that. I started up a bit of it and then came to my senses and realized I would have to abandon my preplanned route and try another way. So I almost ran down the loose scree for 10 minutes to get back to the main path and followed it up the valley. As I went up the valley I looked back but I could not see how a route was possible for an ordinary mortal up my intended way. 

It was an easy walk up the valley, almost a canyon really so imposing were the walls. I had another two options initially the Teulelbadstubeweg and the AV-Steig however they both looked monumentally difficult and exposed and I realized these 3 routes must be climbing routes. There was only one option left and that was right at the head of the valley, and it must have been the one the Austrian ladies were referring to. It was called the Gaislochsteig. If it was not possible I would have to go back losing about 3 hours progress. As I climbed up the screes to the base of it I flushed a chamois who was grazing on some exposed patches. There were also lots of giant snails and black salamanders on the track as it zig-zagged up the spares spruce forest to the foot of the steep section where there was a cave. 

To my relief I saw there were cables and the climb was not that difficult or exposed. However it was on a sloping shelf under a slight overhang so it was dripping wet and a bit muddy. I used the strong well anchored cabled to haul myself up for 5 minutes to reach the top of the undercut section. The route now went over an exposed spur and then immediately up a series of 3 exposed ladders to reach some respite on a shelf. After the shelf there were a few more cables up a steep section for another few minutes to reach the lip at the top, beyond which was open flat forest.

The whole climbing section had taken perhaps 10-15 minutes and although it was well protected with cables it was exposed and a slip would have been fatal. I can in retrospect say this is not the way anyone else should come and the route up the Wachthuttkamin steig to Otto Haus is the one people should take. 

From the top lip of the Gaislochsteig climb the small path sneaked through the spruce trees for almost an hour crossing small glades, many with patches of snow lying across them. The snow was hard and easy to walk on and I did not posthole into it. Suddenly the forest opened up into a glade where there was a very small architect designed shelter called the Wolfgang Dimbacher Hutte. It would have a been a fine place for 3 people to squeeze into for the night although there was no water nearby except the rapidly melting snow patches. The flowers on this section and around the small modern cabin were terrific, especially the deep blue gentians which were prolific.

After this cabin I had a choice of routes to take but a small one seemed to be the most direct and the larger one very much a detour. The small one was called the Ho Chi Ming Pfad. It continued in the same vein across snow patches in the dark spruce forest with a Grimms fairy-tale menace about it. Occasionally in a glade where the snow had just vanished a warren of small rodent tunnels and passages between snowpack and tufted earth were exposed. These warrens were extensive and an entire population of mice or voles could spend the winter here relatively protected under the snow with grasses to gnaw on. I say relatively protected because weasels are evolved to burrow down the snow into these warrens and then and follow them towards their easy prey.

 

As the path climbed the spruce vanished and were replaced by dwarf pine. The seldom used path wove a route between them and they often formed an arch 1.5-2 metres above the ground so it was like a human size version of the rodents’ winter tunnels. I don’t know if the nomenclature of the path was with reference to the Viet-cong tunnels but on occasion it was quite claustrophobic on the path. On each side of the path was an impenetrable tangle of boughs. Someone had been here in the last 10 years clearing the path but I still needed to fight my way through sections. After a good hour this tunnel like path at last met the main path at Neue Seehutte which I thought would be closed. However as the drizzle was turning into rain and there was a smell of wood smoke I decided to go down and check it out.

Neue Seehutte was indeed open with just the two guys running it there. I asked for a coffee and cheese sandwich which I ate while it poured down outside in a deluge. It was a very cosy old cabin and the guest dining room was very atmospheric and characterful. After half an hour the deluge had stopped and I set of again. I was told not to take the Bismarksteigen but go over Trinksteinsattel as it was easier in wet wether as the former route involved some easy scrambling. It was a easy climb up to the Trinksteinsattel saddle as all the pine bushes had been cut back and the path was wide. With half an hour I was at the top. 

