London to Salzburg on a bike - Stage 16 - Furstenbrunn to Bad Hofgastein - 100km - and the Epilogue

Austria - where bicycles dare - 21st September 2013

The going is green on the Tauernradweg

Furstenbrunn to Bad Hofgastein

Today, I loaded up Rosinante for the last time on this trip. The Gasthaus Esterer had served me well. A nice lazy breakfast with strong coffee. I was only a short distance from Salzburg but it seemed very rural. Time to head South towards Hallein on the Tauernradweg. I thought I would be cruising up the River Salzach towpath for most of the day, wrong!

My room at the Inn

Loading up Rosinante for the last time on this trip

Underneath the Arch

Austria - in the shadow of the mountains

Hallein Altstadt - in the old town

There are a few lumps on the route and it was not as straightforward as I had imagined. It looks very easy from the train. I should have downloaded the track because I got lost a couple of times before reaching the river and heading upriver to Hallein. Hallein itself has quite a nice old part of town, did not know that before today. Have always thought of it as an industrial suburb of Salzburg. It was a bit lumpy as the route left the River around Hallein. Very scenic though, despite the rain. Near Golling a child, out with his Dad, conspired to topple off his bike from a standing position just as I was passing. I only just managed to avoid him without swinging into the path of a fast car coming through from behind.

Heading for the Hill - Pass Lueg

Next up, Pass Lueg was a steady climb to the top on a cycle path. The descent on the other side was a different story. No room for a bike path on this narrow stretch and very heavy traffic. I felt sandwiched between the Arco and fast motors on the wet road. Did not enjoy it one little bit. Very relieved to get to Werfen. Traffic may have been bad because it was Saturday, changeover day, and traffic had diverted off the A10. There appeared to be a Porsche Car rally going up the hill in the opposite direction so that enhanced the noise and bedlam even further. Overall it was bit of a nightmare. Bit risky this Austrian cycling today!

Hohenwerfen - a familiar landmark where Eagles Dare

Along to Werfen and the Hohenwerfen Castle. A milestone on this route South, it's where they made 'Where Eagles Dare'. Today its worth a visit to see the falconry. The cake shop in Werfen had just closed at lunchtime so I carried on through Bischofshofen to St. Johann. I had lunch in the Kika Department store that sits right by the river, always good food at reasonable prices. I needed fuel to generate a bit more energy! Water was not sufficient for me. Had seen quite a few Hydro-electric installations today and saw more as I continued up-river along the towpath towards Schwarzach.

River Salzach near Schwarzach

Austria - a view to the North

Austria - Alpine Panorama

Someone pulled out the plug?

Austria generates about 70% of its electricity from Hydro and they have certainly harnessed the power of the Salzach. The town of Schwarzach is where I needed to leave the River to climb around the mountain and follow the Green Radweg signs for Lend. Bit of a hard climb through very nice farming country but it avoids a nasty winding gorge. There is massive water reservoir up the top that is part of a Hydro scheme. They use the water at times of peak winter demand to compensate for low flow rates in the Salzach. The sign-posted town of Lend is a dark place at the bottom of the Salzach valley and I did not need go that low and lose my hard won altitude.

Heading down to join the Gastein Valley

I turned left when the first signs for the Gastein Radweg appeared. Not far to my destination now. Just a pedal through the tunnel on the bike path and then a lovely familiar run through the beautiful Gastein Valley to Dorfgastein and then on to Bad Hofgastein.
Job Done! 1590km in 15.5 days.
Not the shortest route I could have taken but have seen some interesting, out of the way, places. I managed to avoid big Cities with the exception of passing acquaintances with Basel and Strasbourg. Luxembourg City is not big but it is busy.

Taking the train to Lille avoided the cycle ride in England to Dover, which could be busy, and the ride from Calais to Lille that might have been boring. Riding would also have added to the over-nights and food bill. My target was to do the trip in 16 days and arrive on Saturday. Up to two extra days were allowed for rest days or to allow for delays.
My only transport cost after Lille was the 12 Euros for the Ferry from Romanshorn to Friedrichsafen but other costs for accommodation and food are significant when cycling. Eating sufficient food is vital and I was often hungry during the day.
Overnight accommodation varied between 83 Euros for room only and about 20 Euros for my first night in Tournai Youth Hostel, the only place I booked in advance.
The worst place I stayed was the Hotel Anker in Romanshorn, Switzerland at 92 Swiss francs. Would not stay there again. Would happily stay again in any of the others, if they would let me back in of course.
The most hospitable was my Gite in Belgium, the Le Try Logis near Villers la Ville, very highly recommended.
Metz in France was the most interesting town, would be good to look around on a dry day.
Bad Tolz in Bavaria would be a nice place to stopover as would Fussen. In the right weather cycling and dipping into the Lake would be very pleasant.

