Go Slow in the Austrian Alps

Set in the beautiful Austrian Tyrol, close to Austria’s border with Germany, the picturesque village of Ehrwald sits at the base of the mighty Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. The 4-star Alpen Residence Hotel, lying at the heart of this small Tyrolean village, will be our base for the week. From it we will enjoy a range of leisurely botanical and wildlife excursions, exploring the magnificent surrounding alpine landscapes of the Tiroler Zugspitze Arena by means of the region’s extensive network of cable cars and chairlifts. These will allow us a very flexible programme of activities, with each day of excursions ending in the mid afternoon with tea and cake back at our hotel, leaving ample time to relax, enjoy the extensive gardens, wallow in the hotel’s warm pool or spa, or take a gentle stroll in the nearby larch woodlands.

Our plan will be to use chairlifts to ascend each day, then walk for up to three miles over flat or gently undulating terrain. On one day we will visit an alpine lake, Heiterwanger See, where a stroll along the shoreline may yield such plants as One-flowered Wintergreen and Fly, Butterfly and Burnt-tip Orchids. On another day, at the top of the Grubigstein cable car, we should find abundant Alpine gems including gentians, rock jasmines, Alpenrose, Red, White and Swordleaved Helleborines and perhaps even Lady’s Slipper Orchids. Time exploring the woods should also be worthwhile – a chance to find such species as Astrantia bavarica, Pink Globe Orchid, Small White Orchid and Lesser Twayblade. We will try to choose a clear and sunny day for the spectacular cable car ride to the top of the Zugspitze itself, where the flora and fauna will be more limited but the views will be breathtaking. The region’s birdlife is typical of the Alps, with Golden Eagle and Lammergeier always possible overhead, Nutcracker and Western Bonelli’s Warbler in the forests, plus Snowfinch, Alpine Chough and Alpine Accentor on the higher slopes. If the weather is kind, there should be numerous colourful butterflies on the wing too. After a leisurely week of botanising and wildlife-watching, we will return to Munich Airport to catch our flight home.

Grading

Grade A – we will enjoy walks of up to around 3 miles each day, all taken at a leisurely pace. Although we have carefully selected our walks to avoid sustained stretch of uphill or downhill walking, and the terrain is easy to walk on, as we are in the mountains there will always be some uphill and downhill sections. We would recommend bringing walking poles, though these can also be borrowed from the hotel (subject to availability).

As each member of the group will be provided with their own “Z-ticket”, it will always be possible to do more, or less, or something completely different, than the main party. The Z-ticket also gives us free use of the local buses for anyone that wishes to return to the hotel separately to the rest of the group.

Focus

Alpine flowers, plus birds, butterflies and the beautiful mountain scenery.