Walking in Austria. Kev Reynolds
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Название: Walking in Austria
Автор: Kev Reynolds
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Книги о Путешествиях
isbn: 9781783623983
isbn:
Austria’s Alps still draw me back, and repay every visit a thousandfold.
Austria’s Alps
With more than 40,000km of well-maintained, waymarked footpaths; with countless attractive villages, hospitable hotels, inns and restaurants, pristine campsites, the world’s finest chain of mountain huts, an integrated public transport system, and breathtaking scenic variety, Austria must surely count as one of Europe’s most walker-friendly countries.
It’s a country of great diversity, whose mountains range from gentle grass-covered ‘hills’ of around 2000m, to rugged limestone spires and turrets erupting from a fan of scree, or snow-draped, glacier-clad peaks whose reflections are cast in crystal-clear lakes. In their valleys some of the continent’s loveliest villages are hung about with flowers in summer. On mid-height hillsides centuries-old timber haybarns and stone-built chalets squat among the pastures; these are the alms which add an historic dimension to the landscape. Elsewhere, heavy-eaved farmhouses double as restaurants; some provide accommodation in a rustic setting, and complement the hundreds of mountain huts built in remote locations, virtually every one of which exploits a viewpoint of bewitching beauty.
The Leoganger Steinberge, seen from the Spielberghorn (Kitzbüheler Alps, Route 54)
The Eastern Alps of Austria extend from west to east in two distinct but roughly parallel chains of around 400km each, before subsiding in the wooded hills of the Wienerwald. The chain which carries the German border is known as the Mittelgebirge (the rocky Northern Limestone Alps), while its southern and higher counterpart, the Hochgebirge, is distinguished by such snow-draped and glacier-clad groups as the Silvretta, Ötztal, Stubai and Zillertal Alps. In the heart of the country Austria’s highest mountain, the elegant Grossglockner, reaches 3798m and casts its benediction over the surrounding valleys.
This is a guide to ten mountain districts stretching eastward from the Rätikon Alps on the borders of Liechtenstein and Switzerland, to the little-known Karawanken, shared with Slovenia, in the sunny province of Carinthia. Each district has its own distinctive appeal, with fine scenery, plenty of accommodation, and numerous walking opportunities. There’ll be something to suit every taste and all degrees of commitment. And you’ll no doubt be left wanting more.
Rätikon Alps
In Vorarlberg, Austria’s westernmost province, the Rätikon Alps spread along the borders of Liechtenstein and Switzerland on the southwest side of the Montafon valley. These are limestone mountains, ragged and rugged, with a choice of valleys flowing from them down to the Montafon trench, from which access is most easily gained. The highest summit is that of the 2965m Schesaplana, a walker’s peak at the head of the Brandnertal, whose main resort village, Brand, is on a bus route from the railway station at Bludenz. Schruns, Tschagguns and Gargellen also make useful valley bases, but with several well-situated mountain huts built in the high country below attention-grabbing peaks, some of the best walks either start from particular huts or make tours from one hut to another.
Silvretta Alps
At the 2354m Plasseggenpass limestone gives way to crystalline rock, which continues into and throughout the Silvretta Alps, and takes the Hochgebirge and the border with Switzerland further east. The Silvretta mountains have their fair share of glaciers and snowfields, and elegant peaks such as Piz Buin and the Dreiländerspitze. More huts offer accommodation for walkers and climbers in remote locations, and some of the finest walks cross cols leading from one valley to another. Access is from both the Montafon and Paznaun valleys, the two linked by the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse which crosses the 2036m Bielerhöhe, overlooking an attractive dammed lake. The main resorts are St Gallenkirch and Gaschurn in the Montafon valley, and Galtür and Ischgl in Paznaun, while accommodation can also be found at the Bielerhöhe itself.
Ötztal Alps
The 2965m summit of Schesaplana (Rätikon Alps, Route 3)
An impressive district of 3000m mountains, whose highest summit is the 3772m Wildspitze, the Ötztal Alps contain the largest number of glaciers in the Eastern Alps. Rising east and south of the Inn river, the massif spreads over the border into Italy, but from its glacial heartland, three major valley systems drain northward to the Inn: the Kaunertal, Pitztal and the valley from which it takes its name, the Ötztal, with the neighbouring Stubai Alps immediately to the east of that. The latter valley is fed by the Ventertal and, its upper tributary, the Gurglertal, famed for the winter and summer resort of Obergurgl which, at 1927m, is Tyrol’s highest parish. Other resort villages worth considering for a walking holiday are Sölden, Längenfeld, Mandarfen, Plangeross and Feichten.
Stubai Alps
This complex district, like its neighbours to east and west, has a glacial core and some very fine valleys worth exploring, most of which are easily accessible from Innsbruck. Although primarily a crystalline range, the limestone Kalkkogel, flanking the lower Stubaital, is a Dolomite lookalike across whose southern flank one of Austria’s finest hut tours picks its way towards its close. Numerous huts located at the head of tributary valleys make obvious destinations for walks, while the Stubaier Höhenweg links no less than eight of them in an understandably popular circuit. Of the many resort villages, both Längenfeld and Sölden lie in the Ötztal, Kühtai and Gries im Sellrain give access from the north, while Neustift is the best developed for exploring the mountains above the Stubaital.
Zillertal Alps
East of the Brenner Pass the Zillertal Alps are known as much for their skiing potential as for their summer walking possibilities, especially around Mayrhofen, with the nearby slopes of the Tuxertal being developed with ski tows and cableways. The Zillertal itself pushes deep into the mountains, with a choice of tributaries cutting off herring-bone fashion from it. As with the Stubai Alps most, if not all, of these tributaries have mountain huts at their head from which both climbing and walking routes can be enjoyed. With a covering of either snow or ice, the massif’s highest summits capture the imagination and make a photogenic backdrop to a wonderland of walks. Of the valley bases, perhaps the best are those that lie in a line along the Zillertal: Zell am Ziller, Mayrhofen and Finkenberg.
Kitzbüheler Alps
All the previously mentioned groups spill across international borders, but the Kitzbüheler Alps lie ‘inland’ so to speak, and have no frontiers. North of the Zillertal Alps and the Venediger group, these are grass-covered mountains of modest proportions. But on them will be found some of Austria’s best routes for the walker of moderate ability and ambition. A wealth of trails strike across hillsides and over summits with long views north to the limestone ranges, south to the crystalline border mountains, or southeast to snowy giants of the Hohe Tauern. Söll, Scheffau and Ellmau lie in a glorious valley between the grassy Kitzbüheler Alps and the abrupt wall of the Wilder Kaiser. Westendorf and Brixen lie in a parallel valley to the south, with Kitzbühel, one of Austria’s premier ski resorts and the hub of the range, at its eastern end, while Saalbach and Hinterglemm lie in the Glemmtal easily accessible from the lovely ‘Lakes and Mountains’ resort of Zell am See, and offer some of the best walking of the whole district.
Kaisergebirge
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