More Mountains Monday

The weather forecast was good for Monday (23.09.2024); not too warm and some cloudy skies, but dry. 

View from our room on Monday morning

After breakfast, we walked from the hotel to Naturns‘ small train station only to discover that we‘d have to wait about half an hour for the next train to Rabland, from where we intended to start today‘s hike.

We knew that the next village from Naturns, Plaus, is only a few km away and all on an even path along the river, and so we set off on foot, planning to catch up with the train there (which we did).

I enjoyed the walk along the river. It was quiet apart from a few cyclists every now and then, and the rush of the rather fast-flowing water next to us a constant backdrop.

The train from Plaus to Rabland took maybe 10 minutes. Right next to the train stop is the bottom station of another funicular (there are many dotted around here, used in the summer for folks like us, and in winter to access the skiing slopes), and we rode one of the gently swinging cabins up to the tiny mountain village of Aschbach.

From there, an almost entirely uphill and sometimes very rocky path took us to a place called Naturnser Alm. In this part of the world, an alm can best be described as a summer farm, where farmers who live down in the valley either send someone up to look after cattle, sheep and goats during the summer, usually running a small dairy at the same time, or live there temporarily themselves. Nowadays, alms are often inhabited by paid staff who also run a hospitality business for hikers and walkers.

We enjoyed (you guessed it) a shandy each before we walked on, determined to follow a marked path as suggested in our tour booklet - only that the particular number of the path we were looking for was nowhere to be seen on the many signposts.

It didn‘t matter all that much, since we knew where the circuit was going to go eventually, and so we simply chose the next destination. We missed out on the chance to cross the 2,000 m threshold, though, which was a tiny disappointment. The area we walked through now was very beautiful - my pictures really don‘t do it justice.

Vigiljoch was next, a place where several ancient mountain paths cross, and where the small church of St Vigil sits atop the highest hill. The church was closed to the public by an iron gate, allowing us at least to see inside.

Back to Aschbach from there, and down to the bottom of the valley with the funicular, and the train all the way to Naturns. The walk back to the hotel was the last leg of that day‘s walk, making it a total of about 21 km.

Coffee and cakes were really welcome at that stage, and then a shower and a rest before it was time for yet another delicious dinner.