Speckbacherhütte from Payerbach-Reichenau

We now warp dizzyingly forward in time to last weekend! Autumn in Austria is probably the best time of year to hike. It isn't as hot as in summer, and the weather, when it is good, stays much more stable than in high summer. This year has been particularly sunny, warm and dry, even in Vienna, which is normally hidden from the sun in thick banks of fog while the mountains bask in autumnal sunshine

I got a hut recommendation from my former supervisor and after looking it up, I realised there was an area of the alpine foothills near Vienna that I had overlooked. Every time we hiked out of Payerbach-Reichenau we had always headed north, through the narrow limestone gorges onto the high mountains bordering the Schneeberg, or west, towards the Rax. The hills to the south are much lower and less dramatic than these two limestone massifs, underlain as they are by metamorphic rocks instead. However, they still reach up to 1000m in height and situated as they are between these two larger mountains they offer excellent views of both of them if the weather is good.

We set out around 10am in the unseasonably warm sunshine and headed through the village and up the constant gradual slope of the hills, a pleasant change from the steep initial climbs you get on the nearby limestone. The autumn colours were not quite in full swing, but here and there there were splashes of gold and orange in with the green. The route climbs higher and higher through the forest, along a ridge crest. However, views of the surrounding mountains are rare due to the trees, except for occasional parts of the track that emerge into fields for a short time.

We reached the hut in good spirits, eager to test the food recommendation. It was indeed very good, though I was glad of the soup I ordered to keep me warm at the chilly shady table that was the only one unoccupied. Everyone else can read the weather forecast too it seems, and there were a lot of people out and about! After lunch we headed further along the warm and sunny ridge and then downwards again, joining up a wide circle close to our point of departure in the village. Descending the slopes in the afternoon sun we passed through more open fields, filled with cows sunning themselves and opening onto broad mountain views, almost as if they had been planned by landscape gardeners. We easily made it back before 5pm, ready to catch the train back to Vienna for one of the last warm autumn evenings.

As usual, there's an extended gallery of photos from the hike for you to enjoy (if you enjoy photos) at the link!

bis bald,

Der Tom