Tri-border Walk, Oberschwarzenberg

After all the pomp and grandeur of ancient trading towns and monasteries, we have now gone back to nature. We’re staying on a wonderful campsite with a swimming lake in a place called Klaffer am Hochficht. No, I hadn’t heard of it before either, but apparently it’s known for its skiing, hiking trails and, of all things, herbs. There you go now.

I was excited to learn that we were only a few kilometres from the Dreiländereck, the point where the Austrian, Czech and German borders meet. Three countries for the price of one! I couldn’t wait to check it out.

As we set out from Oberschwarzenberg, I noted that the route Oldies were taking was a mere 15 km all round. The going didn’t look too daunting to me either. Grand, I thought, a nice gentle stroll to get them started. At their age, they shouldn’t overdo things. As it turned out, it was far from the easiest terrain at all. I’m glad we got through it without anyone breaking a leg – or worse still, breaking my beak!

On the way up, the area was not unlike the Blockheide we visited last year, with gigantic granite boulders in amazing formations dotted all around.

When we finally made it to the tri-border point, I was horrified at the state of the poor trees. They had apparently been attacked by bark beetles, the rotten pests! Then again, with the forest killed off at the top of the ridge, at least we had unobstructed views in every direction. Phenomenal views at that!

The Oldies picked their way carefully along the granite trail, eventually reaching Dreisesselberg, ‘Three Chair Mountain’, so called because of the three seats or thrones in the rock at the summit. Whatever about the legend of the three thrones for three kings, there certainly is a king size view from the top! Thankfully, there is also a Gasthaus at the summit that serves king size portions.

But the fun really started when the Wingless Wonders took the route back via the Steinernes Meer, the ‘Sea of Boulders’. Now that was a rocky crossing if ever I saw one! The huge lichen-covered boulders pouring down the mountainside were certainly reminiscent of rough maritime waters. Colour-wise too, it reminded me of James Joyce’s ‘snotgreen sea’. It was no wonder that Her Ladyship looked pretty green in the face by the time we had got to the other side!

When the Dynamic Duo finally got back to the car, I worked out that they had taken over 7 hours to cover the 15 km, an average of barely 2 km/h. I know they are into slow travel, but that certainly takes the biscuit!