Day 16 Munich to Venice - Alleghe

Alleghe is a lake side resort sitting in the shadow of the huge Civetta mountain.  It's a very pretty place and our schedule involves here for three nights both to rest and to provide a contingency in case we got held up earlier on. Interestingly, although we did have bad weather and had to stop an extra night at Pfitscher Joch, the desire the avoid sleeping in the crowded Dolomite huts has meant we have caught up with the day we lost.

Perfect contour walk with great views of Marmolada

Day 15 Munich to Venice - Passo Pordoi

Continuing with our 'no-dormitory' strategy, today we crossed from the northern side of Sella Ronda to the southern side in one go and are now relaxing in a hotel at the Passo Pordoi.

Sassolungo

Day 14 Munich to Venice - Passo Gardena

Today has been a huge, wonderful day.  The weather changed just in time for us to enjoy what is the best scenery on the whole trip.  What's more, driven on by Christine's desire to avoid sleeping in a dormitory we have walked half way across the Dolomites to a small hotel on the northern side of the famous skiing circuit, the Sella Ronda.

Peitlerkofel in the sun!

Although we had been promised better weather it was the same old mist that greeted us this morning. Then, just as we thinking about waterproofs everything changed, the mist cleared and the huge Peitlerkofel, towering above the hotel was illuminated by the early morning sun.  We could hardly believe our luck.

Day 13 Munich to Venice - Würzjoch

Last night was somewhat depressing.  The cloud had descended and the hut at Kreuzwiesen Alm was surrounded by dense mist.  Much worse Christine and I were in a 30 bed lager or dormitory. It felt like we had been sent to the naughty room as everyone else seemed to have a proper bedroom. What's more the smell in the place was not pleasant, a poisonous combination of damp rotting socks and cow dung.

Cows leaving our dormitory

The surprising outcome, however was that we got a reasonable  night's sleep. Despite its size there were only two other people in the huge space and they had sensibly positioned themselves as far away from us as they could.  Everyone else who had their 'own' room ended up sharing it with one or two strangers, so maybe the 'dorm' isn't the thing of dread we had cooked it up to be.  We even discovered why it smelt of cows, it was because there were cows living in the basement who turned  out, apart from the smell, to be very good neighbours.

Day 12 Munich to Venice - Kreuzwiesen Alm

6hrs 30mins 25km 1300m ascent 530m descent.

Because we stayed two nights hiding from the rain at Pfitscherjoch the group of Germans we had said our goodbyes to at the Tuxer-Joch-Haus caught us up again last night at Pfunders.  They were a bit surprised to see us. Some have been left behind, others have joined but the core group, together since Tutzinger Hütte, remains and now once again we're part of it.

Chapel to the south of Pfunders

Day 10 Munich to Venice - Pfitserjoch

The great thing about place to place hiking is that stuff happens.  Tonight we expected to be staying in a dormitory but although we are on top of a mountain we have our own room, own shower and own space.  After another really tough day in the snow and the rain, getting cold with wet feet, you can't imagine how our mood has been transformed by some genuine comfort.

Leaving Tuxerjochhaus - Hintertux in the background

Tuxerjochhaus

Day 11 - Munich to Venice - Pfunders

1200m ascent, 2000 descent, 17.5km 7hrs

Technically speaking today is Day 12 as yesterday, Day 11, was spent stranded in the 'hut' at Pfitscher Joch on the border between Italy and Austria.  Staying there was a bit strange as we got stranded there 2 years ago on another walk.  The hut has finished its upgrade since then and is now a splendid place but the people running it are just the same.  They include a very kind but unfortunately enormous lady who never moves from her stool behind the cash machine.  It was weird staying there.  Just like last time we spent the whole day in a building in a dense shroud of mist being lashed by rain.  The situation felt potentially never ending, as if the world had come to an end.

