Gaydio in the Austrian Alps

By Chantal Cooke

Yearning for an adventure but running out of annual leave? Ramble Worldwide might have the answer.

Their new range of Weekend Adventures is designed to challenge you, take you somewhere different, give you some great bragging rights back at the office – and do it all without using up too many holiday days.

I joined a trip to Bad Hofgastein south of Salzburg in the Austrian Alps, meeting the group and tour leader at the Post Post Hotel on Friday evening. Our leader Suzie is an experienced mountain guide and knows the area and its hikes well. She also spoke good German; always handy on a trip to a foreign land.

Suzie explained the hikes planned for the next two days and ensured we packed the right essentials into our day bags. The itinerary included two days of grade 6 walks – described as ‘challenging’ in terms of time, the ground underfoot, and/or the height gain.

After dinner at Kraut & Rüben, the vegetarian restaurant across the street, we settled in for a good night’s sleep mindful of an early start the following day.

Saturday morning, we woke to sunshine, the sound of the birds singing, and thin wisps of cloud clinging to the edges of the valley; the kind of view that just makes you want to get up and out! After a hearty Austrian breakfast, we had a short stroll to the gondola, which took the strain of climbing the mountain.

With views into the valley below and up to the jagged ridges above us, we checked our packs, adjusted our poles and set off on the winding path towards the summit.

Having not done a long hike for at least a couple of years, I was concerned I might find this too tough, but it was all very do-able. Our sturdy hiking boots and the poles helped to alleviate the strain. As we climbed higher, patches of snow still clung to the ground in dirty drifts, one covering the path we were following.

Then suddenly Suzie was sliding a few metres down the drift as we gasped in horror! Nothing to fret about. She calmly picked herself up and declared in a matter-of-fact tone; “And that’s why the leader always goes first; in order to test out the ground.”

Far from this being an uncontrolled tumble, Suzie had first worked out where she’d likely slide to and how far she’d travel. “What it has told us,” she declared, “is we need to skirt this drift.”

We obediently nodded and followed her as she picked a path along the edge of the snow, stopping for a moment to watch a marmot pop up from under a rock and sniff the air.

As we neared the first summit, a jagged line of pointed rocks, another hiker appeared and headed our way. He was on his way back down and stopped to let us know that there was a lot of snow ahead and the path was inaccessible. He and our intrepid leader spoke for a while, inspecting images on his phone, with some headshaking and upward glances. Eventually, Suzie informed us we’d have to turn back.

Just because we had to abort this particular hike didn’t mean the day was over. Ramble Worldwide guides are nothing if not adaptable. Soon we were heading off towards the Hirschkarspitze, with its tiny summit dominated by a large cross and a geocache, much to the delight of one of our party.

The walk up to Hirschkarspitze is along an exposed ridge allowing you to look down to the cable car on your right and along the valley on your left. It’s a single file track with ‘passing places’ and at one point, staples and a wire grab rail. It looked, from a distance, much harder than it actually turned out to be.

And that’s the thing about hiking on the mountains; they are a combination of adventure, of challenge, of learning, of conversation and of new friendships. Plus, of course, amazing views, fresh air, and great food well-earned at the end.

Lunch was a scenic picnic, munching on our sandwiches as we watched the clouds roll over the mountain tops, pregnant, but not quite ready to birth their rain.

There is plenty of adaptability on a Weekend Adventure; a thunderstorm on Sunday brought our mountain hike to Gadaunerer Schlucht (voted the most beautiful waterfall in Austria in 2024) to an end, but it was replaced with a café stop involving hot drinks, schnapps, and delicious desserts.

In the afternoon, we visited the quirky 13th Century Burg Klammstein – part restored, full of history, strange torture instruments and a chair that Mozart (apparently) once sat in. It’s one of those places that manages to be both eclectic and charming.

With the mountain hike off the agenda, the group opted instead for a walk along the river from Bad Hofgastein to Bad Gastein and its famous waterfall. Ramble Worldwide guides always have an option up their sleeves, whatever the circumstances, so you needn’t ever worry about missing out.

The Gastein area has been lucky when it comes to natural resources; not only does it have stunning scenery, it used to be an area abundant in gold, and it is still a great place for thermal, healing waters. The nearby Alpentherme Gastein is a spa-lover’s paradise and just five minutes from the hotel.

Exploring locally is made even easier thanks to the Salzburg Guest Mobility Ticket. Think of it like a ‘freedom pass’ – offering free public transport to all overnight guests from check-in until departure.

As the group headed to the airport on Monday morning, we all agreed we’d definitely had a ‘Weekend Adventure’ to remember. The only question now was; where next?