Mühlviertel - rolling round the border

Not for the first time, we find ourselves riding towards the former iron curtain, this time, the border between Austria and the Czech Republic. Not that we are particularly seeking a historic element to the ride. Maybe what draws us to these areas is their solitude, the lack of traffic, the quiet villages, landscape undisturbed by industry. 

Good roads, winding up and past the hilltop farms

For nearly 40 years this was a dead end, there was little or no crossing the border – no trade, no interaction. This area of Austria was also occupied by Russian troops until 1955 who took whatever infrastructure was attractive to them as they left. With no industry, there is little work and the population has fled to the cities.

Profile of the 50km ride from Bad Kreuzen to Liebenau

For the cyclist the Mühlviertel area of Austria is no soft option. To the south the Danube cycle path is busy with groups from all over the world, making their way gently downhill from Passau to Vienna. The R5 Mühlviertel Bike Trail leaves the river at Grein and heads northwards. The hills rear up from the valley and continue rolling over and over to the border.

 

Huge views to the mountains across the Danube valley, 

As it climbs out of Bad Kreuzen each voluptuous hill folds steeply into the creases between the next fat rolls of land. Imagine swooping from one side into a deep tightly-pressed cleavage and struggling up the other side. The lanes whirl and twist, reaching the huge, well-kept farms planted atop almost every rounded, bosomy rise.

 

The roads dive into the deep folds between the hills before climbing up again, and again

The landscape is largely open grassland with huge views of mountains to the south. To the north another grassy parabola with a lonely tree breaking the symmetry between land and sky.

 

4500meters of climbing along the 250km route

The roads seem to climb much further than to the top of each hill – there’s another hairpin and it rises to what must be the summit – then there’s another hairpin bend, again and again. The climbs are long and steady but the surface is good and the traffic sparse.

 

The next hill always seems to be visible

The R5 route is well signposted at each significant junction and takes the cyclist deep into the crevices and intimate folds of the Austrian/Czech border. Tiny lanes where hardly a car is to be seen, lead the rider to insignificant little streams that divide the countries. Further along, the landscape softens a little, the hills less steep and are shorter. Great granite outcrops dot the meadows.

In this thinly-populated area finding something to eat and somewhere to sleep at convenient intervals isn’t easy. But along one bizarre stretch of road after Guglwald, there are three very upmarket, specialist hotels: the first known for its gourmet menus, the second for “loveness” (a sort of sexy wellness) for “pairs and friends” and the third for singles.

At Haslach the signs again point north towards the Bohemian Forest and Austria’s northernmost recesses. Up here, north of Klaffer is where the Czech, Austrian and German borders all meet. Turning south there are some forest trails before a 17% breakneck gyrating plunge back down to the Danube.

Austrian border post - now retired

The Oberösterreich tourist board website www.oberoesterreich.at/en.html reckons the R5 is 250km with 2500 altitude metres of climb. While the distance seems about right, more than 4000 metres of climb is nearer the mark. Whatever! It’s a great ride, with some lovely scenery, perfect roads and easy navigation taking the European Randonneur to places he’d never get to otherwise.

Favourite stops:

Bad Kreuzen: Kirchenwirt

Liebenau:  Hotel Rockenschaub

Great Coffee: KaffeeWerk, Passau (you have to ride back up the Danube – but it is worth it). First class flat whites.

You said it!

When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road without thought on anything but the ride you are taking. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Bohemian Woods