“It’s just a bit steep at the beginning”, the words echoed in my head as we stood panting in front of an incline to challenge the Tour de France mountain legs. We were surrounded by forests, clinging onto a brolly and severely out of breath in the middle of Austria. Below us lay the emerald green lake of Wolfgang See and in front was another kilometre or two of upward climb.
We’d decided to make use of the long weekend and explore some of the nearby lakes, once again opting to cross the border in Austria and St Wolfgang, known for being a favourite relaxing spot of former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, seemed the perfect destination.
Our room for the two nights was the very homely Hotel Cortisen am See, a 4* kid-free boutique hotel. The hotel had obviously been open for business for decades but the immaculately dressed owner (the next generation) has progressively renovated to cover up the 70s decor and bring it tastefully into this century. Each room was individually furnished with bright colours (except for the white suite), quirky layouts and vibrant modern art. Online we’d chosen a standard room but were taken on a room rekkie upon arrival with the promise of an upgrade at a discounted rate. We opted for a peace-instilling room with lilac walls, a jacuzzi bath and a balcony onto the lake.
St Wolfgang in Salzkammergut (its full name) sits on the 11km long Wolfgang See, just 40 or so kilometres from Salzburg. The area is known for the stunning views from the nearby mountains, winter sports and spa facilities. The main attraction in the town of St Wolfgang is the baroque styled Church housing one of the tallest altar shrines in Europe which in the past made it one of the most important pilgrimage towns in Europe.
On the port, small boats with tiny engines can be rented at reasonable prices so we took advantage of the good weather to get a different perspective of the surroundings peacefully milling around the flat waters before the moment of panic as the swell from the lake ferries lapped dangerously up the sides.
The following day and the weather was against us. The blue skies were now filled with low grey cloud and after having already explored the town, we were looking for suggestions of how to spend our time. The hotel owner told us of a walk towards Furberg and the town of St Gilgen at the western side of the lake from where we would be able to catch a ferry back to St Wolfgang, warning us that “it’s a bit steep at the beginning but if you’re fit it’s OK”. Not having any ailments or dodgy joints, we donned our walking boots, packed a bottle of water, a brolly and a sweater and headed out along the deserted road towards the village of Ried. We passed the buttercup filled meadows, a mai tum still topped with a Christmas tree, a farm and many a deserted holiday challet before spotting a path heading through a meadow.
Cows lazed on the under the drizzle as we headed up and into the forest. Steeper than we’d first thought, I started thinking this was the part the hotel manager was talking of but further through the trees and the gradient increased. Up and up and up, chicaning through the forest as the rain got harder. Between gasps, all I could think was “why would someone come up here?”. Spurred on only by the thought of how straining on the knees it would be to turn back, we continued.
A couple of kilometers or even miles and the presence of a couple of white buildings and a few more voices told us we were at the summit – the Falkenstein Church. Without knowing it, we’d just done what was in the 16th century was one of the most important pilgrimages in Europe.
The pathway opened out onto a small clearing with a church dedicated to St Wolfgang and another couple of buildings. A chapel to St Wolfgang was first mentioned in records in 1350 but the church that stands here today dates from 1626. St Wolfgang is said to have lived in a cave here for 5 years and the church was built around it so it looks almost as if its sunk into the rock.
Just a stone’s throw away is a small chapel with a mineral spring which was built in the 1700s. This fresh water was supposed to help against eye diseases.
The downhill treck was equally as steep but with less dense forest and stone pillars depicting Christ’s life along the way gave us some indication as to how important this route had been. Apparently centuries ago, 100,000 travellers would make this journey each year.
Back to the lake walk, our knees were thankful for the flatness. Another couple of kilometres later, fuelled by a piece of cake and coffee in an Irish Bar cum cake shop in St Gilgen and we were happily resting on the ferry having learnt that a “little steep” to some, is actually a mountain to others..
