Much of our travels involve being given the equivalent of a black and white sketch which we then colour in and add detail to by walking across a specific area for days and days, learning all about it as we go. Like any developing relationship there can be ups and downs and occasional tantrums, but ultimately the end result is usually the same – a stranger becomes a friend.

The process always, always results in a bulging rucksack full of memories and special moments. They’re not momentous in travel terms; they can often be small, personal moments and are all the more precious for it.

In a year packed with trails leading into forests, volcanic plains, gorges, valleys and along mountain paths these are five routes which stood out from the rest.

Gaisterklamm in Leutasch, Austria
The ghostly gorge at one end of the Leutasch Valley was a bit of a change for us as part of the route involved swinging into the saddle (bike not horse). I admit to feeling like a traitor as I rang my bell to warn hikers on the dappled forest riverside trail to shift out of the road so I could pass. I knew exactly what they were muttering under their breaths. But defecting to two wheels for part of the journey meant we were able to clock up a much greater route than if we’d been on foot. Plus, I actually quite enjoyed it. The place of legends and benign goblins didn’t disappoint. Metal walkways fixed to the walls of the gorge took us through the vertiginous heart of Gaisterklamm to a darker and more boisterous lower gorge. Exhilarating and great fun.
We stayed at the Hotel Kristal in Leutasch but Mittenwald is also within walking distance.

From Forest to Volcanic Crater on Tenerife
We’ve walked in the pine forests around the town of Vilaflor many times and we’ve explored the surreal trails of Teide National on numerous occasions. Putting together a new south Tenerife walking holiday for slow travel specialists Inntravel had as looking at combining both whilst coming up with a route which was quite different from one which has been tread by travellers for centuries. It turned out to be one of the most challenging routes we’ve walked in a while, and one with a pay off which truly deserved an amazed gasp… slipped in with the gasps caused by the altitude (around 2400m) and the effort of getting there. It’s a route where Mount Teide and the sprawling volcanic formations of Teide National Park remain hidden until the last moment, making the impact of the view all the more powerful.
We stayed at the Hotel Spa Villalba in Vilaflor and also the Parador de Cañadas del Teide. It’s not a marked or well known route so is quite exclusive to Inntravel’s To the Top of Tenerife holiday.

Lush and Lovely Ribeira do Paul, Santa Antao
Cape Verde was a revelation mainly because just about everything we’d heard about the African archipelago amounted to much the same thing – good beaches, not much else. Standing, overlooking one of the most glorious visions to please my eyes, the Ribeiro do Paul Valley, made us realise that Cape Verde was blighted by the same perceptions that colour views of some of the Canary Islands. Our route from the basin of a volcanic crater to our rural hotel deep in the valley took us through a tropical paradise where the beauty of scenery was matched by the smiles of the people we passed and paused to speak to along the way. It leapfrogged into one of my favourite walking routes anywhere.
We stayed at Casa das Ilhas and accommodation and guide (essential for the full Cape Verde experience) were arranged by Archipelago Choice.

Tunte to Tejeda on Gran Canaria
Walking from Tunte to Tejeda on Gran Canaria was like meeting up with an old friend, but this time one who was in a better mood. Last time we walked the route it was mostly grey and quite miserable; any views were lost in the low cloud whose chilly fingers poked at our bones. It was a great walk then. In the warm sunshine we enjoyed this time it was a sensational walk, from the initial exhilarating climb out of Tunte with huge views over the south of the island to a trail which led through the pines and across the rooftop of the island, revealing the famous Roque Nublo, before it descended into the picturesque town of Tejeda where we were welcomed by a croaky frog chorus. Simply, a hugely satisfying route.
To complete this route we stayed at both the Hotel Las Tirajanas in Tunte and the Hotel Fonda de la Tea in Tejeda.

A Surprise in the Forest at Seebuck, Germany
The weather wasn’t kind to us for the first part of our epic trip walking through Germany’s Black Forest. It was cooler than we’d anticipated so the short train journey from Altglashütten to Barental was a brief but welcome chance to warm up before we ascended through the forest to Seebuck with its panoramic 360 degree views. In our case, 360 degrees views of a washed out landscape and dreary cloud. In summer, it must be quite something, but on an unseasonably cool late October afternoon it was a case of ‘right, seen it, let’s catch the cable car down and move on’. Within the hour we emerged at a sight which exploded into view, making a mockery of the low cloud and depressed lighting. Feldsee, hidden in and surrounded by the forest, was an unexpected delight – a section of the forest parading its autumnal colours with flamboyant flourish; doubling up the colour assault by reflecting the vibrant tree line in the glassy waters of the forest lake.
We stayed at the Hotel Peterle in Falkau, our base for a few nights whilst we researched the area for routes to be included in a new Black Forest walking holiday.

