When we write about it on Buzz Trips, we generally only use a handful of images to illustrate what the area is like. This means there are loads of routes we’ve loved which might only have had the briefest of mentions in passing. So, to replicate something we tried on our Walking Tenerife website, we thought we’d share more of the routes we’ve walked in an image rich form rather than a text heavy one.

The first of these involves a multi-faceted route above Gosausee near Hallstatt in Austria. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty, featuring immaculate pastures, glassy lakes and the rugged, rocky Dachstein mountains.

The trouble with this route is the starting point at Vorderer Gosausee is such a stunner of a place you just want to park your bum on a bench and get lost in the view across the lake.

Sometimes needing transport to get to the start of a walking route can be a bit of a drag, at other times it can be one of the highlights… in more ways than one

The views at the lake might be mesmeric, but heading into the high alms after leaving the cable car is equally magical, a land which could make you believe in fairy tales.

Some parts of the trail are across grassy pastures, others snake along the mountainside, almost as narrow as a serpent. We thought this part was a bit nervy until an Austrian family with young children came skipping past as though it was a stroll in the park.

One of the satisfying aspects of walking in Austria and Germany is there are always mountain hüttes in which to rest. At Stuhlalm we drank a bracing coffee whilst watching kittens play hide and seek among the rocks and pretty flower pots.

This is a landscape which can be both gentle and dramatically wild at the same time. It’s the sort of countryside which needs an artist and easel to complete the scene.

At the end of the route, more mountain hüttes with hearty menus and generous views across the Gosausee Valley. Fabulous places for clinking steins and filling hungry bellies with a jause, the Austrian version of a ploughman’s lunch, before heading for home.

On long walks, taking time out for lunch isn’t always practical and on these occasions we have to make do with a picnic. I love al fresco dining but if I never see another gum-shredding baguette filled with ham and cheese again, it’ll still be a day too soon. There must be a European wide rural hotel guidebook which states ‘if a guest asks for a picnic, it must include a ham and cheese baguette.’ Thankfully, there are exceptions to this rule.

These are some places where we’ve enjoyed some tasty lunches on the trail.

Tabernas on Symi

Hardly hardcore walking, but the trek up the Kali Strata from Symi Town on the Greek sland of Symi to head to one of the island’s many dream beaches can work up a sweat and a thirst. Greek tavernas remain my favourite establishments to while away the time drinking retsina and munching on mezes. The Greek heat, unbelievably turquoise sea, heady aroma of honeysuckle and wild herbs, creamy dips and sweet wine is an intoxicating mix (and not just because of the retsina). These aren’t lunches to be taken mid-walk. Thankfully you can catch a water taxi back to Symi Town.

Picnic in Provence

Sure there are plenty of quaint bistros serving food so good it can elicit involuntary moans of pleasure. But one of the best mid-walk lunches I’ve enjoyed was at a picnic table beside a stream near the moss covered ruins of the Prieuré de Carluc near Rellaine. It was a simple lunch consisting of chunky fresh bread and ripe Banon cheese, melted by the sun’s rays. Simple, but as sweet as the fresh spring water gurgling in the brook beside our table.

Konoba Lambik on Hvar

If an experience exceeded that of losing time in a Greek taverna it was an afternoon at Konoba Lambik on Hvar in Croatia. The walk to reach Konoba Lambik included wild flowers, olive groves, wild boar towers and English aristocracy. All juicy ingredients themselves, but the food and drink, all created, caught and distilled by the owners, erased memories of the walk and replaced them with an extra special experience. It was the first place I’d ever truly appreciated how good artichokes really were, thanks to a life-changing artichoke and broad bean stew.

On the road in the Atlas Mountains

En route to to Tachdirt in the High Atlas Mountains I lay in the sun on a hot wall beside a dusty track whilst our guides washed peppers and tomatoes in a mountain stream, which also provided the water to boil rice and make sweet mint tea. The salad they created was a mish mash of ingredients, including tinned sardines, olives, chopped pork, rice tomatoes, green pepper and red onion with some fresh bread. It tasted as good as any salad I’d eaten in a gourmet restaurant. That dash of al fresco seasoning just can’t be matched indoors.

Mountain Hütte in Salzkammergut, Austria

Austria and Germany’s hinterland is riddled with hüttes, perfectly positioned at some of the most scenic spots on mountain trails. Both countries are as good as anywhere we’ve been for being dependable when it comes to finding somewhere to have lunch mid-walk. The only problem is that many of the dishes on hütte menus are hefty affairs and lie too heavily on my stomach to be taken when there’s still a long way to go. Such was the case above Gosausee in Salzkammergut where, as everyone around us tucked into warming soups, we settled for belegte brote, a type of open-topped sandwich, with speck (cured ham) onions, gherkin and tomato. Another basic dish, but the accompanying views of the snow-capped Dachstein Mountains and a musically clanging cow bell soundtrack raised it way above the average mid-trail sandwich.

