Tuesday 16 August: Neuberg to Karl Ludwig Haus

What a day! We were planning Christine's early return to London last night based on our understanding of my itinerary and the bad weather forecast. Instead we decided over breakfast - with hugely helpful advice from our fabulous hostess at Zum Hollander at Jausenstation in Neuberg - to rearrange the schedule so we could both enjoy 2 more good days walking (the weather forecast has apparently improved and it's now going to be fine all week).

To be honest I was a bit nervous about the next two days walking on my own. I'm still high in the Alps and walking without a map. After yesterday's experience where two pairs of eyes were essential for keeping on route I was worried about getting lost. It would also have felt like a bit of a failure for Christine to go home early. What she didn't want to do was go back to Krampen and as it happened the Gasthof we were staying at was next to the route 445 which would take us directly back to the E4 and save a few hours walking.

So with a plan, clean after our first shower for 4 days and well breakfasted, we set off at 9.15am up the 800 metres to Schneealpen Haus where we planned to have an early lunch. It was a beautiful walk up through mixed forest on a good path, nice steady climb with great views back to Neuberg and Krampen.

Once we'd done the steep pull up to the top, the landscape opened out and we walked over alpine grazing land to reach Schneealpen Haus at 11.45am. It looked a very good hutte, amazing location and views, and good food and loos. We decided to have a blow out and ordered beef with noodles and vegetables, enjoying our first fresh vegetables (fried courgettes) for over 2 weeks. Delicious.

Schneealpen Haus

At this point we weren't sure how much farther we should go. It looked like the clouds were building up so we decided to walk to the next hutte, have strudel and then decide. We got to Lurgbauer Hutte in an hour (incidentally we were beating the signs in terms of walking time all day : very satisfying). After further gastronomic (right word?) reinforcement we felt suitably energised to go for it and aim for the Karl Ludwig Haus, some 30k and 1800 m of ascent from where we started at breakfast. It was either this or stay put. Our plan to stay at the Zimmerman Hutte half way along was thwarted because it was closed.

The clouds blew over and the weather turned out to be perfect for tough walking. Not too hot and a nice fresh breeze. We set off on what the signs said was a 5 hour walk, unhelpfully graded as black. The first hour or so was steep downhill on limestone; had to concentrate and save the knees. The route then flattened out and we went over a col and the point of no return. The mountain opposite was vertical and further signs warned that the route was not for the faint hearted.

We started up. At first it was easy, a steady climb up a nice forest path and then a bit steeper following the course of a stream. Then the fun started. Round a corner was a steep scree slope with little visible sign of any path. We were nervous but reasoned that we had done worse before. Up and across we went. More steep up and then we came to the fixed ropes, not just a few fixed ropes but all the way up the mountain.

Crossing scree on the way up to Heukuppe

I was too busy taking pictures to look down but there were sheer drops everywhere. There was so much fixed rope that our confidence started to grow and we started to enjoy it and made rapid progress up the cliff. Every now and then the semblance of a path returned for a few yards, only to be followed by more climbing or by another scree traverse. In total I think we climbed around 250 metres with the aid of ropes and ladders and have never done such a sustained steep climb like this before.

Ropes on the Heukuppe 

Over the edge and then an easy walk then to the top of Heukuppe and views back to where we have walked over the last few days: the dreaded Lugauer; Hochschwab where we wandered lost in the mist; and Veitsch where we had a memorable night in the Graf Meran Haus.

Then down to the Karl Ludwig Hutte which turns out to be utterly modern and refurbished with proper showers, loos that flush and our own room. Slightly freaky local weather conditions have produced a dramatic effect with cloud butting the high cliff where the hutte sits, with clear sky beyond. Very happy to sit in the bar with large beers and study the microclimate.

On the way to Predigstuhl

So an amazing day. The last big climb of the walk, the most exciting climb of the walk and definitely one the best days. Best of all I was able to share it with Christine.

Wednesday 10th August Hess Hutte to Radmer

Christine has just said that she would give her eye teeth not to do today again.

The adventure started before we even left the hutte. All through the night a storm raged and, as the fifteen or so walkers gathered for breakfast glances' suggested, no one was desperate to step out into the gale. We were wrong footed, we thought everyone was about to go only to discover that we in fact were the pioneers.