It’s part of what walking is all about for us. It’s not about route marches, how far we can walk in a day or  how quickly we can complete a route. It’s about the ingredients that make up the journey and what we discover along the way, like turning a bend on a mountain path, or emerging into a forest clearing, to be faced with something quite special.

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+

Beginning just outside the town of Mösern, a lovely meditation trail weaves its way across the upper Inn Valley, wandering across meadows and through woods to reach the tranquil lake of Möserer See. Circumnavigating the lake, the trail then descends to the little church in Mösern before ending at the Peace Bell itself. Known as the Peace Trail, the route has seven contemplation points clearly marked along the way, each with its own message related to the theme of peace.

At the lake the meditation mantra is: ‘The human soul is like water – peace needs serenity and action’; at a viewpoint over the valley it reads: ‘Observation and Wonderment – peace grows through gratitude and praise’. The final message on the Peace Trail is at the bell itself and reads: ‘May peace be its first toll – peace is living vibration’.

Every day at 5pm the Peace Bell is struck to mark the hour and its sonorous chime booms down the valley, rebounding off the mountains, chasing its own echo. To visitors, it’s a shattering of the tranquillity in which this arrestingly beautiful valley is cloaked. To the ten regions, provinces and cantons in Austria who inaugurated its existence 43 years ago, it’s a daily reminder of their pledge to work together for the good of the 26 million people living within their borders, borders transcended by the cultural, health, environmental and social needs of people.

A Peace Bell, daily disrupting the peace of the valley to bring its message of peace. Long may its oxymoronic peal continue.

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. Co-author of Walk This Way Tenerife and The Real Tenerife. You can read her latest content on Google+

Jack and I are each standing on a coloured circle in a small partitioned space in a museum in Innsbruck, wearing headphones. The museum guide is explaining the rules of this particular game and, I don’t know about Jack, but I’m confused. Before I can formulate my first question, she continues:
“You have just one minute. Okay? Go!”

“Wait! I’m not ready!”, I want to shout but it’s too late, she’s pressed the button and the clock has begun its countdown.

In my headphones I hear a vague chirping noise and step towards it. One step and there’s a whistle, then a new chirping sound coming from behind me. I step back a fraction and there’s another whistle and a new sound.

From the corner of my eye I can see Jack. He’s just standing still. The guide is gesticulating with her head and eyes, trying to get him to move to his left but he’s rooted to the spot.

Suddenly, the chirping stops, the lights come up and the guide starts to speak.
“My God! I have never known anyone do so well at their first attempt,” she says, looking at me. “You were amazing. You rescued FIVE birds!” She’s grinning like she was one of the freed birds. I’m waiting for my gold star.

Then she looks at Jack. “What happened? You didn’t move.”
“I had no idea what was going on!” He responds, a look of bafflement on his face. “I thought we were supposed to stay on our circles. I kept moving my head in the direction of the chirping but nothing happened! I saw you moving around…”, he says, looking at me, “…and thought you were doing it wrong.”

His expression is so pained, so wronged, that I start to giggle. The image of him standing there, moving his head around while the guide gesticulates frantically to get him to move, flits back into my mind and the giggle turns into a full blown belly laugh. By the time we move to the next exhibit, we’re both crying with laughter.

We’re in Innsbruck, at the AudioVersum centre and we’re discovering the world of sound and hearing.

So far, we’ve placed fake animal ears on our heads attached to headphones and moved them around in different directions so we can appreciate how rabbits, deer, zebras, foxes and cats all instinctively move their ears in different directions to pick up noise. We’ve placed our hands on vibrating surfaces equating to the noise level produced by a jet engine, a jack-hammer and MP3 earphones. We’ve listened to the noise of the streets in Paris, London and Innsbruck and then experienced that same noise through the ears of someone with impaired hearing. And we’ve listened through our elbows, a newly discovered talent that I’m immensely proud of and am almost certain, will one day prove invaluable.