Best cycling route would have to be the Bodensee-Konigsee through Bavaria.
Belgium's RV6, the Picardie-Wallonie, would be a close second. Not as scenic but passes through great cycling country and cobbles come with the territory..
Luxembourg (not the City) was a cycling Utopia but it lasted less than one day.
The early morning ride from Sarrebourg to Lutzelberg was outstanding.
My route from Salzburg to Bad Hofgastein is also part of the Alpe-Adria cycle route, my tour last year. The A-A continues from Bad Hofgastein to Grado on the Adriatic. The Bike signs also show Eurovelo 7, a route that is supposed to link the North Cape of Norway with Malta. Based on my experience with Eurovelo 5 that could be more virtual than real.

My bike, the Ridgeback Tour, might be described as entry level Tourer. She performed admirably. The only adjustment I had to make was to compensate for brake block wear. She dealt stoically with the cobbles and the off-road sections whilst heavily laden. I had no punctures, in fact I pumped up the tyres in UK and did not touch them again. The only change I made when I bought her was to replace the basic pedals with a dual purpose pair, cleat on one side, platform on the other.

The weather, with only two mainly dry days, was unfortunate. On the other hand it helped fill the many canals and  rivers and drive the Hydro schemes I had seen along my route. The sun was, of course, shining on me when I reached Bad Hofgastein. Only the rusty door key and damp and wrinkled passport were evidence of my wet ride.

Getting the bike home was easy. I had a soft bike bag ready in Bad Hofgastein. As we were flying BA there was no additional cost for the bike. The Bike bag goes free as long as it is within the 23kg allowance. One pannier can go in the bike bag, the other can be the allowed item of hand baggage. The handle-bar bag flies too - as a 'handbag'
Planning
http://www.biroto.eu/en/

London to Salzburg on a bike - Stage 15 - Neubeuern to Furstenbrunn - 98km - Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg

Leaving the Bodensee to Konigsee and heading for Austria - 20th September 2013

Grassau - nice place for a coffee stop

Neubeuern to Furstenbrunn

Valley cycling

My Neubeuern Hotel was a bit upside down with a breakfast room up on the top floor. Good views of the mountains from up there though. A decent Breakfast Buffet but the bears had been at the honey pot and it was empty. It was to be the last day on the Bo-Ko and a course that took me through Rohrdorf, Frasdorf, Grassau, Bergen and Traunstein to Piding. It was not that it was a bad route, it just did not quite match up to what had gone before. It was a far busier area and often on the 'road to somewhere'. Chiemsee was today's Lake, and was just to the North of my route. It's a familiar stop for the train from Munich to Salzburg and Bad Hofgastein. One of my Plan B's before I left home was to hop on the train here if I was running late or perhaps fed up with pedalling. In practice, I was still enjoying being on the bike and I was nicely on schedule for my Saturday arrival in Bad Hofgastein.

Sheltering under a tree

Quite a bit of the route was on a busy valley road and although I was perfectly secure, on a separate track alongside, it was very noisy. It was also fairly wet and I made a dive into a nice Backerei in Grassau for elevenses.
The Coffee and Cake were very much up to standard but the Lady serving was very heavily pregnant and there was nobody else around. I was a bit worried I would have to rush for help or maybe  look for towels and hot water. Also made a late lunch stop for a chicken salad in Traunstein. Setting myself up nicely for the ride into Austria. My probable route was still to turn off at Piding for Salzburg but I was still considering continuing to Berchtesgaden and then swinging off for the descent to Hallein. When I got to Piding the decision was made for me as it was raining and the cloud base was very low. I would have found myself climbing into the mist after Bad Reichenall. Had a bit of trouble finding my way to the border. Had to ask people the way a couple of times. Not quite sure why I made it so difficult? The key village was Marzoll where I was told I needed to head for the Church and would see the border with Austria. Got there eventually and spotted the familiar Austrian green rectangular bike signs ready to guide me round the mountain. So it was Auf Wiedersehen to Germany and Frau Merkel. She had been smiling down on me throughout my time in the Bundesrepublik, either that or there was an election going on?

