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Achensee, Austria 2025

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DAY 1
Friday 27th June
Kerwendel Bergbahn Bärenkopf loop walk.

I did my own walk today after we had taken the seilbahn to the summit called Zwolderkopf.

The route I took is:
I walked from the 36 to 34 on the map, then did the route marked in red as 235 in a clockwise direction.
I didn't go to the summit of Bärenkopf marked as route 31, it didn't bother me to miss this out.

Mary and John posed for a photo at the start of the walk, with Achensee far below.

They did their own, shorter walk, we separated near the Bärenbadalm refreshments inn and I took the high road.

The views at the top were spectacular, with the blues and turquoises of Lake Achensee the star attraction.

The southern part of Achensee with the town of Maurach sitting below the mountains.

Another view from high up, looking north.

The mountains and valleys to the west of Achensee, mainly of limestone.

Beautiful landscapes in all directions.

Looking east to the summit of Bärenkopf, at 1991 metres.

Some lazy cows with bells on!

This was me with John, back at the starting point.

I had to include this spectacular shot - from the mountain top looking down to the village of Pertisau.

DAY 2
Saturday 28th June
Rofanseilbahn & Rofanspitze.

On the second day I was keen to get up in the mountains and go to the top of Rofanspitze (2,259 m) in the Brandenburg Alps.
To get up to the ridge I went on the exhilerating Rofanseilbahn (cable car).

There is then a clearly marked route up to this peak, crossing spectacular scenery on the way.
It was an absolutely super day of walking, on good terrain with amazing views and scenery on the way.

Here, I have started out from the bergstation of the cable car and am starting a slow ascent on a track heading east.

You can't miss this limestone crag, I'm sure it has its own name!

This is the small lake called Grubersee, which is down on the right as we head to the approaches to Rofanspitze.

More limestone crags to my left...

The lower slopes of Rofanspitze loom ahead - to get to the top the normal route is to circle anti-clockwise and then approach the summit on a narrow ridge.

Crumbled crags and a small lake as I arc around the back of Rofanspitze, passing a good few people on the way.

It all looks so much better in real life.

From Rofanspitze you can see other peaks along a long huge ridge.

Classic european mountain scenery.

This is the narrow ridge path, along which you gradually reach the summit of Rofanspitze.
Definitely a memorable experience, especially in good weather.

After a snack and some water on the summit, it was time to return and look back at where I'd been.
Definitely a memorable experience, especially in good weather.

Descending on the cable car, I took this view of Achensee.

I enjoy cable car journeys, it's usually almost silent and the views are amazing.

I decided to walk back to Pertisau, here is one of the stops for the regular boats which sail around the lake like a sort of bus service.

Note on the right, the old narrow gauge railway begins here, with an enigmatic steam locomotive hauling a couple of carriages.
The line goes to the town of Jenbach, several miles to the south.

Here is one of those boats on the lake.
I took two trips on the lake boats during my week at Pertisau.

DAY 3
Sunday 29th June
A boat trip around Achensee.

All three of us did this pleasant and relaxing trip from Pertisau in a clockwise journey, calling at a handful of locations around the lake shore.

Before the boat trip, I took this picture of Pertisau, with the church and the mountain ranges in the distance.

Departure from Pertisau, with Tristenkopf and another peak in the background.

Our first stop on the western shore at Gaisalm.

Looking across the lake, the western shoreline has hardly room for a footpath as it slopes steeply up from the water's edge.
The huge mountain called Seebergspitze (2085m) dominates the skyline.

The Rofangiberge mountain range which overlooks Maurach on the eastern side of Achensee.

Die Rofangiberge again.

DAY 4
Monday 30th June.
Pertisau to Gramai.

This was a simple trip, to walk along a fairly flat track, road and path to get to Alpengasthof Gramai, a large outdoor eating place where I could have lunch and a beer.

The return trip would be along a road in an old Mercede Benz single decker bus.

After leaving Pertisau, I headed off to my left to follow a long metalled road running along the valley bottom.

All the way, on the starboard side were views of vast rugged limestone crags and peaks.

About half way along the route I came to a farm with a small cafe, where I had a coffee before heading onwards in a westerly direction.

I finally reached my destination, where I had a leisurely lunch with a couple of beers while I waited for the bus back to Pertisau.

There was a lot of evidence that this locality is very popular with climbers.
There were several notice boards showing climbs of varying difficulty.

This view showed the rugged nature of the mountains and crags all around the restaurant.

The old bus, which was a surprisingly comfortable ride back to Pertisau.

