Grande Granite Tour: Stage 5

Description:
The grand finale! A unique stretch of smooth sailing along the slopes begins at the Danubeside port of Untermühl, forging through breath-taking ridgeside forests and taking you up to the elevated plain three times and back. Impressive stopover: the 360-degree Donau am Berg panoramic lookout tower (613 metres) at Kirchberg ob der Donau. In the Kleine Mühl valley, the last slope ascent follows, preceding an enjoyable last leg across the Granite Country highlands – with which by now you have perhaps grown very fond. And what a way to wrap it up: a dream 7.5-kilometre descent past the Schlögen Danube Loop – a listed natural wonder – and some relaxed riverside biking along the Danube.

 

Highlights:

• Untermühl Danube river port (toll tower with viewing platform, terminus of Schwarzenberg Canal)


• Donau am Berg lookout tower (360-degree panoramic view, former castle site)


• Obermühl an der Donau (submerged Danube resort, historical salt road)


• Historical market at Putzleinsdorf


• Schlögen Danube Loop (a listed natural wonder)

Directions:
The grand finale! A unique stretch of smooth sailing along the slopes begins at the Danubeside port of Untermühl, forging through breath-taking ridgeside forests and taking you up to the elevated plain three times and back. Impressive stopover: the 360-degree Donau am Berg panoramic lookout tower (613 metres) at Kirchberg ob der Donau. In the Kleine Mühl valley, the last slope ascent follows, preceding an enjoyable last leg across the Granite Country highlands – with which by now you have perhaps grown very fond. And what a way to wrap it up: a dream 7.5-kilometre descent past the Schlögen Danube Loop – a listed natural wonder – and some relaxed riverside biking along the Danube.

 

In the depths of the Upper Danube Gorge is today’s starting point – the port of Untermühl – on a lonely section of the river. Inconspicuous today, this was once a highly significant settlement acting as the supply point for shipping on the Danube, housing a toll tower, being terminus of the Schwarzenberg Canal and more. The warm-up is a ride into the romantic Grosse Mühl valley through to the secluded Partenstein pumped-storage power plant. Here begins a unique stretch of smooth sailing through magnificent forests along the slopes. The first ascent (elevation gain: 180 metres) runs via a challenging maintenance track parallel to the power plant’s pressure pipes up to the plateau and the hamlet of Ramersberg. Congratulations! Zoom back down a steep forest path into the depths of the Grosse Mühl valley and Ebenmühle mill. The second ascent (280 meters) leads over a sometimes rough-and-ready historical track to the plateau opposite. At the top, you will ride elegantly through undulating farmland to Kirchberg ob der Donau to the impressive Donau am Berg lookout tower (613 metres). Good job – halfway through the slope sailing! Next comes a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view over the Mühlviertel region, the Danube Valley, the Sauwald forest and more, all the way up to the Alps. A feeling of unbridled freedom is practically guaranteed! At this point, you will be standing at the highest elevation, which rises directly from the mighty Danube. There follows a free-flowing stretch on to the edge of the Danube Gorge, before the steep descent down the slope of the Danube Valley demands full concentration on a series of woodland trails. And for those who need to unwind a little after that, the next stretch is virtually a relaxed river cruise along the banks of the Danube until reaching Obermühl an der Donau. Attentive bikers will notice the contrast between the historic granary at the beginning of the village and the contemporary architecture in the rest of the settlement. The reason for this is that its historic centre was submerged in the floods following a Danube backwater being released for Aschach power plant. At the ultra-modern, golden-coloured church, the third climb commences (260 meters). An abandoned cobbled road runs quaintly along the steep slope of the Kleine Mühl valley – the old salt road. The salt of the legendary Salzkammergut region was formerly transported to Obermühl by boat, before being taken on to Bohemia by packhorse. It might occur to any philosophers riding the route that many a cycling top also ends up soaked in salt! Next up, on the plateau, the turning point is reached at the hamlet of Unteredt. Congratulations! A brief recharging of batteries then ensues through a stretch of cultivated landscape, after which demanding trails along the steep slope lead back into the depths of the Kleine Mühl valley – to the Bruckwirt hotel. The last slope climb (elevation gain: 170 metres) initially leads through crunchy terrain under wheel in shady mixed forest along the route of the old cobbled road, before becoming more leisurely higher up while passing through a settled area to Lembach im Mühlkreis (552 metres). Congratulations! A wonderful final leg now follows, in which you will have the chance to encounter the varied landscapes that form the highland, with which you have perhaps now grown very fond. An elegant sea of hills, breath-taking long-distance views, a patchwork of fields and woods, a scattering of farming hamlets and more – all side by side in perfect harmony. Next comes an enjoyable ride over two hills boasting panoramic vistas, making a wide arc towards the historical market at Putzleinsdorf – the northern end of this stage of the tour. On the way back to the Danube, the terrain becomes even hillier, with the route approaching the edge of the bevelled upland. At 690 metres, the hamlet of Starnberg marks the highest point of this section. Congratulations! The 7.5-kilometre descent into the Danube Valley plays out like a dream: brief wooded thickets, small plateaus supporting local farms, weaving stretches of asphalt … until reaching the point above a famous natural wonder: the Schlögen Danube Loop. It is here that the storied Danube twice changes direction by 180 degrees within just a few kilometres. The last leg – a downhill section – consists of enjoyable trails through the forested gorge, which is part of a nature reserve along the steep Danube valley slope.

 

While riding alongside the Danube back to the tour’s starting point, “bikers’ paradise” is a label that readily comes to mind – that’s what Granite Country mountain biking is, after all.