Frau Merkel - Germanys favourite pin-up

My green signs for the Tauern Radweg sent me down a separate cycle path alongside a busy road and then a cross-country route marked for Salzburg and Grodig. When the routes diverged very near Salzburg I headed towards Grodig on a route very close to the familiar A10 Motorway, the Tauernautobahn. In the gathering gloom I stopped at the first available Gasthof, the Gasthaus Esterer, just before Furstenbrunn. Have to say, it looked a bit rustic and the public areas were very dated and dark. On the other hand, my room was fine, typically Austrian and spotless. I wanted a meal and the Lady announced that I would have to eat in ten minutes. I was clearly the only resident. No time for a shower then! After my late lunch I would have preferred to eat a good deal later. She rustled up a traditional meal of boiled meats, potatoes and cabbage served in the pan. I ate with the elderly couple running the place. I had my Weiss Beer, he had Wine and chatted about his son in South Africa and the solitary Peacock in the Garden. The rest of the Peacock family had been eaten by the Martens that are bit of a pest around here.They bit the Peacocks in the neck and drank their blood. Apparently they attack the pipes under cars as well. The solitary peacock now has mirror near his perch so he has someone to talk too. Katy, the dog, looked like a hairy Dachshund and was tied up so she would not run off into the forest? Think I might have let her go. The grounds were lovely and deer were munching on the 'fallers' from the Apple Trees. There is a cable car nearby, the Untersberg, but it sounded difficult skiing from what I could understand. Very early night for me, no way I was going out in the rain again. Checked under the bed to make sure there were no Martens lurking before hitting the sack.

London to Salzburg on a bike - Stage 14 - Kochel am See to Neubeuern via Bad Tolz - 101km - Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg

Down from on High - 19th September 2013

My smart Breakfast Room in the B &B

Two straight sections are where I forgot to turn the timer on!

Happy to report that my very pleasant hostess was smartly attired and served me an excellent breakfast in a nice large, traditional room. The sort of room  that was probably only used for best when visitors came to the Farm. I slept pretty well in my little room, the Church bells were not too loud, and I did not have to make too many visits to the 'outside' loo.

A bridge to cross

Full Stream Ahead

Bad Tolz Kur and Spa

Bad Tolz - the elegant old town

Bad Tolz - now where is my Bakerei

Full flow - Isar River at Bad Tolz

Heading East on the gravel from Bad Tolz

Lots of off-road today's route particularly just after Bad Tolz where there are also some steepish sections. Bad Tolz itself is a particularly smart town. There is a modern Spa town on the West side of the River Isar and the old, very pretty town, on the East Bank. I looked around the place for a bit and bought my takeaway lunch in a Backerei in the old part of town. 

In the forest

Rushing Streams

Marienstein Mine info

Marienstein Golf Course - on a Hill

Another two letter word village

Schliersee

The obligatory Bavarian Cow picture of the day

Tegernsee

The off-road bumps were not appreciated by today's' plum tart and it escaped from its wrapping and turned my handlebar bag into a sticky mess. Still tasted good though as I ate the fragments in the old mining town of Marienstein! Would not have known about the digging for coal without reading the information board though. No slag heaps in view here today but a smart golf course up a steep incline. More Lakes to see on my route though. The large Tegernsee is followed by the Schliersee and then, for me, the Apple cake and Coffee in Aurach. What a delight! Friendly place too, the boss came out of the kitchen and asked about my cycling trip and we chatted for a while. The next largish community was Fischbachau before a long descent into the Inn Valley. Quite sad really, I had enjoyed the Bayern Voralpen, and this was the first sign that my trip was entering its final phase. 

Apple Cake and Coffee

Lovely Coffee stop - Gasthof Aurach

The descent was pleasant though, through Apple, Plum and Pear Orchards. Caught the whiff of fruit being processed on the Farms as I passed. Picking looks as though its still done in the old fashioned way with a ladder. Before long I was speeding along on the flat plains past fields of Maize. Had planned to stop in Bad Feilnbach but shot straight past occidentally and ended up just across the River Inn at an old town called Neubeuern. Quite a pretty old Town up a hill.They have tried to keep the place authentic so there was no sign for the Tourist Office. I found it eventually, it was hiding in a Museum. Thought the guy behind the counter was a bit stressed and highly strung but eventually he came up with a good option for me, just across the square at just over forty Euros, Hotel Burgdacherl.

Nice room, the first with a kettle, so I was able to brew up a cup of tea with the bags I had been carrying for the last 14 days.  My evening meal was taken in an interesting Cafe, almost next door, recommended by the Hotel Owner.

Picking this years heavy crop of fruit

Down on the plain

cycle path signs - pedalling is popular here

Neubeuern

Neubeuern - the Tourist Office is in the middle behind the tree

My dining companions were a Duck, a Chicken and a Fox, all stuffed, plus six very noisy people talking and laughing incessantly at a nearby table.

A different kind of Cafe

Did not understand a word of what the were saying but they seemed cheerful enough. They only had a limited menu in my hostelry but it was good food again. I had a Tiroler Grostl, another sign that Austria was close by, and a large salad. The Weiss Beer was extremely refreshing and helped me ignore the bizarre decor. All sorts of animal soft toys in the corridor. Don't know what Leopold the Family cat thought about it all. Back at my Hotel, all was quiet. The decor in my Hotel Burgdacherl was a bit odd as well, suits of Armour and trays of crockery adorned the stairways.

