Tirol’s Mountains Were Made For Walking
People say it’s rude to stare but when confronted with some of the most jaw-dropping mountain scenery it is fully acceptable to stare as long as you like. The beauty lies not only in the scenery but in the fact that you can spend as little or as long as you want walking, hiking, rambling or strolling through the mountains of Tirol. Long distance walks such as the Eagle Walk, the Way of St James ‘Jackobsweg’ or the newly certified Lechweg allow walkers to pick and choose their own itineraries and set them to their own timeframe and walking ability. Here are five suggestions of where to go to get that ‘this is what life is all about’ feeling you have after spending a day in the mountains.
http://www.tyrol.com/long-distance-trails
Lechweg – from the source to waterfall
Tracing the route of the River Lech, the long distance walking trail, the Lechweg covers a distance of 125km across 15 trail stages. The Lechweg trail connects three regions and two countries, starting in the Arlberg region, before heading through the Tirol Lech-Reutte nature park and finally reaching Germany’s southern Allgau region. Certified in 2012 by the European Hiking Association as the first Leading Quality Trail, the Lechweg has become the blueprint for long distance trails across Europe. To complete the full 125km confident walkers should allow 6 – 8 days, depending on their level and ability, alternatively it is possible to select day trips or individual stages. The Lechweg validates any excuse for time wasting with its longing landscapes, vivid vistas and even some hair-raising highlights. Take stage 5 as an example with an optional crossing over Europe’s longest hanging bridge at 200m long with a plunging depth of 100m!!
Sample Package
Wikinger Reisen (T: +49 2331 904 804; individuell@wikinger.de) has a 7 night walking tour along the Lechweg starting from €595 per person, including half board accommodation, detailed walking maps and luggage transfer. Arrival on any day from the end of June-September 2014. Alternatively put your own itinerary together and select your own accommodation from the approved list of accommodation providers along the route in Lech, Warth, Steeg, Reutte and Fuessen.
Jakobsweg – Way of St James
Mention the Way of St James to somebody and the first thing that springs to mind is Santiago de Compostela in Spain, which has been attracting pilgrims for over 1000 years. However, the pilgrimage route doesn’t just travel through Spain but through France and the Austrian Tirol, thus unlocking the significance of the Way of St James in the historical evolution of Europe. Entering the east of Tirol at the point of Waidring in the Pillerseetal, the Way of St James travels west through to St Anton am Arlberg. Many of today’s pilgrims interpret their own take on the pilgrimage tradition and select a sample route that can take them on a spiritual path. For example, if you start in Waidring, the clearly signposted trail takes you through St. Ulrich am Pillersee, St. Jakob in Haus and Fieberbrunn, with the St Adolari pilgrimage church, the crossroads at Pillersee and the church in St. Jakob as a few of the many special features on the Jakobsweg trail in the PillerseeTal region.
Sample Package:
The Pillerseetal tourist office (+43 5354 56304; info@pillerseetal.at) can tailor make a package, for example a 7 night package, including the first night in Waidring (from €59), 1 night in St Ulrich (from €41), 1 night in St Jakob (from €99) and 4 nights in St Johann (from €220), starts from €419 (£343) per person.
Peter Habeler Walking Tour
A new Peter Habeler walking tour, covering a total of 60 kilometres linked by 6 mountain huts, with individual distances of between 3.5 and 13kms will enjoy its official opening in 2014. The walking routes vary in difficulty and terrain, from alpine meadows and gravel paths to block stones, moraines and boulders. The well-respected and world-famous mountaineer, Peter Habeler, was born in Mayrhofen and became the first man ever to attempt and succeed the first ascent of Mount Everest without artificial oxygen, along with his climbing partner Reinhold Messner in 1978. Peter once said, ‘The most beautiful summits are at home’, and it is this personal connection and emotional bond with the Zillertal Alps that gives this new walking trail its authenticity.
Sample Package
A 6 night walking tour, staying in each of the mountain huts, the Pfitscherjochhaus, Landshutterhütte/Europahütte, Geraerhütte, Tuxerjochhaus, Friesenberghaus and Olpererhütte starts from €299 per person staying on HB. The interactive map on the Mayrhofen tourist office website allows you to tailor your route to suit your ability. To contact call +43 (0) 5285 6760 or email info@mayrhofen.at.
Eagle Walk
Next year will mark a decade since the Eagle Walk was first inaugurated in 2005. Since then it has become well-recognised as one of Europe’s greatest long-distance routes. Embracing the very essence of the Tirol region, the main route runs in 23 stages from St Johann in the east to St Anton in the west, traversing the whole province like an eagle in flight. Create your own walking adventure and choose from one, two or three day tours, select one section to tackle, opt for a loop tour or pick out a regional route and head into the valley. The entire Eagle’s Walk is clearly marked with yellow signposts and red-white-red ground markings with wooden signs, bearing the eagle symbol, also guiding you along the way. At the beginning of each stage there’s information about the starting and finishing points, walking time, elevation changes and level of difficulty.
Sample Package
Tirol’s hiking hotel specialists, www.wanderhotels.at, offer unrivalled expertise and service along the Eagle Walk. Whether you opt for a 3, 4 or 7 night guided walking holiday or exploring on your own, you can choose to stay in various hotels, safe in the knowledge that your luggage will be transported onto your next destination when you set off for the next day’s walk. Experience the first and second stages of the Eagle Walk in the Wilder Kaiser region, with a 7 night holiday starting from €528 per person at the 4* Aktivhotel Crsytal and an overnight stay at the Gaudeamus Hut.
Genussrouten – Gourmet Walking Routes
The lifeblood of Tirol stems from its strong rural heritage and traditional farming communities that continue to this day across the region. Lying at the core is the belief that it really does matter how our food reaches our plate and that buying local and organic produce is not just a trend but a way of life. To give visitors to the region the opportunity to experience Tirol’s quality products there is now a total of 21 designated gourmet walking routes that visit farms and local food producers. Whether on foot or by bike you have the potential to pick your own Haiming apples, taste the Mieming potatoes in a hearty Tiroler Groestl, walk the shores of the Pillersee Lake, the source for a variety of rainbow, lake and river trout or sample the famous "cure-for-all" Krautinger Schnapps, which has been uniquely distilled in the Wildschönau region since the mid-18th century. The scenic Paznaun Valley with its lush and green pastures has a centuries-long tradition of cheese making thanks to its exceptional raw material fresh from its cows.
Sample Package
Zenith Holidays (020 3137 7678, www.zenithholidays.co.uk) has seven nights on half board at the 4* Hotel Ballunspitze in Galtur, with prices starting from £599 per person, including flights and resort transfers. The cheese tour is a one-of-a-kind-experience and at each of the four stops, guests will sample outstanding culinary delights.
W: www.tyrol.com/tirolean-gourmet-routes
For more information on the Tirol region www.visittirol.co.uk or keep updated at www.facebook.com/visittirol
ENDS
For further information and images contact:
Becky Horton, Horton PR
becky.horton@hortonpr.co.uk; 020 8330 2143; 07766 738020
Patricia Meixner, Marketing UK, Tirol Tourist Board
Patricia.Meixner@tirolwerbung.at, Tel. +43 512 5320 643
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