Unfortunately the mist appeared half way up the climb and put paid to any views for the last 3 km from the saddle to the Karl Ludwigs Haus. However at the top I did see another chamois and the mist briefly cleared by a chapel at the top wich was surrounded by a sea of small pink primroses. It was an easy final section to Karl Ludwigs Haus with plenty of open hillside, numerous snow patches and large clumps of dwarf pine. However the path was easy underfoot and level, and I made good time. I did not see Karl Ludwigs Haus which is an enormous mountain cabin until I was about 30 metres from it. I went in and within minutes the heavens opened again. This time with an almost violent intensity. There were great claps of thunder and flashes of lightning and the rain and hail was so heavy it overwhelmed the gutters and turned the hillside white with hail. I was lucky to have made it.  The biblical deluge only lasted half an hour and then the mist returned. 

I was greeted by the stern German host. There was none of Manu of Weichtalhaus warmth here. The list of regulations he barked out were so plentiful they started to go in one ear and out the other. Certain things were understandable like the shower were out of commision because the waste water tanks were still frozen, but not unlocking the bedrooms until 1700 seemed overly teutonic. The food however was excellent and it made up for the host’s total lack of charm. I managed to write and upload the blog using the mobile signal as there was no wifi for guests. 

Day 007. Karl Ludwig Haus to Schneealpenhaus. 13 Km. 5.5 Hrs. 820m up. 910m down. As usual I had breakfast as early as possible which was 0700. It was a buffet breakfast so I had my fill and then left at 0830 with the sun having just broken through the mist. Because I arrived in the mist yesterday I did not have my bearings and it took a while to figure out the lie of the land this morning. Eventually the unmistakable route up Heukuppe, the highest top in the Raxalpe plateau became obvious and I set off up the wide easy path between the dwarf pine. There was a lot of hail still amongst these shrubs, sometimes 5 cm deep, after yesterday’s downpour. This southern side of the plateau was clear of mist and I got some great views down to the large cabin and the edge of the plateau beyond it. 

However as I approached Heukuppe, 2007m, the mist returned and I could not see much beyond the next stake, a line of which marked the way. Soon out of the mist loomed the solid square stone monument which marked the top. I now veered slightly to the NW as I descended the grassy hillside to a junction, all a good hour from Karl Ludwigs Haus. At the junction my route was marked with the sign “Gamsecksteig. Only for experts” and I knew it meant there would be some clambouring!

Within 5 minutes the difficulties started. Initially there was a 15 minute descent down a rocky hillside which was perhaps 45 degrees. A slip would have probably meant a cartwheeling tumble down the rocks for 50 odd metres. However, the whole route down was well protected with a continuous well anchored cable and it made the descent very easy. It was not particularly exposed either – especially in the mist. At the bottom the route followed a good path along shelves with dwarf pine bushes covering the slopes below until it doubled back and started the second section of cabled descent which was not so long at about 40 metres and involved 2 ladders. Again there was not so much exposure although the mist had cleared by now. For the next half hour the route alternated between a easy narrow path on ledges and small sections of cables which were barely necessary until perhaps an hour after it started the difficult section was over and I had descended some 150 metres down it.  Far down in the side valley below was the Shangri-la of Altenberg surrounded by meadows and forests which rose up the mountains on each side. As I went down the easier lower sections a chamois came up, bounding from outcrop to boulder on the steep slopes. Just before the end I came across some of the smallest rhododendrons, Rhodothamnus chamaecistus to be precise, I have seen and they were perhaps just 3-4 cm high with delicate pink flowers. 

The clambouring section came to an end in a great stone slope which I easily descended as the loose stones were deep and small and my feet sunk into them. It was so easy I almost missed the path as it exited the stone slope over a small buttress to the north. There were perhaps 10 metres of cables to hold onto to climb the buttress and enter the spruce forest on the other side. From here it was a very pleasant walk down through the forest to a small meadow at a saddle and then back into the forest again following the small trickle of water which oozed out of the hillside from just below the saddle. The dark spruce forest was brightened by a near continual river of bright yellow marsh marigolds which thrived on the wet forest floor where the trickle oozed. I followed it for a half hour until it suddenly open up into a clearing where there was a 2 storey log cabin. The cabins logs were dark with age and the whole structure looked like it was settling into old age and slouching slightly. I can imagine that this cabin is in the process of being disowned and abandoned and it will one day be engulfed by the woods. 

