After a long winter break, enforced by sickness and bad weather, I’ve been bitten by the running bug again. The day starts promisingly, the sun is shining and quickly melts away the overnight frost. It’s going to be a warm day, hinting at the imminent arrival of spring. Only a strong wind disturbs the enjoyment of the sun’s warming rays.
I decide to add a new stamp to my collection of World Heritage stages. The end point of the planned stage is in Aggsbach Markt, which lies opposite the ruins of Aggstein Castle, which can be seen enthroned on a ridge on the southern side of the Danube. I have already visited the ruins on the 10th stage of the World Heritage Trail.
Another long-distance hiking trail, the Jauerling Circuit, runs through Aggstein Markt. At around 90 kilometres, this trail is a little less than half as long as the World Heritage Trail and leads around the Jauerling Nature Park. In some places, the stages of the World Heritage Trail and the Jauerling Tour overlap. This is also the case in Aggstein Markt. The 2nd stage of the Jauerling circuit leads up to Maria Laach, while the 6th stage of the World Heritage Trail leads back down to Aggstein Markt. Both stages are short at around 7 kilometres. So I thought, why not make a circuit out of it to collect two stamps at the same time. As a single stage, both are too short for me.
Aggsbach Markt#
In Aggsbach, I first follow the Endlingbach, which flows through the village. Many older buildings stand on the market square, some seem abandoned, the tourist glamour of the Wachau flows past Aggsbach Markt. Small bridges connect the houses on the opposite bank of the stream with the main road. The town is no longer as charming as Spitz, Weißenkirchen or Dürnstein downstream on the Danube. The vineyards are missing and with them the tourists. “Gasthof zum Gmoawirt”, I read on a house inscription. Beer or food hasn’t been served here for a long time.
At the end of the village, the path turns off the main road. Now it becomes steeper. After a short section of forest, a large clearing opens up. From here, I enjoy another beautiful view of the foothills of the Dunkelsteinerwald before returning to the forest. A few benches at the end of the clearing invite me to linger. I continue uphill along a hollow path. It is a quiet hike here. The ground is richly covered with leaves. It could be quite slippery when wet. Fortunately, the last rain was a few days ago. So the path remains dry.
Plateau around Maria Laach#
From the end of the forest, the route goes slightly uphill and downhill, between meadows and Christmas tree plantations. In the distance, I also catch sight of a few Scottish Highland cattle grazing on the remaining sparse grass. Unfortunately, winter has not left much behind.
I soon reach Maria Laach via small villages, but I don’t see it until shortly before I arrive. There are hardly any views of Maria Laach on the plateau. In Maria Laach, I find the stamp box after a short search on the wall of an inn.