We’re now on the doorstep of Italy, having ridden over (well sort of) the Alps. It has been much easier than we thought it would be, following the Eurovelo 7 route.
Leaving Salzburg, we were soon into “Sound of Music” country (the opening sequence was filmed here), with looming snow covered peaks and emerald green meadows. The route ahead looks impassable, but it pretty much follows the Salzach river along valleys right up to the town of Bad Gastein.
It’s noticeably colder up here, and we awoke yesterday morning to find that our wet clothes were frozen, and our panniers were covered in ice. I think we’ll get a lot more of this as winter sets in later in our trip! Despite the cold, we’ve been really lucky with the weather – no rain on us for a whole three days, and we had blue sky and sunshine yesterday!
Much to my disgust (and Alli’s relief), the route didn’t go up and over any major passes, gaining a maximum altitude of just over 1200 metres. The last 300 metres or so is pretty steep (with sections at 20%) and all occurs in the heavily touristic ski town of Bad Gastein. This means there are hundreds of tourists to gawk at you as you sweat, swear and grunt your way to the top.
The town itself is pretty stunning, set over a rocky gorge, with hotels perched precariously all around. Some of the hotels are reminiscent of the Grand Budapest Hotel (of the movie fame).
From here you need to get over the 3200 metre peak of Ankogel, that looms over the town. Luckily, a tunnel has been bored right through the side of the mountain and it’s only a short train ride to the other side!
From here it’s a full bore, hold on to you seats, downhill to the campsite, 500 metres below in the valley.
4ks an hour 