Awesome Austria

The walking here is quite superb with a great variation of stunning scenery in all directions. Our solos guided walking holiday will introduce you to the very best walking in this beautiful landscape.

The price shown here excludes flights – no sole occupancy supplement

We specialise in offering guided walking holidays for solos and singles in beautiful locations in both the UK and Europe. Solos and Singles Guided Walking is our unique speciality – unlike other walking holiday companies. We also design bespoke holidays for special groups.

What’s included on a Secret Hills Solos Guided Walking Austrian  Holiday

• Transfer from airport to Hotel Sport Royer and return
• Accommodation, in a sole occupancy room, including breakfast
• Guided walking- five walks
• Any transport needed on the walks including ski and chair lift costs
• The services of a local guide
• The services of a Secret Hills tour guide
• Individual attention
• No single supplement- the price here is the price you pay for a sole occupancy room.
• Our administration and management service
• Advice on flight options when you enquire with us
• Sole occupancy supplement

What’s not included

• Lunch
• Dinner – we eat at local restaurants or the hotels restaurant at your cost
• Entries to museums
• Any drinks you have in the hotel and out on the walks
• Flights – which you book yourself

Additional days

We can arrange extra days at the end of your holiday/ coming out earlier.  

Holiday Highlights

Flights from your choice of UK airports
Magnificent Austrian scenery from high mountain passes and rushing river valleys
A visit to the Dachstein glacier
Lovely hotel in the centre of Schladming – a lively town geared up for walkers
Excellent local food – both in the hotel and in the various mountain huts we lunch in
High level walking but transport and ski lifts to get you to the higher walks
Option to visit to the iconic city of Salzburg – home of Mozart and the Sound of Music – a fabulous small city with a real character about it
Our relaxed social approach

We stay close to the centre of Schladming at the four star Hotel Sport Royer- https://www.royer.at

Four star comfort,  excellent cuisine, modern spa facilities and the warm hospitality of the Sport Royer team make a holiday in Schladming so special.

The wellness centre – spa – has sauna and steam room facilities and a large outdoor heated pool.

Rooms

All twins and singles rooms are spacious and have the following facilities – bathroom with shower and toilet, mini bars, phone, Satellite TV, and wireless internet

There are two lounges a bar and a large dining area. Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel

• No single supplement- the price here is the price you pay for a sole occupancy room.

Your Meals

Breakfast is self-service with a wide range of breads, cheeses, hams, yogurt choices, seeds, nuts, six kinds of cereals, excellent fruit and more. Jams honey etc. The usual teas, coffees and fruit juices are also available.  There will be a cooked option, mainly scrambled egg and ham and of course the inevitable sausages.

Dinner

We eat at local restaurants, occasionally in the hotels restaurant.

 The evening dinner is at your cost as we believe the choice on offer allows you to determine you dietary needs, and price options.

Lunch – at one of the superb mountain huts in this area

 Facilities at the hotel

These include the following – restaurant, bar and wine cellar,  spa and fitness centre, sun terrace and of course reception and lobby. Outside sitting and drinking areas.

Our base in the Schladming/Dachstein region of Styria is one of Austria’s best mountain walking areas. The lakes have  water so pure it can be used as drinking water . In the mountain inns, you are usually treated to home-made Austrian delights, regional specialties and sometimes even produce right from the Alpine pastures in front of the hut. Cold plates are popular (such as the famous Austrian “Brettljause”) and breads with all types of spread, but also traditional warm dishes such as Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Käsespätzle or Kaiserschmarren.

Most regions offer summer cable cars or chairlifts to get up the mountains and to enable all hikers access to the most panoramic trails and to visit the most scenic summit platforms without hours of strenuous ascent on foot.

Hiking has a long tradition in Austria and is the country’s unofficial national pastime. There are many villages in the Austrian Alps that really dedicate themselves to hiking or mountaineering. Austria’s Hiking Villages are a perfect base for a hiking vacation with easy to difficult day hikes. Austria offers a huge variety of different hiking options and themed walks. Climbing up one of the countless mountain peaks, hiking from pasture to pasture, following a long distance hiking trail or just enjoying a leisurely day hike – all of this is part of the Austrian hiking experience!

 On your day off – we offer a trip to Salzburg – a lovely city with its links to Mozart  and the Sound of Music.

Our leaders will organise this, the trip cost is NOT part of the overall trip price.

Austria – and Salzburg – What an awesome place !

The Walks

Simply stunning alpine mountain scenery walks take us over stunning ridges, and down beautiful valleys. There are larger peaks to conquer as well, but we use Ski and Chair lifts  and mini buses to get us to within striking distance of bigger summits, the last few hundred metres can be steep, but the views are worth the effort, and there is a variety of scenery for the discerning walker. We grade the walks as moderate with some short strenuous stretches.  Five days walking during the week’s break, with one day as a rest day.  Walking is moderate,  we don’t rush the hills and ridges – talking, looking, learning about Austria- tends to slow the pace a little.

After a mini bus journey to the walk start, we walk for about five and a half hours, returning at about 4.30 pm – time for a swim, or simply rest before dinner in the  hotel’s dining room.  There is always a cooling  breeze so early mornings require a top layer, but after that, it is shorts and tee shirt walking.  