Leaving Pfitscherjoch

Day 9 Munich to Venice: Tuxer Joch Haus

There is something about walking in the company of Germans that brings out what frankly is a very wide competitive streak in my wife Christine.  Worst still are young athletic German women - they send her flying up the mountain with me struggling breathless  behind her.

Lizumer Hütte

Today all the above conditions applied and then some.

The walk was scheduled to take 6.30 minutes and involved 1250m of ascent and a climb over a pass.  The weather forecast was poor but worse early on.  There was fresh snow on the high ground and we had been warned that we would need to be careful.  The sensible option was a late start.

Leaving Lizumer Hütte and climbing the Geierjoch (2743m)

Day 8 Munich to Venice - Lizumer Hutte

17 km, ascent 1800m, descent 400m 7hrs

Having changed our itinerary and chickened out of the high level route from Glungezer to Lizumer Hut we spent all day trying to convince ourselves we made the right decision.  We definitely wouldn't have seen anything - visibility was down to 5m when we got to Lizumer, but the forecast rain didn't materialise so at a push we could have done it (and at least two of our fellow travellers  did).  We didn't see much on the walk up from Wattens because of the low cloud. The trail was wet and we both ended up with wet feet because the water got through our lightweight  shoes despite  the gortex. Critically however we would have missed out on the hotel in Wattens, a very good dinner and a delicous bottle of dry Austrian Reisling.  On balance I think we did the right thing.

Wooden chapel south of Wattens

Day 7 Munich to Venice - Wattens

From a planning perspective this is a tricky part of the walk. On my preferred itinerary tomorrow's stage is a high altitude walk from Glungezer Hutte to Lizumer Hutte. It's supposed to be a wonderful hike, one of the best on the whole trip, but it's tricky and needs good weather.  The weather forecast is poor for the next two days so we could have been stuck up there for two days waiting for the weather to clear.

One of the great things about this walk is that there always fellow travellers to discuss options with.

Our room mate last night was Remé from Munich.  He told us that the first Munich to  Venice itinerary, to avoid 'cheating' and using chair lifts, went via Wattens.  Once Christine realised that this meant staying in a hotel rather than a hut the decision was made and I'm now bashing out this blog in a comfortable hotel room rather than the top of a bunk bed.

Climbing up to Lafatscherjoch (2081m)

Day 6 Munich to Venice Hallerangerhaus

It wasn't even 8am and here we were climbing up a steep mountainside above last night's hut, clinging onto steel ropes. It was hairy, but it sets the tone. This was going to be a special day.

The long climb up to Schlauchkarsattel

We had an idea of what the first bit was going to be like. Pictures in local books showed a huge dry limestone valley, cliffs on either side and the imposing Bikkarspitze, the highest point in the Karwendel, at the top.  Everything went like a dream, steady, tough walking but we were making progress.  The only challenging bit was near the pass.  The sun had just hit the rock face and within minutes small rocks were crashing down and one, at great speed, bounced off the top of my bag.  It could have been worse.

On the Schlauchkarsattel (the pass)

On Birkkarspitz

Day 5 Munich to Venice - Karwendelhaus

The big news from Austria is that for the first time on this trip we have had a whole day of good weather.  After yesterday's  mega hike in the rain, today was relatively short and took us up into the spectacular scenery of the Karwendel Alps.

We left the hotel at about 10.  With six days ahead of us in the huts we were making the best of its  comforts.

The route took us further south up the Isar valley, the familiar river now a rushing mountain stream. Ahead of us, dominating the horizon was the great wall of the core Karwendel ridge, huge limestone cliffs with summits exceeding 2500m.  If all goes to plan we climb the highest one, Birkkarspitz (2749m) tomorrow. From where we were standing on the path it looked like an impossible task.

Heading up to the Karwendelhaus

Day 4 Munich to Venice Hinterriss

25 kilometres 850m ascent 1270 descent 9 hrs.

Today was another wet one.  It either rains all the time in Bavaria or just rains all the time when I'm here; it's wetter than Wales.