DAY 5
Tuesday 1st July
A walk along the western shoreline of Achensee.

The walk with Mary and John was quite challenging, often the path was high up on a narrow ledge, sometimes there was a cable attached to the rockface to hold on to.

There was a very steep section after Gaisalm, the first stop on the boat trip.
At this stage, John and Mary had decided to call it a day and take the next boat trip back to Pertisau.

I continued the walk northwards. The photo of me is on the walk out from Pertisau.

This was a dry gully before Gaisalm.

At Gaisalm I stopped for something to eat, a very nice Apfelstrudel.
Mary and John took the next boat back, while I finished my meal and then climbed up and out on my way north.

Another view of the lake looking south.

One of the lake boats.

A tree sculpture.

I reached the next boat pier and had a cold beer while waiting for the next boat to take me back to Pertisau.

DAY 6
Wednesday 2nd July
Kerwendel Bergbahn again.

A second trip up into the mountains on the Kerwendel Bergbahn, with a loop around the upper slopes.
This time all three of us did the walk together.

Here, a classic view over Achensee and Pertisau.

An area adjacent to the upper bergbahn station was popular with paragliders.

The craft with their pilots were regularly descending from up here and landing in grassy fields in and around Pertisau.

The path I took on the first day towards Bärenkopf is visible heading up and to the left, with the restaurant nearby to the right.

I had my photo taken with these giant resin bears, much to the amusement of passers by.

More classic scenery looking northwest from near Zwölferkopf.

A view when walking beneath the cables of the bergbahn.

DAY 7
Thursday 3rd July
The journey home.

Our last day was there to be exploited, given that our flight home from Munich was late in the day.
Therefore we decided to get to Munich and look around before going to the airport.

This was Jenbach Bahnhof, with the little steam train just leaving for Seespitz on the southern shore of Achensee. If I did come back to Pertisau I would certainly take a trip on this narrow gauge railway.

We walked around the centre of Munich, had some lunch in Marienplatz and I visited the Lego shop nearby. This shot is of the famous Frauenkirche, a 15th century cathedral.

We had a bit of good fortune that evening.

At the airport and not long before our Easyjet flight was due to go, it was suddenly cancelled.
We booked onto the Lufthansa flight instead which was also going to Manchester.

So we got back to Manchester only 2 hours later than we expected to.
Here is the plane which saved us from severe inconvenience and stress!

