We have a short ride today - it’s only 27 miles to Sankt Gilgen, our first stop on a four day loop through the northern half of the Salzkammergut. We get an early start on the day though, making it down to breakfast at 6:30, because we’re meeting up again with Susan for the first part of the ride. She’s planned a day ride out to the Mondsee and back, and our two routes share the first sixteen miles.
We’ll be returning to this hotel on our way back through Salzburg, so we take a rare opportunity to lighten our loads and leave half of our gear in a storage locker at the hotel until we return. It takes most of our available time to sort through our gear and fill up one each of our panniers with items we can do without for four days.
At nine Susan shows up at our hotel and we pick up where we left off, biking and chatting for the next sixteen miles until we come to Thalgau where we take photos, exchange hugs, vow to meet up again someday, and go our separate ways for now - Susan follows the valley further east to the Mondsee, while we turn south and scale a cliff.
Leaving Salzburg we enjoy a nice look across the Salzach at the 15th century gothic Müllner Church.
We’ll, it’s not a cliff exactly - but it is a climb of consequence. It’s ten miles from Thalgau to Sankt Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee. It begins with a steady seven or eight percent grade for about two miles before it levels off and then drops down to Fuschl on the Fuschlsee; and then we face a lesser climb of another four hundred feet to a saddle on the shoulder of the Eibenseekopf before finally dropping to Sankt Gilgen. Not a long or really hard day, but we were happy to arrive and be able to check in to our guesthouse when we arrived and just loaf around for a few hours before walking out to look around town and find a restaurant.
From the start of the long climb away from Thalgau.
At a saddle, high on the climb between Thalgau and Fuschl. It’s nice to get a summit sign to pose by, but even better would be at the actual summit which is still another hundred feet higher.
Dropping slowly and loudly to Fuschl (we really do need to do something with our brakes), a descent we’d rather not take because we just have to climb out the other side again.
Sankt Gilgen and its surroundings are stunningly beautiful. It’s a good thing we booked ourselves for two days here. We’re lucky enough to find an outdoor table on the waterfront for dinner, where we enjoy a delicious plate of saibling (char) and roasted vegetables and watch the day come to a close in this spectacular setting. We’ll be here two days, so we’ll leave most of the town’s sights for tomorrow.
As we ate we looked across the water at massive Schafsburg, towering 4,000’ above the lake. When we were here 22 years ago we hiked up there, were astounded by the views straight down to the Mondsee on the other side, and then took the cogwheel train down. I vowed if we ever came back I’d hike up there again, but that was 22 years ago. Things have changed some in the meantime, so we’ll have to see about that.
Ride stats today: 27 miles, 2,000’; for the tour: 1,147 miles, 90,600’
Today's ride: 27 miles (43 km) Total: 1,147 miles (1,846 km)
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Ben ParkeGreta choice of an area to visit. The ride along he southwest end of the Traunsee is really spectacular. The route to the Fuschlsee saved you having to ride the B uphill to St Gilgen. I’ve done it going downhill, but that road has just enough traffic to be uncomfortable going uphill. Hope you have great weather the whole time you’re there. It’s a magical place to ride. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Ben ParkeWe biked through the Salzkammergut on our tour here 22 years ago, including down to Hallstatt which was of course amazing. We’ve always planned to come back here some year - it’s really the main reason we came to Salzburg. We’re not going to Hallstatt this time, but we are going up to the Traunstein when we leave here, staying at Gmunden. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
