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