Grande Granite Tour: Stage 4

Description:
From the mountaintop village of Waxenberg, you will whiz effortlessly back down to the idyllic, meadowy Kleine Rodl valley. A short climb through a stretch of forest, then you will be standing at the last ridge of northern Granite Country. Meandering broadly, the route leads down through secluded valleys to Neusserling. This is where the farm-dotted panoramic plateau begins, interspersed with deep, forested mini valleys. Here, sublime biking through cultivated countryside meets fun in the small valleys – with some tricky spots along the way. In Sankt Martin im Mühlkreis, a fabulous downhill stretch with views over the Danube Valley to the riverport of Untermühl delivers a perfect ending to the section.

 

Highlights:

• Waxenberg (village with ruins of castle at summit, lookout tower with 360-degree panoramic view, palace)


• Pesenbachtal Nature Reserve (first nature reserve in the Mühlviertel) 


• Sankt Martin im Mühlkreis (area in which famous Neuhauser granite is mined, granite-filtered beer)


• Schloss Neuhaus palace (granite transport – field railway terminates, cable car to Danube begins)


• Untermühl (port on the Danube, location from which famous Neuhauser granite is shipped)


• Overnight location: By the port on the Danube at Untermühl

Directions:
From the mountaintop village of Waxenberg, you will whiz effortlessly back down to the idyllic, meadowy Kleine Rodl valley. A short climb through a stretch of forest, then you will be standing at the last ridge of northern Granite Country. Meandering broadly, the route leads down through secluded valleys to Neusserling. This is where the farm-dotted panoramic plateau begins, interspersed with deep, forested mini valleys. Here, sublime biking through cultivated countryside meets fun in the small valleys – with some tricky spots along the way. In Sankt Martin im Mühlkreis, a fabulous downhill stretch with views over the Danube Valley to the riverport of Untermühl delivers a perfect ending to the section.

 

Waxenberg: The ruined castle at the summit is located on a forested, cone-shaped mountain above the Kleine Rodl valley and the pretty village on the adjacent anticline. The castle was built at the time when parts of the Mühlviertel’s primeval forests were being opened up and developed, providing a seat of power in the centre of the region’s largest clearing domain. Top tip: The lookout tower on the castle offers 360-degree panoramic views from the Bohemian Forest to the Alps – a true highlight of the tour! Next, you can flow freely ahead, whizzing through mixed mountainside forest, later following the rhythm of winding farm roads through gently undulating Mühlviertel farmland into the meadowy Kleine Rodl valley. Top-notch biking! Loymühle mill then emerges ahead, followed by an ascent (elevation gain: 150 metres), initially going steeper up the mountainside forest, then taking a more relaxed turn on rural tracks. Once you reach Buchholz, you will be standing on the final ridge (720 metres) of northern Granite Country. Congratulations! Heading for the rear side of the summit, a spell of cruising along at high elevation with views over the Alps is sure to evoke a feeling of pure freedom. The downhill trail then leads into a hidden side valley. A short ascent is called for, before riding further down to Neusserling, meandering enjoyably downwards into a secluded depression in the terrain. This is where the farm-dotted panoramic plateau begins, interspersed with deep, forested mini valleys. Here, sublime biking through cultivated countryside with a feeling of almost endless expanse meets fun riding through the narrow valleys – with some tricky spots along the way! The route leads through three smaller valleys – the middle one boasting a short trail – into the smart high plateau village of Herzogsdorf. Here, the elevated plain shows its most attractive face, offering a dreamlike long-distance descent with a blissful stretch of asphalt weaving through the plateau’s foothills down to Böckstein! The trails during the following digression into the Eschelbach stream valley are guaranteed to exhilarate: a short, tricky, steep descent into the forested valley, some streamside biking, then a crunchy climb back up to the plateau. Without a doubt, the most technically demanding part of the entire tour! From the panoramic plateau, you can advance downhill into the Pesenbach stream valley on pleasant side roads and then on to Bimberg on the opposite slope after a brief spell of cruising along at high altitude. Afterwards, one memorable delight follows the next – blissful biking along the Pesenbach valley floor, a breathy climb through forest to Gaisberg, cruising elegantly along with views far off into the distance among a patchwork of fields and huge farmhouses. The last valley detour leads down to the lonely part of the Pesenbach valley: the Pesenbachtal Nature Reserve! Surrounded by a quaint mixed forest, you will then ride upstream along historical tracks and narrow footpaths alongside the amber-coloured stream, awakening thoughts about when the long remote Mühlviertel was first settled in the distant past. After this, pedal back to the panoramic plateau via the secluded Wolfsdoppel valley and onwards to Sankt Martin im Mühlkreis. The special importance of the village only becomes evident with a realisation of its history as the area in which famous Neuhauser granite is mined and a stop on the salt road to Bohemia. Top tip: Neuhauser granite, including in sculpture form, can be seen in the parish church’s artistic ribbed vault, and the region’s delicious granite-filtered beer bespeaks a long tradition of hospitality. Now the way back to the deep Danube Valley begins. A fast-paced descent leads down into the secluded depression that is home to Dreissenbach stream, offering a surprise in the form of a brief but bumpy trail ascent through meadows and woodland. Afterwards, you will enjoy a fabulous panoramic view of the Danube Valley from a ridge – a true highlight of the trip! One short and fun ascent later, you will be crossing the final mini valley towards the magnificent Schloss Neuhaus, a private palace. It was here that the field railway once transported Neuhaus granite from the quarries by cable car down to the Danube. Afterwards, you will dive back into the ancient forested gorge of the Danube Valley, racing down to the Danubeside port of Untermühl, where this same granite was loaded onto ships.