The first thing to hit us was the wind. The hutte is in a very exposed location and as soon as you stepped away from the immediate shelter of the building you thought you were going to be knocked over. Not helpful given that the path we had to walk along was narrow, stoney and wet. We hesitated, thought about going back into the hutte, but a retreat was just too embarrassing so we pressed on.

Sulzkarhund

The second thing to hit us was the cold. It was hailing and despite having all my gear on, my hands and feet quickly got cold. Fortunately the first part of the walk involved a 300 metre climb over a ridge at Sulzkarhund and the effort of the climb warmed us up.

After an equally steep descent down into the valley to Sulzkaralm on the other side of the ridge things started to settle down just a bit. The wind dropped and the rain and hail died away, we even got an occasional glimpse of sun. Perhaps the worst of the walk was over.

Sulzkaralm

In fact by the time we got to the bottom of the valley, having dropped from 1800 metres down to 1100 metres, the walk was almost getting a bit boring if not necessarily comfortable. It was still drizzling and the cloud was hanging low limiting the views of the mountains to occasional glimpses. The route took us in a semicircle on a forest road making for a easy climb back up to 1400 metres.

Things then started to get tougher. The first challenge was a climb through a recently cleared forest. The track was hard to follow through a mess of left over branches and churned up ground. The next challenge was a two kilometre climb up through water logged meadow where the path had been trampled by cattle. By the time we got past it our feet were completely soaked.

Rain soaked ground

The climb took us right up to the face of the Lugauer, a sheer cliff rising up to its summit about 500 metres above us. We were now back to 1700 metres and the official E4 route dropped down 1000 metres to Radmer a couple of kilometres away. Christine refused to believe the way it was taking us. The first part of the descent ran steeply down unstable scree down the side of the summit face. Very scary walking. Rocks the size of medicine balls moved as you stepped on them and made you feel that everything could fall away taking you with them. Far below was the valley and between it and us was a huge drop. Both of us would definitely have preferred to be somewhere else but with no choice we just inched our way down the 20 minutes or so it took us to get past this moving rock field.

Under the Lugauer

Very Steep

The rest of the walk down was a lot easier but still a challenge. It was obvious that this is a path not often used. Wet vegetation was waist high making it hard to spot hazards (roots, holes, rocks) below. Above all it was slippery with both of us crashing to the ground several times before at last we hit a forest road just above Radmer.

Saw lots of wildlife today by the way, particularly deer and chamois. Got particularly close to a family of chamois scrambling over rocks just before we started the dreaded descent underneath the Lagauer.

Mountain goats on the Lugauer

Fortunately we found the gasthof in Radmer quickly, got out of wet things and had a shower. The weather forecast is better for the next three days a least and perhaps we can have a few easier days.

Tuesday 9th Modlingerhutte to Hesse Hutte

Great news, today it didn't rain, well didn't rain much, and we were able to walk all the way without wearing waterproofs. The weather is still not settled however and, from the shelter of Hess Hutte, we have just watched a hail storm lash it's way across the mountainside.

Really nice walk, very civilised and not too far, 7 hours, about 20 kilometres with 1,000 metres of climb. Unless we get lost there shouldn't be any more of the 10 hour days we did last week. We left Modlingerhutte at 8.15 and were having beer, fried potatoes, saur kraut and sausage in Hesse Hutte by 3.15.

Must say we are getting into hutte accommodation. The food is plentiful and there is a good atmosphere. Washing facilities are variable (no hot water tonight), but it seems less important when everyone is in the same boat. Based on my experience, if you avoid Friday's and Saturday's the huttes are never more than a third full and at that level of occupancy even a dormitory is tolerable. The best thing about them is the location - on the route, in the mountains and often dramatically positioned on a ridge or under a cliff.

Modlingerhutte had a nice location but it's special feature was its cakes and puddings. I am becoming a strudel expert and this was one of the best, all the extra bits (almonds, raisins etc) and a supersized portion - excellent.

Modlingerhutte

The walk itself was in three parts: a steep knee testing walk down to Johnsbach; a gentle climb up the Johnsbach valley, mostly alongside a river, and then a long climb up a side valley to Hesse Hutte.

The highlight of the descent were the increasingly dramatic views of Grosser Odstein on the northern side of the Johnsbach valley. Initially it was surrounded by swirling clouds but for a short time these cleared giving visibility of the whole mountain.