On our way out we stop off at the scream box, a sound-proof box in which you can let your lungs rip and see how many decibels you reach. Jack waits outside while I go. I’m pretty impressed with the fact that the sound level I’m generating is equating roughly to that of the cry of a Howler monkey. Outside the booth, across the corridor,  I can see Jack laughing and taking my picture, presumably keen to publicise my similarity to the Howler monkey. One last failed attempt at reaching elephant level and I leave the booth.

“What’s so funny?” Jack is now struggling to breathe through his laughter.
It seems the soundproof booth is not very soundproof at all and I’ve just been screaming my lungs out in the foyer of a museum in Innsbruck.

Well at least I rescued some birds…

AudioVersum Hearing Adventure, Wilhelm-Greil Straße 23, Innsbruck; (+43) (0)5 778 899; audioversum.at; open Tues-Fri 9am to 5pm; Sat, Sun, holidays 10am to 5pm, closed Monday; adults €7, children (under 15yrs) €4.50

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. Co-author of Walk This Way Tenerife and The Real Tenerife. You can read her latest content on Google+

The fertile Leutasch Valley which sits at the foot of the Wetterstein Mountains in the Austrian Tyrol is about as flat as you’re going to find in Austria making it perfect for days of wheels and wanderings without too much sweat.

This wasn’t the first time I had actually been in a saddle since my teenage years, I had a short but memorable ride in the Pyrenees a couple of years ago as part of a brochure shoot for Inntravel. It’s fair to say I was pretty rubbish at that time and I had no reason to expect I would be anything different now. But setting out from the Hotel Kristall in the warm sunshine, along a tranquil riverside path surrounded by forests of fir trees that run down to crocus covered meadows, the years slipped away and I rediscovered the joy of cycling.

Arriving at the Leutascher Geisterklamm 11km later, I followed the ethereal directional finger of the cartoon ghost pointing me to the entrance of the Spirit Gorge and, exchanging wheels for feet, tethered my steed and entered the gorge.

Over millennia the Leutascher Ache has cut a deep ravine into the mountains on its way to join the Iter at Mittenwald. A decade ago, steel walkways were embedded into the sides of a 3 kilometre stretch of the gorge enabling visitors to walk above the torrent in search of the trickster spirit that allegedly resides in the depths of the whirlpools, waterfalls and strange rock formations that populate the canyon.

Dotted along the platform trail are interactive displays that tell of the pranks of the spirit of the gorge and his goblin associates, and invite young visitors to peer down into maelstroms, listen through an oversized earpiece to spirit conversations and dare to enter a dark cave guarded by red eyes peering out from the dark. For the grown ups, it’s the simple beauty of the gorge and the thrill of being suspended over a 110 vertical meter canyon that enthrals.

Descending along an Ice Age history trail that crosses the boundary into Germany, I arrived at the lower gorge where a wooden walkway placed just a couple of meters above the fast flowing torrent extends ever deeper into the smaller ravine whose walls close in, eliminating the sunlight and casting a foreboding gloom. In this gorge there are no Casper-esque images of cartoon ghosts or quaint tales of goblins that dance in the night or the spirit that flies over the meadows leaving a trail of singed grass in his wake. Here, if there is a spirit he’s an angry one, his deafening roar bouncing around the glistening rock face and his spit drenching me with icy water. I made my way to the end of the walkway and peered around the rock to see and feel the full force of nature as a waterfall plummets 23 metres, crashing onto the rocks below with a thundering boom.

Bolstered by the outward ride, safely out of the clutches of spirits and back in the saddle, I decided to detour from the return route in order to avoid an overlap with a walk I was doing the next day. Everything was going really well until the stony path I was following reached a steep dip. It was nothing that an experienced cyclist would even hesitate at and I could see that it was only short but as I gathered speed, the ruts in the gravel got deeper and more frequent and, like a will-o’-the-wisp, the thought suddenly entered my head that I could fall. In the split second that I allowed that thought in, the front wheel jammed into a rut and over I went, hitting the ground with a painful scrape of leg against gravel.

Picking myself up and sheepishly completing the hill on foot, my bike skittered along beside me, its wire basket bouncing above the back wheel with a noise that sounded oddly like laughter. Damn those pesky spirits.

The Leutascher Geisterklamm is unsuitable for pushchairs, prams or dogs. Cycles are not allowed on any part of the trails, and vertigo sufferers should avoid the walkways in the actual gorge and the suspension bridge that crosses it. There is an alternative route that skirts the gorge but obviously, it’s not as spectacular.

