clairedavieswriter

Well that was a ride and a half. All Guillaume’s data confirms what my legs already know: it was our toughest day so far, significantly harder even than the Arlbergpass on Day 2. Cols get all the glory but they’re not always the toughest climbs. Just one example: over almost exactly the same moving time (~4 hours), I was climbing for 50% of the Arlbergpass ride, and 75% of today’s. And this is what that looks like on a graph (distance on the horizontal, ascent on the vertical):

I almost didn’t go this way at all. My original route continued northeast along the Inn via Kufstein, and drew a more or less straight line from there to Salzburg. But then I spotted those sneaky blue border lines. After some deliberation, I decided that cutting through Germany while doing the end-to-end of Austria was Against The Rules. Said Rules are, in the great British constitutional tradition, unwritten and in constant evolution. But as the Maker of the Rules, I felt that if an alternative route existed, I should take it, even if it were harder. My legs were not consulted.

But it was a glorious day, despite the hard work. And we didn’t get wet, despite the gloomy outlook when we set off:

Highlights included:

Bidding farewell to the Inn at Kundl, where the low water level was clear to see:

And passing what must be one of the world’s glitziest pharmacies, at Wörgl (check out the golden statues):

By way of contrast, I loved this painted Gasthof in a tiny village near Itter. A man saw me taking a photo, and explained (in excellent English, of course) that the decoration was called Lüftlmalerei, which he translated as ‘air painting’. He said it was a very special craft: ‘you can’t learn how to do it, you must feel it’. Gloria Google confirms that it’s a style in which artists paint in the open air (hence ‘lüft’), directly onto wet lime plaster, which locks in the colours. Apparently it’s typical of Bavaria and Austria:

I was tickled by signs to this little town:

Going, going, gone?

Speaking of towns, maypoles like those I saw in Bavaria have started appearing again:

And there were more painted houses. This was in Sankt Johann in Tirol:

I’m not sure if the flags are out for yesterday’s Catholic holiday, or if it’s a normal thing, anyone know?

I love the care people take here to decorate their homes – balconies are invariably bedecked with flowers:

And old farmhouses (some of which still house people in one end and animals in the other) often have a little decorative bell tower:

Today’s hi-jinks in traditional dress were supplied by the jolly gentlemen (and a few ladies) of the Scheffau Donkey Association (“Bohemian Donkey on Tour”):

The mind boggles, but they were clearly having a good time. When they saw me taking their picture, they raised their drinks and cheered:

Theirs wasn’t the only ancient tractor on the road today:

It turned out that there was an ‘Old Timer’ (vintage vehicle) festival going on in Going, and that aside from tractors, there was also a display of old cars, including my all time favourite, the cinquecento. Isn’t she gorgeous?

There were also lots of young people (mostly men this time) in traditional dress, including this cheerful pair, effortlessly combining lederhosen and waistcoats with trainers and shades:

But overall, and especially once the sun returned, the main highlight of the day was the scenery:

There were mountains everywhere you looked:

Whether as a backdrop to the villages:

Or the road:

Or the fields:

And people know how to appreciate their landscape. Towards the end of the day I came across a two storey wooden structure beside the cycle path, with a bird hide on top and a picnic table below, the wooden beams framing this view:

And finally, on the subject of refreshments, a shout out to my excellent domestique, who does so much to support my mad endeavours. Here he is this morning in Söll (the ski resorts are coming thick and fast) having just rustled up a coffee to fuel me up the next hills:

There’s a thunderstorm rolling around and rain pattering on the roof as I write. Will I need my waterproofs tomorrow? Will my legs still work? Stay tuned to find out!