Walking in the Salzkammergut

Walking in the Salzkammergut, as described in this guidebook is Austria's equivalent of walking in the Lake District, it is composed of three Austrian states: Upper Austria the greater part, Land Salzburg and Styria in western Austria, with southern Germany (Bavaria) as its western boundary. It offers opportunities for every kind of walking from the toughest mountaineering to lakeside strolls. Mainly day walks, includes 6-day ‘Salzkammergut Way’.

The Salzkammergut – Austria’s Lake District – contains some of the most spectacular scenery and some of the most delightful walking country in the whole of Austria.

Astonishingly, it remains little known to most English-speaking ramblers. Guidebooks in English which mention the region are few and far between, and are generally superficial or even misleading. Perhaps part of the problem arises because it is not easily identifiable on a map, being composed of three Austrian Länder or federal states: Upper Austria the greater part, Land Salzburg and Styria in western Austria, and having southern Germany (Bavaria) as its western boundary. Yet given the love and affection in which British people hold their own Lake District, it is surprising that many more have not discovered a region so very different yet with so many similarities in the Eastern Alps, which offers opportunities for every kind of walking from the toughest mountaineering to lakeside strolls.

The purpose of this book is to provide and introduction to what we believe is one of Europe’s loveliest areas, one which, unlike many areas of the Alps, is admirably suited to the novice walker. So many people we have spoken to who have taken walking holidays in parts of Britain, in the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, Cornwall or even Scotland have hesitated to plan a walking holiday in Austria, worried that once in the high Alps they will soon face routes which in steepness and difficulty are beyond their ability. This book is intended to remove such fears, being a collection of walks in the Salzkammergut which are in essence ‘Holiday Rambles’ – relatively easy and, for the most part, straightforward routes which can be complete in less than a day, and in some cases a morning or afternoon, to allow for sightseeing in an area which is so culturally rich….

The book is organised in three parts. Part One we have called ‘Before your Trip’ and gives you a brief background to this fascinating region and its remarkable history which in so many ways the walks will explore, as well as providing you with some practical information to help plan your trip and get the most out of your visit. …

Part Two is devoted to walking the ‘Salzkammergut Way’ – our purely unofficial name for a suggested 80km long-distance route through the centre of the Salzkammergut from Obertraun to Gmunden, much of it along the historic ‘Soleleitungsweg’ – the ancient saline pipeline from Hallstatt to the Traunsee which, because it runs parallel to the Salzkammergut Railway line, can be walked in easy day or half-day stages between stations and halts (or boat landing stages).

Part Three takes a selection of seven other ‘lakeland’ walks in different parts of the Salzkammergut, all with an emphasis on lakesides with woodland shelter for hut summer days (or shelter on wet days) to give an introduction to the remarkable variety of scenery provided by the Austrian Lake District. Several of these can be combined with boat trips on the lakes themselves, providing a very civilised way of enjoying the scenery.