We use the ski lifts that abound in this area to take us to our walks start and finish.

Your walk leaders

 Our UK tour guide, part of the  Secret Hills team will lead a structured, balanced programme of walks to suit the ability of the group.  Your Secret Hills tour guide  is responsible for all aspects of your holiday in Austria

Lunch on our walks

We stop at the superb mountain huts that abound in the area- lovely food, plenty of choice, great service.

Sample Walks

Each day we will take transport to the areas mentioned below and conduct two separate walks. There are numerous walks in this area, here are a few we may chooses from:

• Duisitzkarseehutte/Fabriech Hutte in the Obertal valley
• Undertal valley and Wasse Wasser/Lake Reisach/Kallenbackaim
• Eiskerhutte/Rippelegg/Gasselhohe
• Schadlming/Ski Lift/Planai/Kranbegzinken
• Bischofmutze/Holpurglhutte/Mendling River/Kesselwand
• Gamsfeld/Steinerne Jungfrau/GH Edelbrunw/Bradalm
• Ramsau/Larch Bodenhalm/Guttenberg/Sinabell/Silberilar/Reibauer.
• The Dachstein glacier/Ice cave and a walk on the snow – weather permitting

Weather

The average temperature in June/July is between 18 and 22 degrees but don’t forget we are in a mountainous area, so early mornings will be chilly. At night, expect the temperatures to go down to about 8-12 degrees. Some days may be warm, remember we are in high mountains at 2000 metres high,  so you will need warm weather clothing early in the morning.

It will almost certainly be very misty in the early mornings, but that is not an indication of what the days weather will be. The 64,000 dollar question is – will it rain? Probably, and maybe around four o’ clock, it can have a good shower. Our guides carry umbrellas in their rucksacks – they say it takes 90% of the rain and protects their clothes – we cannot fault their logic and will be doing the same. One thing you will need is sun cream and after sun – at 2000 metres it may feel cool – the sun is very strong.

Austria offers a wide variety of terrains and walking opportunities. We will describe each walk the night before and what it entails. We walk at a steady pace, we don’t rush – we want you to enjoy our lovely scenery. These mountains are a walker’s paradise with good, mainly well marked paths and an ever changing landscape.

 This is a land of ever changing vistas – on any walk we get four or five different landscapes to enjoy. Don’t forget your camera.

We walk between 9 and 10 miles per day. 

Grades and Difficulty

Paths on this Austrian holiday are mostly well marked and walked but can have rough and uneven with stony parts to them. The terrain and path types vary but many can be rocky and steep.

These we take carefully, bearing in mind your safety at all times.

You need good walking footwear, preferably waterproof walking boots with good soles for protection. You may find that walking poles will aid your enjoyment of this land.

Whilst we do not ascend the highest mountains- we will ascend and descend on our walks – up to a total in a day of 750 metres. So, there will be some short, sharp ascents and descents.

The walks on this trip are rated as Moderate with strenuous sections,  but each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descent. The trip requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with previous hill walking experience.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained  and experienced in dealing  with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about  any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

Whether you prefer gentler nature experiences or you are drawn by the high peaks – as you explore the hiking paths of the Schladming-Dachstein region, you are certain to discover one destined to become your all-time personal favourite.

About Schladming

Schladming is a small former mining town in the northwest of the Austrian state of Styria that is now a popular tourist destination. It has become a large winter sports resort and has held various skiing competitions, including most notably the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2013.

It is now designated as a city – has a large river running through it, with the Centre is on its banks. The River Enns, and this is joined by the River Untertal close to the city Centre. Just before it joins the bigger river it bounces down a series of waterfalls. The city stands at 750 meters above sea level. The local population is 4500 but it has trebled that number in the height of the tourism season in winter and late July and August. It is surrounded by super mountains with the Dachstien peak looming over the northern side of the city at 2900 metres.

The shopping area has many cafes, bars, restaurants and a variety of shops that cater to tourists. Shops include wide range of sports gear shops, ladies clothes shops. Monday is market day –The stalls are mainly crafts and local cheeses and hams.

See more at http://www.schladming.at

Salzburg

The magnificent city of Salzburg is just one hour away and easy to get to by bus and train. It’s a must for your day off – there is so much to see and do.

Lonely Planet writes –

“The joke ‘If it’s baroque, don’t fix it’ is a perfect maxim for Salzburg: the storybook Old Town burrowed below steep hills looks much as it did when Mozart lived here 250 years ago. Standing beside the fast-flowing Salzach River, your gaze is raised inch by inch to graceful domes and spires, the formidable clifftop fortress and the mountains beyond. It’s a backdrop that did the lordly prince-archbishops and Maria proud.

Beyond Salzburg’s two biggest money-spinners – Mozart and The Sound of Music – hides a city with a burgeoning arts scene, wonderful food, manicured parks, quiet side streets where classical music wafts from open windows, and concert halls that uphold musical tradition 365 days a year. Everywhere you go, the scenery, the skyline, the music and the history send your spirits soaring higher than Julie Andrews’ octave-leaping vocals”.

Unesco World Heritage site

Visit the Castle, The Mozart museums, but most of all the cafes and squares of the old town- for sumptuous cakes and tea, and lots of people watching