A bit below the cabin, called Gamseckhutte, I reached the main saddle of the day which lay between the Shangri La valley to the south and another to the north. There was a forest track connecting the two over this wooded saddle. From here I could look up and see the long hillside I had to climb to get onto the third of the Wiener Hausberg mountains called Schneealpe, another large plateau the hightest point of which was only 1903 metres high. The climb up was sustained and got steeper and steeper as I neared the lip. I could now look back and see the impossible looking face I had come down earlier this morning. There seemed to be a cookoo which followed me the whole way from the saddle up the steepening slope for nearly an hour. In the end I felt it was pestering me deliberately. At last the path stopped climbing so steeply as it neared the lip of the plateau. Here I heard and then saw a blackcock as it launched itself from a spruce tree with its distinctive fan shaped tail. 

Once I was on the plateau the mist reappeared and I just blindly followed the path, large snow fields loomed in the distance and turned out to be small patches when I reached them 30 seconds later. There were sign that this area was used as a cow pasture as there were old cow pats and hoof marks by the trail. I calculated I was near Lurgbauerhutte when the drizzle turned slightly heavier. I quicked my pace in the hope I could reach shelter before the rain hit. I was just about to give up and put my jacket on when the large hut loomed out of the mist 30 metres in front of me. With rain now falling heavily I ran the last bit and burst through the door. I was immediately into a very smart and large dining room of the hutte with heavy wooden furniture, polished varnished to a golden hue. It was very pleasant and not what I expected at all. I looked out of the triple glazed panorama windows to see the rain was lashing down into puddles and the mist swirling,  and settled down. I ordered a lage lentil stew with a dumpling in the middle of it and a quark cheesecake and enjoyed an hour in the comfort and warmth. 

Looking at the forescast I could see it was going to get worse rather than better so I reluctantly put on my jacket, packed away all electronics and lept out the door. It was worse than I thought and as the wind was almost a gale now. I was still in my shorts and they were instantly soaked and I could fell the water running down my legs and into my boots. However the route was now a soft flat gravel road and I could stride out. It was 4 km to Schneealpenhaus and I made it in well under an hour. The weather eased slightly but it was no fun and there was little to see. 

As expected I did not see the Schneealpenhaus hut until I was almost there. It was an old traditional cabin of 3 storeys. It was warm and welcoming inside with a slightly haphazard multigeneration host family from patriarch to crying babies. The made me very welcome and showed me a large dormitory with 8 beds. I would be the only one in the room apparently. I got out of my wet clothes, which were not that plentiful, and put them around the wood stove downstairs. One other walker arrived, an Austrian from Vienna called Manfred. He was very experienced and knew the Austrian Mountains like the back of his hand so I questioned him endlessly on them. We ate our bean stew together and then had a beer as the weather at last cleared outside to reveal a splendid view down the valley to the wooded hill of Lower Austria in the distance.  Manfred was a intellect with strong opinions but he was also a conspiracy theorist, which made the conversation less free flowing than it might have been with a happy go lucky outdoorsman.

Day 008. Schneealpenhaus to Neuberg. 27 Km. 8.5 Hrs. 690m up. 1710m down. I had a choice of a few routes today. I could either go straight down to Neuberg which would take perhaps 3 hours – and this would have been the wet weather option. Alternatively I could make one of two detours to the west and back east down to Neuuberg. These two detours would take me across a beautiful alpine terrain and a rich cultural landscape of summer farms. As the weather was good and I had a rest day planned for tomorrow I chose the longer of these two alternatives – which is also where the Nord Alpenweg route went which is the one I was following for the first 4 weeks of this hike. 