Hochtor

Stopped for a coffee in Johnsbach at the Donner Gasthof; we would have stayed there last night if we had made it down from Modlingerhutte and it looked like it would have been an excellent choice.

The early part of the walk from the valley bottom up to Hesse Hutte went through meadows and we saw our first ever alpine bull. Roger and Sue of course saw one a couple of weeks ago and I must admit I was slightly sceptical. Anyway our bull was munching grass about half a metre from the path and didn't even look up as we worked quietly past him.

Friendly Bull

We enjoyed the walk up to Hesse Hutte. A steady climb, steep in places but a good path. The huge cliffs, initially beneath Grosser Odstein and the Hochtor summits, were somber, even slightly sinister, but definitely gave you the feeling of being out in the wild.

Above Hesse Hutte

Any sense of isolation was completely shattered when we got the Hutte. It felt like the crowd of Austrian walkers had been enjoying the bar all day and we were just a bit suspicious of their attempt to persuade us to have the mountain goat soup which they claimed to be the special. As already mentioned, we chose sausage, fried potatoes and saur kraut and very good it was too.

My camera by the way is completely useless, I'm now using Christine's. The challenge will be to recharge the battery.

Monday 8th August Admont to Modlingerhutte

The original plan was to walk from Admont all the way through to Hesshutte, an ambitious 10 hour walk. We had already worked out that a sensible bail out option was Johnsbach, slipping a day on the schedule, but given today's weather going even that far proved too miserable a prospect. It started raining heavily 30 minutes after we began and never let up, really heavy rain, couldn't see a thing and we got wetter and wetter. Having taken brief shelter at the Oberst-Kinkler Hutte at around 1pm (no food on a Monday), we found the warmth of the Modlingerhutte just too welcoming and decided to call it a day when we got there at 3.15pm.

As we were in cloud most of the day it is hard to describe the scenery. We started out up a road and then through trees from Admont with a steady but relentless uphill gradient. Crossing a road we continued up on a badly way marked path and at around 11am arrived at a small new sportshutte at a winter ski place where we had soup and bought a much needed local map. Good to know you actually are on the right path, especially when you can't see anything.

Then back out into the driving rain, steeper uphill now on a long twisting woodland climb up to the Oberst Kinkler Hutte where we scrounged a cup of coffee. The young woman serving looked surprised when we said we were going on to the Modlingerhutte Hutte and wished us luck. We later found out why.

After our non lunch we proceeded up to a col and then down a steep and slippery forest road for quite a way, catching tantalising brief glimpses of the Admonter Reichenstein ridge and face above us to the north. It was very wet underfoot and our feet were soaked, mine as per usual and Christine's despite her Gortex boots.

At the bottom we arrived at a raging torrent and a broken weir with no obvious way across, the water running so high. What to do. I walked up and down the bank a bit to try and find a safe way over but no luck. Christine was threatening to jump over and that looked dangerous. Eventually I eased myself out on my bottom on a broken trunk that had been part of the original weir, to end up dangling off the end above the torrent but still a metre from the other side. I removed my pack and threw it over and then, praying, pushed myself off. Made it. Then Christine gave me her pack and followed my lead, with me able to catch her on the drop. A hairy but satisfying moment. I tried to record the crossing place on my camera but had for once kept it inside my jacket pocket (not waterproof) rather than, as I usually do, in my shorts under my leggings. It is now defunct.

Our path continued but narrowed and steepened uphill again, sometimes in the open and sometimes through steep banks of conifers where it was so dark it seemed like night time. The rain was still beating down hard as ever and we could see virtually nothing. At last we arrived, after a steep pull up, at the Modlingerhutte. It felt like the Israelites arriving at the promised land, flowing with beer, noodles, jagermeister, sausage and above all warm and dry. We decided to stay here the night and Christine proceeded to consume a vast plate of holzfallernockerl.


PS from Christine: thank you Juan for praying for my knee : it's worked and I have gone through the last three days with no real problem.