The first night in a hut was OK.  The food was good, the shower was good and although Christine said the two other guys in the room snored I didn't  hear them so I must have got some sleep.

Leaving the hut was hard. The rain just kept pouring down, and setting off in such conditions felt wrong.  Because we had such a long day ahead of us we either had to stay all day or go - we didn't have time to see if the weather was going to improve.

The first couple of hours were tough, a steep 400m climb up to a pass and an even steeper 700m descent down into the valley the other side.  The path was muddy and the slippery roots of trees made it treacherous.  We passed some other walkers on their way to Venice and passing walkers always cheers Christine up.

Day 3 Tutzinger Hutte

I'm sure that we could speak German and had understood the Rother guidebook we would have known what we were letting ourselves in for.  Forewarned would have been forearmed and we may even have decided to avoid one of the scariest stretches of walking ever and taken an easier option. As it was, ignorance was bliss, we 'did it' and we now have another to add to the list of Alpine adventures.

First day in the mountains and some challenges

The day started with a riverside walk to Lenggries and for a time the sun shone and it looked like the weather was going to be good.  At Lenggries we fueled up on cake and coffee and set off towards the ski-lift. All of a sudden the clouds darkened and a huge storm blew in from the west. We dived into another coffee shop hoping to avoid it. But it was still drizzling when we set off on the 800m climb up the mountain side.

Day 2 Munich to Venice - Bad Tolz

27 kilometres 6-45 mins

Tonight we are in Bad Tolz in a lovely half timbered hotel, with huge quirky rooms and a balcony and set in a tree festooned garden up above the river.  Perfect but no Internet.

We walked 28 km to get here with a chunk of grizzly road walking towards the end.  It was supposed to take 7 hours but we did it in 6-45, and beating the schedule  meant a double beer ration at the end.  I'm  even getting a taste for wheat beer despite its soupy appearance.

We left Wolfratshausen at 8-45am fueled by an enormous breakfast. It was cold and grey with ominous  clouds but at least it wasn't raining.  We were soon crashing along forest trails, skirting but avoiding settlements and going south through the Isar valley. 

Day 1 Munich to Venice Wolfratshausen

36 kilometres 9 hours walking

The one word summary for today is 'wet'. It started raining at about 9-30, an hour after we left Munich, stopped at about 2 and then started again just before 5 as we struggled to find our hotel in Wolfratshausen.  To make matters worse, a navigational cock-up on my part meant that we lost an hour and as a result we got well and truly caught in the last downpour.

The 'new' town hall in Marienplatz

On the map this looked like a dull walk, a slog south along a path tracking the Isar River.  Despite the weather it was a nice walk and if the weather had been kind it would have been excellent.  Considering that the route starts in the middle of one of Germany's biggest cities it's surprising how quickly you get into the country.

'The Dream Path' - Munich to Venice

The idea of walking the 'Dream Path' grabbed me a couple of years ago when I was walking the red variant of the Via Alpina in Austria. Bad weather meant we were stuck on the Austria - Italian border at Pfitscherjoch in the company of several groups on their way from Munich to Venice (the border is about half-way).   Although it's relatively unknown in the UK, this walk is seen as the prize challenge for German Alpine hikers.

The attraction is immediately obvious. The route crosses the Alps from north to south and links two of Europe's most iconic destinations, starting in Munich's Mariënplatz and finishing in the Piazza San Marco in Venice.  Carefully planned in 1974 by Ludwig Grassler, an Alpinist from Wolfratshausen (the target for day 1) the walk is challenging but reasonably accessible. It takes you through some of the best scenery in the Alps: the Karwendel, Tuz and Zillertal Alps and across the main Alpine ridge. Travelling along the Alta Via 1 and 2 it also manages to grab the main highlights of the Dolomites.  While doing this it makes use of what is, without doubt, the best high altitude hiking infrastructure in the world.

Christine with a 'Dream Path' trekker in 2012