Lakeside Hütte in the Black Forest

Rarely have I been so pleased to see a lodge/hütte/taverna/pub as I was to see Vesperstube Unterkrummenhof on the banks of Schluchsee in the Black Forest. Despite having wind-proof gloves and a hat a bear would eye enviously, the icy sleet which stabbed at exposed skin for hours as we’d walked around the large lake had robbed all feeling from fingers, feet and legs. The hütte was warm and welcoming and, despite there being a third of the route still to complete, we pigged out on currywurst and chips. It did exactly what a good hütte/taverna/tasca should do – act as a sanctuary for cold and hungry travellers

Lunch in a Cave in the Canary Islands

One of my favourite walks anywhere is in the Anaga Mountains on Tenerife, a place which is the antithesis of what many people think of when the imagine Tenerife. The route to the cave village of Chinamada is uplifting – ancient laurisilva forest, hamlets and narrow agricultural terraces clinging to hillsides, jagged peaks, tiny hamlets, goats, the odd hen and killer views. The cave village lies halfway along a circular route so perfectly placed for lunch in La Cueva. Ironically, most people choose to eat outside the cave part. The food is basic Canarian with the signature dish being a messy splodge called escaldón (basically stock mixed with gofio flour). I love it because it is the real Tenerife.

Ham and Cheese Overlooking Lake Iseo

Everything tastes fabulous around the Italian Lakes. I can’t recall one mediocre meal. However, we didn’t always meet with success finding places to eat along the trails we walked. On one route we planned to eat in a bar/restaurant halfway along the route. It was shut… for lunch. On the largest lake island in Europe, Monte Isola on Lake Iseo, we were introduced to a classic Italian snack in a nondescript café with a sunny terrace overlooking this most dazzling of lakes; the piadina – basically a flat bread sandwich. I only ordered it because I saw another luncher eating something that perked my interest. They only did one type filling, ham and cheese. I loved it.

Trust the Italians to make even a ham and cheese sandwich seem gastronomically interesting.

Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

Sometimes this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which made its fortune from mining salt for centuries, fleetingly touches down in the part of my brain which includes Carcassonne and Dubrovnik – places which are unarguably fascinating and lovely to look at but which lost something after having sold at least part of their souls to the gods (devils) of mass tourism.

At other times it hovers near another travel file spot, one that is vaguely miscellaneous so that it might include a destination which didn’t quite win its way into my heart but which might fall under the heading ‘deserves another look’.

My undecided stance might have something to do with the circumstances of our visit. We stepped from people-free paths into a village which has become a firm favourite for coach excursions.

A Halstatt Appetiser #1
On our way to the craggy and icy heights of the Dachstein Mountains we stopped beside a row of quaint, wooden huts on the banks of glassy Lake Hallstatt. A short distance away, preening on the edge of the lake and looking every inch the delectable village which guidebooks promised, was Hallstatt itself – a juicy prospect to be visited a couple of days further down the line.

A Halstatt Appetiser #2
Looking down from Dachstein’s lofty summits Hallstatt looked even more perfect, soft and serene against the sheer cliffs which make the village appear as though it’s doing a balancing act, teetering on the edge of the lake.

The Real Thing
An overpriced car park didn’t get our initial introduction to Hallstatt off to a good start. There was quite a bit of grumpy ‘tourist trap’ comments from me before I was thawed by narrow streets lined by attractive houses with wooden-panelled walls and wooden roof tiles. They looked as though they wouldn’t stand up to too much huffing and puffing from a determined wolf with a decent pair of lungs.

Arty Hallstatt
By the time we passed a technicolour zebra and the creepiest shop door handle ever, the quirkiness of Hallstatt’s outskirts had me deciding the town might be more than just a pretty face.

Kitsch Hallstatt
When we reached the main street running parallel to the lake through Hallstatt it was evident that for every ‘ooh, that’s interesting’ shop display, there was a kitsch equivalent aimed at a less discerning tourist market. This yin and yang theme had spread to the lake where real swans shared water space with boats in the shape of swans. The boats floated, but any semblance of good taste had sunk.

Beautiful Hallstatt
Boat-sized swans aside, lakeside Hallstatt close up is as eye-catching as it appears from a distance. Even on a greyish day, it was easy to see why German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt called it the “… loveliest lake village in the world.”

The Village Square
Equally pretty is the heart of the village, the market square with its centrepiece statue of the Holy Trinity. Like village squares everywhere, it’s bordered by café’s, shops and restaurants. The square was, like the rest of Hallstatt’s centre, bustling with hordes of excursionists who’d been unloaded from their coaches just as we’d reached the main part of the village. The visitors sharing the picturesque streets with us covered many nationalities, the overwhelming numbers being Asian. We’d been walking across Austria for days. Outside the hotels we stayed in we’d hardly encountered anyone who wasn’t Austrian. Half the time we didn’t encounter anyone at all. Suddenly we were in a village whose streets were full of Asian tourists. It was simply a surreal cultural shift.
It happens sometimes. Tranquil pretty town, tranquil pretty town, WHOOSH – absolutely jam-packed with tourists pretty town.