Saturday 6th August Habernau to Spital a.Pyhrn

So today was a transfer day from the E4 walking the Weitwanderweg 04 to the E4 walking the Weitwanderweg 01, the higher Alpine variant of the E4. Now I'm in Austria I've realised that my approach to the transfer was really clumsy and that if I had done it yesterday when the two routes got close to each other then I could have reached the alpine variant in a couple of hours or so. As it was I waited for them to diverge and then caught a train down the valley from Steyrling to Spital a.Pyhrn.

The good news is that Christine's knee is holding up. It seems to work going up, on the flat and can cope with gentle descents. Trouble is we are in the Alps and gentle descents are few and far between. We have looked at the rest of the itinerary and compared to what we have been doing I think we will be staying high longer so perhaps will have fewer descents. We are going to see how things go tomorrow, the first tough walk for a couple of days and then see - fingers crossed.

Normally, today's walk would have been pleasant but in the middle of the Alps it was just a bit dull. A 24 kilometre walk from west to east first along one valley next to a river and then, after crossing a ridge, along another valley next to river. The trees were great, the noise from the river was lovely, but it wasn't quite what you hope for when walking in Austria. One thing, after lots of rain in the night and despite forecast rain for today, the weather was good, sunny and warm.

Climbing up to Ring

Along the Steyrling

Stopped mid morning at the Almtaler Haus where Christine bought what she thought were two bars of homemade fudge/nougat which, on sampling later, turned out to be soap. She was very cross.

Didn't stop again - apart from a quick sandwich and the customary immersion of Christine's feet in icy river water - until early afternoon when we had tea and strudel at a bar in Steyrling. I was fed up because the sign said it would take an hour and half to walk to the train station (although the fact that there was a station at all was a small miracle). In the end it took only 30 minutes, and a train came just 15 minutes later.

Lovely mountains around the town but Spital a.Pyhrn itself appears to be a bit of a dump. Will be glad to get walking in the morning and get my teeth into the Alpine variant of the E4.

Wednesday August 3rd Weissenbach to Riederhutte

We think we may have done a tougher walk but at the moment we can't quite remember when. For once the numbers definitely don't tell the story, although they give a clue. 2,000 plus metres of ascent and 10 hours on your feet indicate a big day but it was the non-stop grinding nature of the terrain which made today mega.

Christine woke up with one eye virtually closed, the result of the bee sting from a couple of days ago. Didn't actually slow her down but I was getting sideways looks as Austrian's assumed a domestic incident.

Actually Christine was on top form. The signs said 4 hours 30 minutes to Hochleckenhaus and she was determined to beat the time. Better still there were lots of Austrians making the early morning climb and this meant only one thing, someone to chase and overtake. Firstly a couple, then a single woman, and then the ultimate scalp, three young men.

Attersee

Up and up we went, along ridges with amazing views of Lake Attersee then up again. The first major summit was Brennerin, at 1700 metres, 1300 metres above Weissenbach. Started to get a bit worried that this was no ordinary walk when we looked at the signs after the Brennerin. Despite being the fastest people on the mountain we were only just on schedule. Still 90 minutes to Hockleckenhaus and although no longer climbing the going was really tough, two horrible gullies to cross, but it wasn't just the up and downs that made the going slow, it was the broken terrain.

Climbing up to Brennerin

Back to Attersee

On Brennerin

At last we got to the hut at Hockleckenhaus and collapsed on a bench and ate. We were on schedule but had consumed huge amounts of energy. The good news I was hoping for didn't materialise. I had hoped that at least we were half way but no, another five hours to go and that seemed subject to maintaining our mad morning pace. Reider Hutte seemed like a long way away, and we seriously considered calling it quits and staying at Hockleckenhaus.

Christine however wanted to press on, doing nothing all afternoon was too boring. We left the hutte at 2, stuffed with food and fully rehydrated. It was hot and clear but I was worried about the weather. The forecast was rain by mid afternoon.

The tough walking continued but after an initial climb, a sharp drop into a valley, and then a 600 metre pull we were at the top of Grunalmkogel which at 1821 metres was the highest point of the day. It was only 4.30 and it felt like we were making good time. Trouble was, as the forecast had predicted, the clouds were now descending and the prospect of a summer thunder storm on top of a mountain kept the pressure on.

Things then started to slow down. The climb down from Grunalmkogel was really tough. Incised limestone and the extent of drop meant we were scrambling for much of time. It took the best part of an hour to descend 300 metres.

