St Gilgen

We had an hour or so to stroll around this charming lakeside town. Pavement cafés were high on the agenda as it was seriously hot by lunchtime. We chose one by the lake to enjoy the light cooling breezes.

Our cruise on the St Wolfgangsee lasted around an hour amongst beautiful scenery. The lake had lots of “beaches” with people swimming, sail-boarding and generally enjoying themselves.

St Wolfgang

Arriving in St Wolfgang, we boarded the cog railway to travel up the Schafberg Mountain, a journey lasting 35 minutes on a very steep incline to an altitude of 1750m above sea level (around 5750 feet). We had 30 minutes to take in the fantastic views and enjoy the cooler air at this altitude. Debbie came into her own. A quick word with the guards gave us reserved compartments on both journeys - much needed as these trains are busy.

Arriving back in town, we strolled around. It’s another lakeside scenic overdose with colourful traditional buildings and, thankfully, plenty of places to sit with a cold drink.

The journey back was just a little quieter (maybe the couriers had had a quick word in Debbie’s ear). A chance for a much needed coach-nap.

The weather was oppressive when we arrived. It felt like thundery conditions. The storm materialised late evening providing much needed cooling and freshening for a good night’s sleep.