The Photo Point
When towns/cities/villages get on the excursion radar they can occasionally lose something. The sheer volume of visitors descending at any one time on a location can change its personality. To be fair, Hallstatt wasn’t in the same league as some other locations which we couldn’t get out of fast enough despite their beauty. But the vibe wasn’t the same as in the other Austrian towns and villages we’d visited. When an attraction includes the ‘photo point’ you know it’s in danger of crossing the line from charming historic village into theme park territory. Saying that, it is an excellent spot for taking photos of Hallstatt.

All things considered I was glad we visited Hallstatt and would return to explore more. It is an extraordinarily pretty village in a remarkably dramatic setting. I just have an aversion to places that are swamped by hordes of excursionists. That it’s hugely popular with Asian visitors adds to the surrealism of the place. It’s so popular a doppelgänger version of the village has been built in China.

Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+

It was dusk when we arrived after a four and a half hour flight and a 200km drive from Munich Airport. Against the petrol sky, the geranium-filled window boxes and arched doorway of the 17th century Landhotel Agathawirt created a look of a gingerbread house, a string of fairy lights twinkling from its lounge window and a warm, red glow spilling through the open front door. In the courtyard, a group of diners were lingering over wine and coffees beneath the boughs of the 200 year old oak tree. Too late for the hotel’s half board sitting, we ate in the hotel’s traditional restaurant and, over a salad of fresh strawberries, avocado and rocket, we sipped a glass of wine as laughter from the outside diners drifted in through the open window.

The Agathawirt was originally built as a family home for a wealthy salt merchant at the beginning of the 16th century and has been an inn since the mid 17th century. In its day, the hotel has been immortalised in paintings by Rudolf Van Alt and Gustav Klimt so to describe its aspect as picturesque is not overstating the case. As destinations at the end of a long journey go, it’s a pretty good one.

Buzz Trips view
As a value for money base for exploring the area on foot and on wheels, the Agathawirt is perfect. Paths leading from the door take you into the mountains to the stunning Ewige Wand; through flower filled meadows to pretty Bad Goisern, and along the famous Salzkammergut Soleweg hiking path to Bad Ischl. There is little else in St Agatha so you’re pretty much confined to the hotel unless you want to drive out at night but with its welcoming atmosphere, comfortable rooms and good food, we can’t imagine why you’d want to do that.

Rooms
Single, double and family rooms are located in a modern extension to the original building and have views over the mountains or the valley. Pay a little extra and you can enjoy a balcony from which to ogle the landscape. Rooms are bright and clean with unfussy, minimal furniture and furnishings and are warm and comfortable. Our twin room had a view over the pretty, onion-domed church in the meadow next door and kept us and our camera lens glued to the window. The en suite bathroom was a good size with a powerful shower and toiletries of the sachet variety.

Satellite TV, telephone, hair dryer and WiFi are standard in all the rooms although we found the signal to be poor and had to go to reception to send and receive emails.

Facilities
The Agathawirt sits in lovely orchard gardens where tables, chairs and the occasional sun lounger whisper to you to just sit and stare at the beauty and drama that surrounds you while you soak up the sun’s rays. A covered swimming pool has its doors retracted on summer days so you can swim amongst meadows at the foot of the Dachstein Mountains. There is also a sauna and steam room for relaxing tired, post-hike and bike muscles.

The hotel hires out mountain, road and ebikes and has lots of information on the best hiking around the area. Owner Andrea Schenner speaks excellent English and is happy to advise on walking routes.

Breakfast and dinner for half board guests is taken in the dining room or on the terrace, weather-permitting. Breakfast is a comprehensive selection of cereals, muesli, cold meats, cheeses, juices and breads. The 4 course dinner menu changes nightly and offers three choices of starter and main courses, including vegetarian options. Menus feature traditional cuisine from the area with lots of vegetables, tasty soups and scrumptious cakes. Ideal after a day in the saddle or on the feet. The wine list is on the expensive side so we opted for just a glass nightly and then enjoyed a bottle in our room, bought from the petrol station across the road.

Landhotel Agathawirt, St. Agatha 10, 4822 Bad Goisern, Austria; +43 (6135) 8341; 65 kilometres from Salzburg airport; double room on bed & breakfast basis from €61 per night in winter and from €46 in summer. Half board supplement €16 per person per day.

Andrea (Andy) Montgomery is a freelance travel writer and co-owner of Buzz Trips and The Real Tenerife series of travel websites. Published in The Telegraph, The Independent, Wexas Traveller, Thomas Cook Travel Magazine, EasyJet Traveller Magazine, you can read her latest content on Google+