Struggling down Grunalmkogel

Hard work

I had promised Christine that the last bit would be easier but lacked the evidence to back my theory. It couldn't be harder but in it's own way was just as bad. An exposed path set into a limestone cliff and huge drops. Not a time for looking down or even up.

Fortunately this didn't last long and we soon walking along the side of a valley and gently climbing up to what we hoped was the hutte. The signs however were still not telling us how far we had to go, the light was fading, and it looked increasingly like rain. At 6.45pm we heard a helicopter, rounded a final corner, and there was the hutte taking it's bi-monthly aerial delivery.

Special beer drop

So a really tough walk, challenging but all the time the scenery was amazing.

It's hard for people, who inevitably have not got the level of fitness I have built up over many months, to click quickly into my pace of walking and indeed the schedule I have set myself. I thought Christine was just amazing today and was very proud of her.

Christine adds: what a tough day. Am exhausted and feet and knees are killing me. The best thing about the last 11 hours was hearing the helicopter and knowing we must be getting near the Reider Hutte. Tomorrow is supposed to be a lot easier and we're hoping we don't get rain; there was a sharp shower this evening just after we arrived here and it's still cloudy.

Tuesday August 2nd Schafberg to Weisbenbach

What goes up must come down and after yesterday's huge ascent up to the top of Schafberg today's walk was all about the long descent down to Weisbenbach. Completely different sort of walk as well, particularly at the beginning, which was all ropes, ladders, slippery limestone and absolutely amazing views.

Above the clouds from Schafberg

Christine continues....
After sleeping nearly 10 hours, John woke me up by insisting I look out of the window. It was breathtaking. We were up in heaven with distant peaks from the earth below poking through the cloud blanket. What a place. Far better to stay the night and enjoy the early morning views before the crowds of earthlings came up on the little hobbit train from below.

From the viewing platform at Schafberg

We breakfasted with a crowd of enthusiastic Germans who quickly demolished the bread rolls and ham. Good job we got down to breakfast first.

How to get down from this huge peak? My instinct was completely wrong. Instead of going east (which would have taken me off the edge of a cliff) we went west and then an old sign through a small rock arch pointed into space and invited us down a steep zig zag path down the cliff face. Fortunately we were able to grab the wire ropes. I decided to let John go first. I had Prince's 'Controversy' on my brain and kept singing it out of nerves, much to John's annoyance. Once we got past the worst bit we could stride out but the limestone was slippery and you had to concentrate.

From Schafberg with Mondsee below

Underneath the Schafberg cliff

After a bit we got into trees and continued down through mixed beech and conifers until opening out onto a grassy plain hosting a well appointed hut. Time for coffee and strudel.

We then continued walking east, the sun now beating down and hot, following the side of a steep mountain stream before going up and onto a forest trail. Then down down down, feet hurting by now, lycra clad cyclists passing us but them struggling uphill in the blazing sun.

We got to the shore of Attersee around 1.30 pm then walked along a hot road to Weissenbach, a small nonentity of a place. Trouble then, as the Gasthaus Goldenlamm booked from England turned out to be in a Weissenbach in a totally different region of Austria.

Attersee

Luckily found somewhere else, and decamped to the lakeshore for the rest of the afternoon enjoying swimming in the lake.

Monday August 1st Faistenau to Schafberg

It's 10 past 8 and Christine is claiming that it's time to go to bed. Maybe we have overdone it a bit, particularly if the sighs, groans and moans are anything to go by. Suspect that the last three hours of the walk may have something to do with it as we climbed a straight 1400 metres up to Schafberg having already walked 20 kilometres from Faistenau. Poor Christine, just before we started what was one of the toughest climbs of the whole E4 walk, she managed to get stung by a bee in Winkl.

Tonight we're staying in the Hotel Schafbergspitz, not exactly a boutique hotel but a haus with an amazing location. It's right on top of a sharp ridge at nearly 1800 metres. I keep having to dash out onto the balcony to catch yet another amazing view as the sun, clouds and mist reconfigure to present new views of lakes below and mountains in the distance. One of the lessons learnt from this walk is to be more careful about choosing the precise location of the accommodation. Tonight we struck gold.

The weather has been OK today, good but far from perfect as still too humid.

