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/