Our trip to the Austrian Salzkammergut – our third Inntravel holiday – was most definitely an adventure...
When we booked the holiday, we knew that snow could fall at altitude in September, but we landed at Salzburg airport during one of the worst storms Central Europe has ever experienced. “Boris,” as it was known, battered Austria, and the local news channels made for alarming viewing. We spent two wet days exploring Salzburg before it was time to leave the city to start our hike.
Luckily, the weather improved right on cue and bright sunshine welcomed us to our first destination, St Agatha. The unexpected snow looked magnificent, untouched and pure, ready for hiking boots to make their mark. The guest house was serene, set in the valley and surrounded by towering mountains.
Our two days spent hiking around St Agatha were amazing. Breathing in the fresh Alpine air was so refreshing. We connected with nature, listened to the distant clanging of cowbells in the pastures, and admired the views across the jagged mountains and towards a snow-capped glacier high above. We walked through dark green forests and pale grass meadows and kept to the lower routes until we had time to investigate the accessibility of higher paths. We were anything but disappointed.
We then left St Agatha to walk to the historic town of Hallstatt along the lakeside – one of the most beautiful routes in Austria. When you book through Inntravel, you only carry your day sack. Your luggage is taken to your next location on transfer day and is waiting for you on arrival.
After such a beautiful day’s walking, we arrived in Hallstatt, and I have never seen so many people taking photographs. Don’t get me wrong; Hallstatt is stunning and magical, but the number of tourists was overwhelming after the remote beauty we’d encountered before our arrival. On a more positive note, you wouldn’t want to miss what has been described as “the world’s most beautiful lakeside resort”.
From Hallstatt, it’s easy to get up high, and the Dachstein Krippenstein, at around 2,100 metres, was our goal. It had been closed since our arrival in Salzburg, but access routes were beginning to reopen, and we could ascend by cable car. We were able to access the magnificent Ice Caves, and we also managed some high Alpine hiking, taking in panoramic views that stretched for miles. The scenery will remain in my memory forever.
Next stop was Gosau, and – once again – we were in awe of the spectacular sights. This delightful Alpine village is famous for its view across the glassy lake, and we sat and had coffee admiring the perfect reflections of pine trees and jagged mountains.
Again, some of the altitude walks were closed. Nearly two metres of snow had fallen during Storm Boris, and skis would have been more helpful than our walking boots. However, despite compromising on some routes, I wouldn’t have changed the weather, as it gave us the most fantastic experience of hiking in panoramas you can usually only dream about.