Magical mountains, crystal-clear water and lakes teeming with trout… you’ll love the Austrian Lake District
The central European version is set in the heart of the Salzkammergut — literally the salt chamber estate
IF you like the English Lake District, you will LOVE the Austrian Lake District.
Snow-capped forested peaks replace grassy slopes. Crystal-clear water flows in rivers, lakes teem with trout, and afternoons pause for chocolate cake instead of cream teas.
The central European version is set in the heart of the Salzkammergut — literally the salt chamber estate.
It is home to salt mines, some still working, that formed the basis of much of the wealth of the Hapsburgs, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and later of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
My trip included a visit to a mine in the village of Altaussee.
We walked almost half a mile into the salt mountain and the tunnels did not feel claustrophobic, despite the sound of running water and the need to duck for much of the way.
They open onto amazing galleries, including one turned into a chapel dedicated to Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners.
Another used to hold concerts for 800 people before Austria health and safety laws said the music had to stop for lack of emergency exits.
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Thankfully, the laws did not stop us from another salt-mountain tradition — transferring between levels of the mine by wooden slide.
There are staircases for the faint-hearted, which might have included me, except my trip coincided with a visit by a local primary school so using the stairs without losing face was not an option.
I was in Austria with Adagio, whose trips are aimed at walkers who have reached the stage in life where comfort and luxury are as important as the walking.
There were 19 of us in the group, a mix of couples and singles, plus a German leader who is a long-term UK resident.
The week-long break was based at Hotel Seevilla, which is rated “4H superior” on the shore of Lake Altaussee.
The 4H superior included sumptuous breakfasts and seven-course dinners without the stuffy service that often goes with such a set-up.
All the costs of the holiday, including flights, transfers and entrances to attractions, are covered by the overall price, with the exception of lunches and drinks.
When it came to lunch, some of us packed our own.
But most opted to enjoy the local cuisine at family-run restaurants and mountain huts.
They abound in the area, as it is popular with winter sports enthusiasts as well as summer hikers.
It was no surprise to learn most of the location scenes for The Sound Of Music were filmed in the Salzkammergut, including in the regional capital Salzburg where we flew in to.
The area in general, and Altaussee in particular, was a favourite with leading lights of the 19th century Romantic Movement, who admired the stunning scenery.
Composer Johannes Brahms was a frequent guest at Seevilla when it was still a private residence.
Nearby are the Dachstein ice caves.
Each winter they are sealed to keep in the cold and opened in the spring to reveal natural ice sculptures.
Also nearby is Toplitzsee, a lake where the Nazis are said to have dumped gold bars in the middle of the lake towards the end of World War Two, hoping to recover them when their fortunes changed.
That may merely be a legend, although art treasures certainly were hidden in the Altaussee salt mines, where they were later handed over to American troops by anti-Nazi miners.
I can truly say the holiday provided memories that I doubt I will ever lose.
The salt mine and the ice caves are two, but I was also lucky enough to witness something normally only in a wildlife documentary — a dipper bird diving to the bottom of a river and walking along the riverbed with the help of its outstretched wings.
Another day, two of us, slightly ahead of the rest of the group, turned a corner in a forest trail and caught a glimpse of an eagle taking off from a low branch less than 20ft away.
Both times I unfortunately failed to photograph the sight — but another time I did catch a close-up of a deer.
It was taken with a Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 smartphone.
For those of us wanting more walking, it was easy to add extra distance at the end of the planned day by simply getting off our coach before it returned to the hotel.
But all in all, this was a fabulous experience with just the right mix of walking, sightseeing and comfort.
GO: AUSTRIAN LAKE DISTRICT
SEVEN nights’ all-inclusive, apart from lunches and drinks, is from £1,475 including flights from Gatwick.
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