Top of Page

DAY 1 Friday 27th June Kerwendel Bergbahn Bärenkopf loop walk. I did my own walk today after we had taken the seilbahn to the summit called Zwolderkopf. The route I took is: I walked from the 36 to 34 on the map, then did the route marked in red as 235 in a clockwise direction. I didn't go to the summit of Bärenkopf marked as route 31, it didn't bother me to miss this out.
Mary and John posed for a photo at the start of the walk, with Achensee far below. They did their own, shorter walk, we separated near the Bärenbadalm refreshments inn and I took the high road.
The views at the top were spectacular, with the blues and turquoises of Lake Achensee the star attraction.
The southern part of Achensee with the town of Maurach sitting below the mountains.
Another view from high up, looking north.
The mountains and valleys to the west of Achensee, mainly of limestone.
Beautiful landscapes in all directions.
Looking east to the summit of Bärenkopf, at 1991 metres.
Some lazy cows with bells on!
This was me with John, back at the starting point.
I had to include this spectacular shot - from the mountain top looking down to the village of Pertisau.
DAY 2 Saturday 28th June Rofanseilbahn & Rofanspitze. On the second day I was keen to get up in the mountains and go to the top of Rofanspitze (2,259 m) in the Brandenburg Alps. To get up to the ridge I went on the exhilerating Rofanseilbahn (cable car). There is then a clearly marked route up to this peak, crossing spectacular scenery on the way. It was an absolutely super day of walking, on good terrain with amazing views and scenery on the way. Here, I have started out from the bergstation of the cable car and am starting a slow ascent on a track heading east.
You can't miss this limestone crag, I'm sure it has its own name!
This is the small lake called Grubersee, which is down on the right as we head to the approaches to Rofanspitze.
More limestone crags to my left...
The lower slopes of Rofanspitze loom ahead - to get to the top the normal route is to circle anti-clockwise and then approach the summit on a narrow ridge.
Crumbled crags and a small lake as I arc around the back of Rofanspitze, passing a good few people on the way.
It all looks so much better in real life.
From Rofanspitze you can see other peaks along a long huge ridge.
Classic european mountain scenery.
This is the narrow ridge path, along which you gradually reach the summit of Rofanspitze. Definitely a memorable experience, especially in good weather.
After a snack and some water on the summit, it was time to return and look back at where I'd been. Definitely a memorable experience, especially in good weather.
Descending on the cable car, I took this view of Achensee.
I enjoy cable car journeys, it's usually almost silent and the views are amazing.
I decided to walk back to Pertisau, here is one of the stops for the regular boats which sail around the lake like a sort of bus service. Note on the right, the old narrow gauge railway begins here, with an enigmatic steam locomotive hauling a couple of carriages. The line goes to the town of Jenbach, several miles to the south.
Here is one of those boats on the lake. I took two trips on the lake boats during my week at Pertisau.
DAY 3 Sunday 29th June A boat trip around Achensee. All three of us did this pleasant and relaxing trip from Pertisau in a clockwise journey, calling at a handful of locations around the lake shore. Before the boat trip, I took this picture of Pertisau, with the church and the mountain ranges in the distance.
Departure from Pertisau, with Tristenkopf and another peak in the background.
Our first stop on the western shore at Gaisalm.
Looking across the lake, the western shoreline has hardly room for a footpath as it slopes steeply up from the water's edge. The huge mountain called Seebergspitze (2085m) dominates the skyline.
The Rofangiberge mountain range which overlooks Maurach on the eastern side of Achensee.
Die Rofangiberge again.
DAY 4 Monday 30th June. Pertisau to Gramai. This was a simple trip, to walk along a fairly flat track, road and path to get to Alpengasthof Gramai, a large outdoor eating place where I could have lunch and a beer. The return trip would be along a road in an old Mercede Benz single decker bus.
After leaving Pertisau, I headed off to my left to follow a long metalled road running along the valley bottom.
All the way, on the starboard side were views of vast rugged limestone crags and peaks.
About half way along the route I came to a farm with a small cafe, where I had a coffee before heading onwards in a westerly direction.
I finally reached my destination, where I had a leisurely lunch with a couple of beers while I waited for the bus back to Pertisau.
There was a lot of evidence that this locality is very popular with climbers. There were several notice boards showing climbs of varying difficulty. This view showed the rugged nature of the mountains and crags all around the restaurant.
The old bus, which was a surprisingly comfortable ride back to Pertisau.
DAY 5 Tuesday 1st July A walk along the western shoreline of Achensee. The walk with Mary and John was quite challenging, often the path was high up on a narrow ledge, sometimes there was a cable attached to the rockface to hold on to. There was a very steep section after Gaisalm, the first stop on the boat trip. At this stage, John and Mary had decided to call it a day and take the next boat trip back to Pertisau. I continued the walk northwards. The photo of me is on the walk out from Pertisau.
This was a dry gully before Gaisalm.
At Gaisalm I stopped for something to eat, a very nice Apfelstrudel. Mary and John took the next boat back, while I finished my meal and then climbed up and out on my way north.
Another view of the lake looking south.
One of the lake boats.
A tree sculpture.
I reached the next boat pier and had a cold beer while waiting for the next boat to take me back to Pertisau.
DAY 6 Wednesday 2nd July Kerwendel Bergbahn again. A second trip up into the mountains on the Kerwendel Bergbahn, with a loop around the upper slopes. This time all three of us did the walk together. Here, a classic view over Achensee and Pertisau.
An area adjacent to the upper bergbahn station was popular with paragliders. The craft with their pilots were regularly descending from up here and landing in grassy fields in and around Pertisau.
The path I took on the first day towards Bärenkopf is visible heading up and to the left, with the restaurant nearby to the right.
I had my photo taken with these giant resin bears, much to the amusement of passers by.
More classic scenery looking northwest from near Zwölferkopf.
A view when walking beneath the cables of the bergbahn.
DAY 7 Thursday 3rd July The journey home. Our last day was there to be exploited, given that our flight home from Munich was late in the day. Therefore we decided to get to Munich and look around before going to the airport. This was Jenbach Bahnhof, with the little steam train just leaving for Seespitz on the southern shore of Achensee. If I did come back to Pertisau I would certainly take a trip on this narrow gauge railway.
We walked around the centre of Munich, had some lunch in Marienplatz and I visited the Lego shop nearby. This shot is of the famous Frauenkirche, a 15th century cathedral.
We had a bit of good fortune that evening. At the airport and not long before our Easyjet flight was due to go, it was suddenly cancelled. We booked onto the Lufthansa flight instead which was also going to Manchester. So we got back to Manchester only 2 hours later than we expected to. Here is the plane which saved us from severe inconvenience and stress!