Entrance to the spirit gorge is free but there is a charge of €3 for adults and €1 for children to get into the lower gorge. Parking at the entrance to the gorge is €5 for cars.

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. Co-author of Walk This Way Tenerife and The Real Tenerife. You can read her latest content on Google+

It’s late when we arrive at Hotel Kristall. Not late late, but late for Austria. By 9.30pm dinner is over. It’s been a long drive from Munich and we’ve hardly eaten since breakfast. News that the dining room has just closed isn’t what we want to hear.
Then an amiable receptionist tells us they’ve put together something for us. Fifteen minutes later we’re tucking into the Austrian version of a ploughman’s lunch followed by a wedge of cake with a big dollop of cream. It’s all washed down with a cool glass of beer. All is well with the world and our stay at the Hotel Kristall gets off to a good start.

Location
Sitting in the centre of the Leutasch Valley in the Austrian Tyrol, the Hotel Kristall, a typically attractive Austrian lodge styled building, is smack, bang in the middle of a serious beauty spot. Despite the dramatic mountain range which faces you when you step out of the door, the feeling is of a tranquil and gentle landscape. The valley floor is flat and full of flower-filled fields, perfect for a cycle or a wander in any direction.
It’s only a few minutes walk to Weidach town/village centre which has a couple of bars and restaurants, a decent supermarket and shops where you can hire bikes. In one direction you’ve got the wonderful Spirit Gorge and Mittenwald beyond, in the other the Gaistal Valley and in-between are swirling rivers and dreamy meadows. Oh, and there’s a charming little fishing lake a short distance away. For people like us who like to get up close and personal with the great outdoors it offers a nice mix of gentle meandering and raw beauty. In short, it’s a fabulous location.

Rooms
We tend to find rooms Austrian lodge type hotels to be functional and comfortable rather than eye-catching and the rooms at the Kristall are no exception; lots of wooden panels, plush carpet and a double bed that’s two single beds. A small balcony overlooked the town and the mountains beyond. Room facilities included a radio/CD player, flat screen TV, hairdryer, bathrobe and slippers, fridge, wifi and a rucksack for use whilst staying at the hotel. If you became attached you could buy it. It was good sized with plenty of space to throw around hiking/cycling gear at the end of the day.

Facilities
The Hotel Kristall has a good spa and wellness area with a selection of pools and saunas as well as a gym. You can hire electric bikes and Segways direct from the hotel.

Breakfast takes place in an airy dining room with views of the valley and involves lots of jams, honeys, muesli, cold meats and cheeses as well as some hot dishes. We found there was plenty of choice to set us up for the day. A nice little touch that brought a smile to our face each morning was the daily Kristall newsletter. This consists of the weather forecast (very useful), local snippets and information (interesting), an ‘amusing’ piece of news and a joke (so bad they’re funny) and the menu for that night’s dinner where you have to choose your preferred main course from a choice of three (vegetarian option included).

Dinner consists of four courses (starter, soup, main and dessert). We felt the quality, presentation and choice was very good. Unfortunately we missed out on our first night but over the next two dinners we enjoyed bouillon with liver dumplings, beef goulash with gherkins and homemade noodles, lamb in thyme with rosemary potatoes, perch with salsa cruda and pork filled with prosciutto and sage. Bottles of wine are expensive – we’ve noticed this in a few Austrian hotels and can’t really understand why as it isn’t in the supermarkets. Best value is to opt for a carafe of the house wine… or have a beer.

What’s nice about dinner is that there’s a friendly atmosphere in the dining room, probably as a result of the family-feel vibe coming the owners and staff. It’s a nice place to dine at the end of a day in the meadows.

Overall the Hotel Kristall has the charm of a small family run hotel combined with the facilities of a bigger hotel. Whether you want long bike rides, challenging hikes or just to gentle cycle or meander along the river, it is in a perfect location.

Hotel Kristall; A-6105 Leutasch – Tirol .Tel: +43(0) 5214 6319;; double rooms cost from around €78 per person (half board).

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+

As one of the reasons we were in Austria was to check directions from Weidach to Mösern, this news was a bit of a blow.

We knew the G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau had resulted in a huge police presence in the area, but the summit was over. However, the surreal sight of armies of police vans parked outside nearly every quaint gasthaus for miles around, combined with a mobile military radar unit at the entrance to Weidach, suggested that there was more going on than we’d realised.