Anyway, I had a very good nights sleep. 

London to Salzburg on a bike - Stage 13 - Nesselwang to Kochel am See - 95km - Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg

Climb every mountain, Ford every stream - 18th September 2013

Lunchtime -  it would be rude not to stop at this lovely spot

Nesselwang to Kochel am See

Very excited at the prospect of another day in the saddle, pedalling through Bavaria..
Had not heard of any of the towns and villages I would pass through, Eisenberg, Fussen, Halblech, Bad Kohlgrub, Eschenlohe to name but a few. A lot of places on this route are still connected by rail from Munich so it is definitely a possibility to dip in and out of the Bodensee-Konigsee Radweg. There are also flights from the UK into Friedrichshafen and Memmingen as well as Munich and Salzburg so there are plenty of options to get to and from the Bo-Ko.

Haus Weidach

Breakfast was very nice. Chatted to the Lady running my lovely Gastezimmer, Haus Weidach in Nesselwang. She was finding running the B&B and doing Breakfast a bit hard and would, next year, run the place as an Apartment House. She has four rooms with kitchens so would be a nice place to stay in Winter or Summer. Hubby came in with a massive mushroom the size of a Dinner Plate he had picked that morning. I wished I was staying for lunch.
A nice B&B with private facilities on this bike route costs about 33 Euros per night. Bicycles welcome!
Collected Rosinante from her garage and set off East again. The Haus is directly on the bike route so no opportunity for Carmen to go 'off course'.

King Ludwigs Castle - Schloss-Neuschwanstein

 A few chevrons on the path today so a chance to warm up in the light morning rain. A pattern seems to be developing of morning rain, decent weather during the day and then rain again late afternoon. Super route again. Got a bit confused around Fussen, a nice town by one of the many lakes. Close by there is also King Ludwigs Castle, Schloss Neuschwanstein, a major tourist attraction high over my bike route. Just past Halblech there are two route options, I took the old (alt) route which was pretty interesting and a bit testing for Rosinante as it was mainly off-road and quite rough. I normally give a wave to tractors and Farmers. I passed one old Farmer tending his horses on this route who made fun of my 'kurze hose' (shorts). I suppose it was a bit wintry but I was warm enough.

On the Alt Route with the friendly farmer

Bavaria in the Autumn

On the Alt (old)  track - the high road

Ford that stream

At one point I had to ford a stream. After all the rain it was pretty fast-flowing. I considered taking off my overshoes and shoes and then paddling but in the end I built a rock bridge of stepping stones and quickly pushed the bike over. All good fun but it was slow going on the rough forest track and it was a relief to get back onto tarmac. I met a Scots lady of a certain age on the trail the following day who had taken the new road as she had been warned about the Ford. I took the High Road and she took the Low Road comes to mind. Anyway, after my bumpy ride and minor construction project the opportunity of a proper lunch opened up as I passed a lovely old remote Gasthof. I Think I deserved a nice piece of Pork and a small beer. Very popular place, full of people out for the day enjoying a good lunch and great service. I was able to take off the overshoes for the first time for several days as the weather was now quite reasonable. It stayed that way until a fierce storm terminated proceedings for the day at the small town of Kochel am See.

Alpine pastures

I did not get to see much of the Lake but I did go to the Tourist Office. Nice Office in the old Railway Station. The helpful Lady tried to phone the two Gastezimmers in the Town but no reply. She suggested I go along and knock on the doors. I got a response from the second one, a traditional Bavarian farm.

A room with a view at my Farm in Kochel am See

Tidy - Settling in nicely to my economical little room

Security Guard

The Farmer confirmed they had a space and called for his Lady Frau. After a few minutes she appeared. She looked like she had been Alpine mud wrestling, only it was not mud. I think she had been busy in the cow shed and had sat, or laid down in a whoopsy. Breakfast in the morning could be interesting. My room was fine, without private facilities but spotless and a very economical 26 Euros including breakfast. The Cow's Barn was under the living accommodation and I parked Rosinante alongside. Nearby a lovely calf peered out from a 'kennel'. There was a fridge in the entrance hall of the house where you could help yourself to a cheap beer on an honesty system. I could imagine myself sitting outside in the late afternoon sun having a dust-buster. Alas, it was raining and time for an early shower.

Had a very good dinner at the Gasthof Hotel Zur Post, a busy and very traditional hostelry in the town centre just a short walk away from my farm. Kochel seemed a bit frantic when I first arrived. Traffic still goes through the town and I noticed signs heading for Innsbruck to the South. Happily the roads were quiet as I wandered back to my Farm to hit the hay.
Another great day on the bike. I like the Bo-Ko.