Walking Across Austria Day 1 (25km)

Boredom from Covid lockdowns made me realise I really need a longer term project. I've always fancied the idea of doing a long-distance walk, though could never decide between walking and cycling. A bike is so much easier on the knees and can cover so much more ground. I hate cycling in winter though. Way too cold on the fingers and toes.

Since I had the book of the Zentralalpenweg 02 on my shelf for a while and since it starts not far from Vienna, the decision was made.  Of course I've only done the first stage so no big commitment yet. The plan is to do as much as possible on day trip using public transport until the snow melts and accommodation opens again.

So it was on a very cold February morning (-7°C) that Pascale and I set off to Hainburg by Schnellbahn for the 25km walk to Parndorf. A good thing about such a hike is that it will take us to places we would not normally pass through. So even if Hainburg, Bad Deutsch Altenberg and Parndorf are not really that interested, at least we have been through them by foot !

The most memorable feature of this stretch were the wind turbines. They are a horrendous blight on the countryside. There are literally thousands of them, for as far as the eye can see in all directions. They are massive structures and we walked for hours amongst them. The noise is like a jet plane hovering over your head (though different models made differing noises, some louder than others).

We were happy to see lots of deer, hare and pheasants on the way however.

I really don't get the promise of wind generated ("green") electricity. You still need the oil/coal/nuclear power station as a backup for wind-less days. And their construction and installation is hardly carbon neutral and environmentally-friendly with the massive quantities of concrete needed to hold them, the rare-earth metals used in the generators, the access roads permanently built through pristine countryside. And recently I saw photos of blades piled up in fields because they had come to the end of their life and no-one knows how to recycle the massive glass or carbon fibre structures.

As for the walk - it was very cold all day with a max temperature of -5°C but sunny. The countryside is pleasant enough though a bit flat and bleak. The sheer quantity of wind turbines is quite oppressive. The last 5km was on tarred road which killed my knees and I was pretty much limping into the railway station in Parndorf.

The Austrian railway service is fantastic and we had a rapid, warm & comfortable train trip back to Vienna. Currently planning stage 2 and 3.

See the map here.