Leaving Faistenau just after 8, onto the right route almost immediately, the first part of the day involved a 300 metre climb up over the ridge into the next valley and down to Fuschl. Stopped at a little lake on the way down before a more serious stop for mid morning strudel at Fuschl overlooking the lake.

Lake to the east of Faistenau

Fuschl

Took us ages to find the right route out of Fuschl but eventually we were walking along the valley which links to the next lake and St Gilgen. The walk gets a bit complex at this point as it struggles to keep you high above the town and avoid the drop down to the lake. Some interesting cliffs and lots of very young climbers were practicing their techniques high above us.

Looking down to St Gilgen

After all the ins and outs through the cliffs and the trees you still end up dropping down to Winkl. Perhaps just as well for us the top of the Schalberg was in the clouds but Christine's bee sting already meant that she had something else to think about other than the climb.

The climb itself was on a good path even if it was a bit unrelenting. Seemed to be the only people going up as everyone else had caught the steam train to the top and was walking down. Once you break through the tree line the top is still a 400 metre climb and the last bit, as usual was the steepest.

Climbing up to Schafberg

Started the climb at 2.45 and were drinking beer at 5.30 in the hotel. My GPS measured the climb at just over 1400 metres from Winkl to the top and we had a 15 minute stop for boot removal half way up. I suspect that for the day as a whole we climbed over 2,000 metres and walked about 25 kilometres. Much shorter downhill walk tomorrow and should have enough time for a swim in the lake.

Sun set from Schafberg

PS from Christine
I was standing under a tree in Winkl minding my own business when a bee dropped onto my eye. Unable to prevent the reflex action to brush it off, I goaded the thing into stinging me.

Wednesday 27th of July Hohenaschau to Marquartstein

Report by visiting Chris Dickinson another cousin.

We feel lucky in Tatum's choice of hotel in Hohenaschau. A warm welcome by a helpful barman who wanted to practice his accomplished English on us followed by good meal. Compared to previous menus this one gave us a really extensive choice. We apologise for leaving the table before making adequate arrangements for the bill! An honest mistake Guv.

There seemed a long walk down a metalled road before rejoining the E4. However we eventually came to a parkplatz with good signed and a warning that our first summit was four and a half hours a way. It did bring a slight droop to my morale. Hayes is an accomplished walker as you would expect, he has a relentless step only varied by the gradient. I guess he can carry on all day without rest. Tatum is a gazelle who eats up anything over 45 degrees, being a cyclist with no weight helps. Your author is an old front row forward designed to carry heavy weights.

Pleasingly the start was demanding but steady and we ate up the metres. We distracted ourselves by talking on various subjects such as leadership and the battle of Waterloo! We passed a few other walkers, including a gentleman who could have a least given us 10 years moving at a very respectable pace who we were to meet later on the summit.

Following coffee and buttermilk at one of the many mountain huts on this side we continued up the steady slope, thankfully still less than 45 degrees. We soon stood below the summit reading the story of how the spectacular cross had been hauled to the summit many years ago. However this did herald the end of the kinder part of the route and we started on an interesting scramble to the summit. Of course this was Tatum's world and he bounded ahead like demented four legged mountain goat, while yours truly left a stream of perspiration along the last 150m. We did make the summit in at least an hour better than the time on the sign at the bottom. We were rewarded with some wonderful views and usefully an idea of the way ahead. Hayes sprung up a conversation with the elder walker we had seen earlier in the day. They swooped stories of Ben Nevis and the horrors of rubbish at altitude.

Scrambling up Grasjoch/Kampenwand

At the top of Grasjoch

Tatum came to gloat over our descent from the ridge down some fixed ropes. I stood back with respect and allowed Hayes to inspect the feasibility of the way down. Mad fool leapt down swinging off the metal daring me to follow, sadly I had little choice. You can see from the picture that it was all dramatic stuff. The deer (sic) cousin left for Blighty by different route, we wish him well and safe journey.

Scrambling down Grasjoch

We fought through the bushes along the pathway making it like a tunnel along the south side of the ridge until we climbed and topped at the ridge a few hundred metres away. There four or five paths met and ever believing in local information I asked a couple the way to tonight's destination. They were not local but from Berlin and had done the complete ascent last year, good enough for me! Sadly their memory was not as good as we hoped and we lost nearly 300m before we convinced ourselves of our mistake. My boots had to be dragged back up.