After the usual 0700 breakfast, this time with sceptical Manfred, I set off around 0800 and headed NW across the flat grassy alp for a Km to the collection of summer farms where a few alpine dairies made cheese. Manfred had told me the big problem for the mountain huts and alpine dairies in the mountains now was lack of water in the summer, as the rainfall patterns had altered with climate change. It was calciferous geology here and much of the water disappeared underground so the huts and dairies were having to invest in large storage tanks. I walked through the middle of the cluster of summer farms and could peer into the barns where people in overalls were busy gearing up to receive the animals. 

After the farms the route climbed up Windberg, 1903m, the highest of point in the collection of tops which made up the Schneealpe mountain. It was an easy half hour to the summit were there were great views to the east over the two other mountains of the Wien Hausberg where I had been in the previous 2 days, and also to the west where I would be for the next week. I turned west from the top and headed along a high alpine ridge towards the distant great grey rocky peak and precipitous wall of Donnerwand some 4 km away. 

As I walked along the ridge I disturbed 5 chamois. They ambled from their grazings to the crags on the north side of the ridge, and then when they realized I was coming their way continued down onto the safety of the crags and outcrops which made up this slope. I could not see down to where they were hiding. I was still surprised by the nonchalance of the chamois here as it was not a national park and there was a hunting season for them, albeit short. Whereas in the Dolomites when I have seen them in National parks where there is a hunting ban they are much more nervous. 

The ridge continued down veering to the NW and where there was a large snowfield to cross and an enormous sinkhole similar to the ones found in a karst landscape. The route then dropped down to the utterly idyllic Grossbodenalm. It was a summer farm which was currently shut, but the log house and barn looked in good condition under the well maintained wood shingle roof. Grasses and flowers were erupting out of the meadows which surrounded it, watered by the recently melted snowfields. Spruce and fir lined the hillsides above the meadow and these trees got progressively smaller up the hillside until they petered out and the dwarf pine took over for a while before the crags started. 

I followed the tractor track down which was grassed over and a delight to walk on for a couple of km until the track became gravel and there were some timber extraction as I approached Bodenalm alp. I am not sure if the timber extraction was to cash in on the trees or to clear more land for pastures and artisanal alpine cheese. At Bodenalm I could have cut across the large alpine basin and saved myself 5-6 km and a few hours but everybody told me that the route up to Waxeneggalm and then along the ridge to Hinteralm was not to be missed. I had the time and energy to spare so went for this convoluted option. 

It was perhaps the highlight of the day. The walk up to Waxeneggalm was through a lush south facing meadow where stands of enormous Silver fir were left in scattered copses. Waxeneggalm itself was a very cosy looking small cabin which had just opened for tourists that season. The friendly middle aged host came out to met me and he spoke great English. He even offered me a Austrian brandy for the road but as it was just midday so I declined. I should have eaten here but decided to carry on to Hinteralm. For at least the next hour the small path nearly followed the skyline through the upper reaches of the fir and spruce. The ground was covered in alpine flowers from houseleeks to bright pink moss campions, plus all the usuals like primroses and gentians. The path was small and the going slow as the bare rocks, which looked very much like limestone, protruded through the grassy covering frequently. It was a calm, warm, lighthearted and interesting walk all the way to Hinteralm.

Hinteralm revealed itself through the firs as I dropped down the gentle slope to it. It was a collection of perhaps 10 summer farms in a large meadow with a gravel track up to it. I did not see any animals but imagine they would be brought up from the valley soon and would roam this pasture and all the other pastures hidden in the forests around it. The houses at Hinteralm were all relatively big and I think many might have been embellished from the original summer dairy into larger huts to cater for hikers. However they had all be done in a sympathetic style to preserve the character of the summer hamlet which was almost like a living museum. However none of the huts which catered for tourists were open yet and there was just one middle aged lady in one of the farms preparing to open next weekend at Pentecost, which is the traditional opening times in this area. I had a good look around the old log buildings, with at least a century of character, before I continued onwards on the long descent to Kampen. 

