Stage 33 From Glacier to Wine North Route Fehring - Bad Gleichenberg

On this stage of the hiking route "From Glacier to Wine" we leave the historic small town of Fehring in the Raab Valley in a southerly direction past the fire station and along Sinzingergasse. At the sign "Vulkanarena Fehring" we turn right into the forest and soon come to the geomantic power place Vulkanarena. The power and the pleasure not enough, invite us on this tour also repeatedly Buschenschänken to stop. Then we keep to the right on the road and come to the Kuruzzenschenke of the Konrad Winery, where we head straight into the forest. Here we use a path for the ascent to the Kuruzzenkogel. You could also pass below the Kogel, but the chapel built in 1895 by the Konrad family and the resting place are worth the effort of the climb.

About halfway up, we reach the Kapfensteiner Kogel, an extinct volcano that is now not only home to a beautiful castle hotel, but also one of the best wineries in Styria. At the Winkler-Hermaden winery, the vines or wines are worked according to organic guidelines in the third generation. The main white varieties are Sauvignon blanc, Traminer & Gewürztraminer, but also Burgundy varieties such as Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. The most important red wine variety in the repertoire is the Blaue Zweigelt, which is also found 100% in the well-known Olivin. The Blaue Zweigelt is followed by Merlot and Pinot noir.

After a well-deserved rest, we descend to the church, either via the parking lot and the street or directly through the tiered garden. The parish church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a very popular place for weddings and baptisms from the near and far surroundings. Above the church, passing the rectory, we enter a beautiful forest in a westerly direction. Soon after, we turn left to the Buschenschenke Puff, cross a country road and come to the "Red Cross" wayside shrine on path 780. We continue on trail 780 to Steinriegl-Absetz, where we soon leave the Absetzstraße to the right, however, in order to get down to Bad Gleichenberg via the Eichgrabenweg.

In recent years, the historic spa town of Bad Gleichenberg has managed to turn a long-held tradition into a modern tourist and recreational destination. The centerpiece is the 20-hectare spa park, where native and exotic trees and shrubs line the paths. Healing springs, in turn, are the basis for over 180 years of development and the modern spa, which makes Bad Gleichenberg a distinctive health resort in interaction with the surrounding volcanic landscape. This beautiful landscape also accompanies us on the next stage to the wine village of Klöch.

Accessible by train and bus.

Detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

Steiermark Tourismus

Tel. +43 316 4003

info@steiermark.com

www.steiermark.com/en

If you would like to hire a  tour operator, simply book with Steiermark Touristik, the official travel agency of Steiermark Tourismus:

Tel. +43 316 4003 450, 

www.steiermark-touristik.com

The Steiermark Touren app, available free of charge on Google Play and the App Store  (Android, iOS), offers detailed first-hand information: brief facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent/elevation gain, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, peak finder, navigation along the tour. You can also create your own personal lists of favourite tours and sites, store tours and destinations offline, use social media channels, and much more.

Gratis Pocket Card Wanderroute "Vom Gletscher zum Wein" finden Sie auf www.steiermark.com

Kompass WK225 Steirisches Hügel-, Vulkan- und Thermenland, Mureck, Bad Radkersburg, Murska Sobota www.kompass.at

Freytag & Berndt WK412 Südsteirisches Hügelland · Vulkanland · Bad Gleichenberg · Bad Radkersburg www.freytagberndt.at

Rother Wanderführer "Vom Gletscher zum Wein": auf 160 Seiten mit 80 Farbabbildungen 60 Höhenprofile, 60 Wanderkärtchen im Maßstab 1:75.000, zwei Übersichtskarten, GPS-Tracks zum Download, Format 11,5 x 16,5 cm, kartoniert mit Polytex-Laminierung, ISBN 978-3-7633-4550-2, www.rother.de