Tortoise Travelling, quite literally

'Geh wo der Adler fliegt!' I couldn't have been happier to follow the Eagle's Path in Tirol last week, even if on foot rather than soaring high in the sky above. 

The Adlerweg is a long distance hiking route through the Austrian Alps, beginning in St Johann in Tirol before dipping down into Innsbruck and then continuing the shape of the eagle's wingspan on into St Anton. With a friend, I undertook a five day hike along the middle section, through the dramatic Karwendel mountain range. We started in Rattenberg (Austria's smallest town), climbed up and over to lake Maurach then continued through the mountains to Scharnitz, from where we caught a bus down into Innsbruck. But more on the route later.  

Ever since living in Vienna, a hut-to-hut hike has been high up on my bucket list and I'm now convinced I need to move to the mountains permanently. Commune, anyone? Each day, we woke to the sound of cow bells and drank early morning coffee alongside fellow hikers, eager to set off on their respective trails. We would walk for hours at a time, keenly (if naively) awaiting the sight of a marmot or chamoix. The latter, we saw in the fog on day one as they observed us from a ridge as we grappled with loose scree and questioned our life choices. The former evaded us entirely, perhaps due to our constant rounds and attempted harmonies of The Sound of Music soundtrack. Perhaps the most magical sight though was that of real life Edelweiss, spotted by Lottie in a valley between our first and second huts. It was a very foggy, wet day so the delicate petals were encrusted with raindrops, further enhancing their icy features.  

But now for our route, should anyone want to recreate. 

Due to playing the usual game of finding budget flights on skyscanner, regardless of the destination, we cobbled together a route from London to Munich to Rattenberg. Yes, the extra days and train journeys probably equated to more than a direct flight to Innsbruck itself but where's the fun in that? Plus, our rainy morning in Munich turned out to be rather fortuitous. First off, we had breakfast in the hotel with a man who warned us of the dangers of badgers and lightning bolts up in the mountains ("just run back to the hut if there’s a storm" - easier said than done when you're 10k in to a 20k day). The fear was such that I dreamt I was struck by lightening that very evening. Thanks Heinrich! Following this 'advice' (?) we set off into town to have a browse in the most wonderful shop of all time – a multi-storey hiking mecca with a bouldering wall up the inside. Lottie acquired poles and a rucksack raincover and I, after then being caught in the heaviest downpour known to man (hello soggy trainers!), ran back to buy a matching rain cover. All purchases turned out to be the saving grace of the days to come.  

After an easy train ride and the saltiest Pretzel ever, we made it to our perfect B&B by the river in Rattenberg. It just so happened that 2nd August is the annual Rattenberg festival, so after paying our entry into the centre of the smallest town in Austria, we were greeted with stalls selling piping hot rotisserie chicken and chips, makeshift bars manned by the local fire brigade and….an Elvis tribute act. Or is he alive after all and simply hiding out in the Austrian Alps? Can’t say I blame him. It was the most surreal evening and a taste of what was to come in the days that followed.  

Up early the next morning and fortified by boiled eggs and homemade jam, we set off across a flat plane, following the river Inn and our freshly learned compass skills. We then wound up into the mountains for the ascent to our first stop. The Bayreuther Hutte was as authentic as it gets – dry room filled with hiking boots and poles, an enclosed central room warmed by a ceramic stove for weary walkers to warm up and rows of wooden bunks in an attic room. Not to mention a loo with a view! 

I'd be here for years if I were to describe each section and hut in detail, so instead here's a brief breakdown of our trip and some daily highlights!  

DAY ONE  

• Rattenberg -> Bayreuther Hütte  

• Hut rating: 10/10. Warm room, ultra cosy and a great chat with Mattias from Germany who was 6 weeks into his 8 week Nordalpenweg trail. 

• Food: excellent Kasspressknodel mit Sauerkraut, followed by chocolate cherry cake. 

• Highlight: surprising ourselves by not getting lost once! 

DAY TWO  

• Bayreuther Hütte -> Maurach  

• Hut rating: cheated and stayed in the lakeside Alpenhotel Edelweiss. 10/10. 

• Food: no time for lunch but great burgers in the evening. 

• Highlights: one broken hiking boot, chamoix & ibex in the mist, real life Edelweiss. 

DAY THREE 

• Maurach -> Binsalm via the Lamsenjochhütte for lunch 

• Hut rating: 9/10. Insane views across the valley, goats, unlimited coffee and musli at breakfast!  

• Food: more Kasspressknödel & hot chocolate.  

• Highlights: a cheese vending machine, a butterfly which hitchhiked on Lottie for a solid 20 mins & steep ascents. 

DAY FOUR  

• Binsalm -> Karwendelhaus via the Falkenhütte for lunch 

• Hut rating: 10/10. The 'coolest' of the huts. Sunset views, comfy mattrasses & no signal. 

• Food: Spag bol & Strudel. Doesn't get much better. 

• Highlights: herded some cows, dodged a snake, sunset.  

DAY FIVE 

• Karwendelhaus -> Scharnitz 

• Hut rating: Flixbus to Verona sadly doesn't count but at least it was on time. 

• Food: no time for lunch, great recovery pizzas in Innsbruck. 

• Highlights: got lost (finally!), selfies with a cow, more ridiculous views. 

  
  
  

  

All in all, it was a fantastic trip with barely a soul to be seen along the route and then cosy huts somehow filled with fellow walkers each evening. I've never seen so many cows, walked so many miles or played as many games of Guess Who and I can’t wait to go back and see more of the most (?) beautiful country in the world. Perhaps I'll even invest in poles like a true Wanderer!