Initially I walked to the edge of the lip over the large meadow and woods below in a pastoral basin which I had walked round for the last 2 hours as if walking round the rim of a amphitheatre. There was a large bench here and if I had any lunch this would have been the place to eat it. I then descended down the side into the basin on a good gravel road into the basin itself, which was perhaps 3 km across. Once in the basin I could see very little beyond the large fir trees but I knew there were meadows and marshes scattered about it. Beneath the firs the ground was covered in blueberry bushes with the young pink fruits starting to form. Between the trees were flower filled glades, one was bright yellow with marsh marigolds. I was alerted by a shadow passing overhead and looked up expecting to see a buzzard, but hoping for an eagle, so was very surprised to see a stork circling around me. The track went to the southern lip of the basin and then started down the steep forested hillside to Kampen. 

It was a long but easy descent for nearly two hours following the road which had been cut into the steep forested hillside. down and down it went with the massive fortress of Schneealpe mountain growing every bigger as I plummeted into the deep valley. It was not a light hearted descent and I just plodded away until at last the first houses of the small village of Kampen arrived. Looking the map I could see that if I followed the main road a km I could then follow a series of footpaths and quiet lanes to reach Neuberg. I did exactly this and entered the lovely small town to Neuberg on a lane full of older houses with well kept gardens. 

Neuberg itself was dominated by an old monastery and a huge church, a cathedral really. I was staying in a room in part of the monastery which had been converted into a hotel. The room was an enormous vaulted space on the first floor off a sunny courtyard with archways off to other courtyards. In one of these wasa cafe where I had a very late lunch at 1700. Being Ascension Day all the shops and businesses were closed so I ate in an nearby Gasthaus that evening, my legs a bit weary and thankful for the day off tomorrow when I hoped to explore the town. 

Neuberg Rest Day.  0 Km. 0Hrs. 0m up. 0m down. I was persuaded to take a later breakfast by Isabella the manager of the monastery hotel. There was little to do today anyway other than relax and explore the small town, especially it’s cathedral. So I had a grand breakfast with beautiful blue almost willow pattern crockery and even matching cutlery with ceramic inlays sitting in a bay window overlooking genteel houses. After breakfast I had a couple of hours of digital duties including writing the blog, uploading photos and  returning a pair of hiking boots Amazon had sent me via Isabella which were the wrong size.

Once I had returned from the post office I set for a walk round the town. I wanted to get a picture of the Munster (Cathedral) at its finest. I had to walk around the whole building going down roads in the east end of town until I came back and discovered a hill with a fantastic viewpoint overlooking both the Munster and all the monastic buildings and courtyards.  This whole religious complex had its origins in the middle ages and grew to be one of the most important religious centres in Austria. 

After getting my photos I continued my wanderings through meadows on the outskirts of the town to the western half. It was a warm day and the meadows were high with uncut grass and teeming with insects. Small birds were darting in and out of the grasses catching insects to feed their fledglings. I walked back on the south side of the town and crossed the river where a small dam provided hydro power via a turbine. Here I came across an old railway station and tracks which had been turned into a cycleway, much as they have across Europe. When I returned in the hot afternoon I went into the cool of the Munster to read about its spectacular roof frame and marvel at the small model depicting the myriad of huge timbers. These timbers were all unseen above the vaulted ceiling of the nave but apparently there were over 1000 cubic metres of larch beams making up the frame of the roof.

I decided not to eat out again here so I went to the town shop and got some groceries in for a late lunch and for the evening meal and spent the rest of the time in my room ordering new boots to get delivered to Trieben in a week, catching up with friends online and generally relaxing. My next leg will take me through North Styria for a week and bring me to the start of the first of the higher mountains, namely the Niedere Tauern range, where hopefully the snow would be melting quickly. I had really enjoyed the very picturesque first section with its forests and meadows and it had been a great and varied introduction to the walk. I should really rename it from Section 01. Lower Austria to Section 01. Wienerwald and Hausberg. 

Section 01. 157 km. 54 Hours. 7830m up.  7229m down.   

18 May to 26 May 2022   

 

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