All the way back to the crest and we found a partially hidden track into the undergrowth that took us down the intended route. When we crossed the ridge again we say the very distinctive path we spied from Kampenwand and my heart picked up a joyous beat. On the way down we met many kind locals who wanted to talk about John's feat. We eventually caught up with the couple from Berlin, interestingly wife stopped to say how sorry they were to send us the wrong way earlier and the husband was so embarrassed that he had to walk on. Of course we were magnanimous and said there was no harm done, a different line to our discussion half an hour previously.

Looking back to Kampenwand

Sadly as we dropped down we entered trees and had to walk down steep forest tracks, the only excitement being the speeding bikes and the lycra covered riders. Nineteen kilometres and 1600m does not sound much but the rope descents provided sufficient excitement for this old cart horse.

Wednesday July 13th Rhieneck to Bregenz

Being playing chess against my IPad and frankly it's a lot better than me. The fact that it doesn't need time to think is so unnerving, it just seems to pile on the problems and every time you solve one you seem to create two more.

That's what's been happening with the walk today. What was supposed to be a short and fairly dull sort of walk across a feature called the Rheindelta turned out to be a real pain and the day just got worse.

It's really raining, the worst day's weather so far by far, even worse than the day I came down from Canigou, or the day in the Gorge d'Ardeche. Was drizzling when I set of from Rhieneck and then it started to really pour down and rained all the way to Bregenz. Stopped for a few minutes just as I was arriving and then started again. Heavy rain interspersed with heavier thunder rain. Weather forcast is not good for at least three days.

The rain really started as I crossed the border. There is a dedicated covered bridge for the walk and the cycle trail and the border is marked in the middle. I hung around under cover for a bit hoping that the rain would ease. A light came on the video camera at the end of the bridge which felt a bit sinister so when the thunder rain eased to heavy rain I moved off.

The border

Border bridge

The trail basically followed the "coastline" and then cut inland to cross a huge drain which has clearly been built to reclaim the delta. Crossing the drain at Fusbach you're then invited to follow the coast around again but I declined the invitation and took the direct route through the suburb of Hard (I kid you not, there is another smaller suburb called Rain). It was a miserable walk redeemed only by the amazing posters for the Wolford outlet shop.

Bregenz by the way is quite a big place. Last time I came here it was by train and it's a lot bigger on foot. It has an amazing outdoor opera house which features huge sets that are floated on the lake. The rain actually stopped for a few minutes, long enough to let me have a look at the current offering - it's a production of Andre Chenier.

Open air opera house

Having tried two hotels, including the Ibis, and found them fully booked I started to worry. I went to Tourist Information and after a search on their system they were able to confirm that things were pretty choker. They started exploring options in the suburbs (including Hard but not Rain) and I started to worry that I could be making life difficult for myself for tomorrow. I suggested they try looking for a two person room and sure enough there was a place. I think the young lady who was doing the search was getting a bit fed up at this point so I didn't press too hard on the details, also my damp hat was smelling which made me feel a bit self conscious.

I then did one sensible thing but failed to do two others. I went and bought a map from a bookshop. My request for a map caused a lot of interest and in particular they tried to find a reference to the E4 long-distance walk on the Internet. My blog came up and I was able to show them what I was doing, they were very impressed.

The two things I failed to do was buy some food and get some more cash. The Gasthof I'm staying at doesn't do food, is way out of town, doesn't accept cards and doesn't have Internet. The slight upside is that I hadn't got around to eating my lunch and there was enough to stop me starving. The Gasthof also turned out to be way out of town in the right direction.

So what to do about tomorrow. Haven't booked anything and after today's experience that might not be sensible. The weather forcast for tomorrow is just as bad. If I was in a nice place the obvious thing would be to hunker down, but I'm not, I'm staying in a dump.

Without access to the internet, booking is a bit of a challenge so I sent Christine a text, fortunately she was about and she sorted it all out. I have a place in a Gasthof in Lingenau. Looks like I'm walking tomorrow.

As well as getting humiliated at chess by my IPad I'm using it to catch up on my reading. I've just re-read Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. Given the books ending, and the sound of rain hammering against the sky-light in the room I'm staying in, I'm glad I'm currently on higher ground.