That ‘more’ was a meeting of the Bilderberg Group, basically a get together of some of the most influential and powerful people on the planet in the Austrian town of Telfs, just down the road from where we were staying.

Incidentally, we were due to pass right by Schloss Elmau later in the week. Any intelligence forces checking our plans may have started to suspect objectives that included directly passing the locations where both sets of  ‘influential’ groups had been meeting.

The word was an area around Telfs had been cordoned off, with roads and paths patrolled by police. The area was certainly teeming with men (and the occasional woman) in uniforms. We’d encountered a detour on arrival, when our planned route into the Leutasch Valley was blocked by armed police who directed us into a lay-by. I was so miffed, I got in a question before any of the stony-faced police officers could speak.

“So, can I actually get to Leutasch on this road?” I waved a map at them. It had been a long journey and I wasn’t really in the mood for any nonsense.

The police officer who’d waved us down looked slightly perplexed for a second, before answering ‘yes’ and dismissing us without further ado with a wave of his hand; no doubt thinking ‘I’m not here to give directions to stupid tourists.’

Our first dinner in the hotel confirmed there was going to be a problem with the route. We spoke to two British visitors who had attempted the route in the other direction, coming face to face with a blockade where they had some tea whilst being interviewed by an American news crew. It had all been a bit of an adventure.

There were plenty of trails in the area and if we’d just been wanting to walk to Mösern we’d have been able to bypass the heart of the ‘no-go zone’. But our remit was to check the directions for a specific route. There was no option but to set off and see how far we got, with ‘so, you don’t want to encourage tourism in Austria then?’ primed as a response to anyone who tried to block our way.

Walking past glassy lakes where the only movement was from fishing lines breaking the surface, and across grassy meadows full of wild flowers and picturesque wooden chalets we temporarily forgot there was a massive security operation taking place off screen.

We forgot, till we emerged from the forest at a car park opposite the Interalpen Hotel and saw the entrance, adjacent to our route, was guarded by police. There were also reams of red tape strung up all over the place.

It was the crunch moment.

As we walked toward the police line they eyed us disinterestedly. There had been tape across our path, but now it was cut. We sauntered past the police and onto the path. Nobody shouted ‘HALT!’, so the situation looked promising. And then there was a distraction.

A car drew up and three hipsters jumped out. One shouted: “You wouldn’t see this in America.”

I don’t know about the police but it riled me, probably because it sounded lame and hypocritical after too many recent news reports about unacceptable police behaviour in the States. The hipster followed it up with: “We’re a news crew and we’re going to film here. You can turn your backs if you don’t want to be filmed.”

To their credit, the police did just that. I was a bit disappointed. To me, the reporter came across as arrogant and provocative. The police stayed far calmer than I would have.
Then the reporter stood in front of the hotel’s driveway and shoved his microphone randomly towards a car that was leaving. It was a small sports car driven by a young woman who, understandably, ignored him.

“She doesn’t want to speak to us,” the reporter shouted into his microphone. “I wonder why?”

“Because you’re a complete prat,” I was tempted to shout, but with Carl Bernstein distracting the police, it seemed a good opportunity to make tracks.

From that point our path skirted a fence of red police tape, which followed us for a greater distance than we expected; the threat that it could block our way at any moment was constantly with us.

Just when we thought we were out of the woods (literally), two men approached from the opposite direction. At first they looked like fellow hikers, but guns at their hips suggested otherwise.

Passports were requested and, as one walkie-talkied our details elsewhere, we were asked who we were, what we were doing, where we were going, what our favourite movie was (not really). Although I knew everything should be fine, it was impossible not to imagine a scenario where things could go horribly wrong thanks to a case of mistaken identity and before I knew it, I would be face down in the back of one of those police vans. I’m sure the thought made me more shifty looking. Interestingly, they knew exactly when we were due to leave the country.

It seemed to take an eternity before it was confirmed we weren’t a threat, during which time one of the police officers spoke quite openly about why they were checking people in the area so thoroughly. They were friendly and polite; although the older of the two was a bit officious – we really didn’t need to be warned about staying on the path and not crossing the tape.

We didn’t mind being stopped, the mini police interrogation wasn’t a problem. They had a job to do, they did it without being heavy. After about 10 minutes we were cleared to continue on our way and complete our mission. It was an excellent walk with or without the Bildeberg Group, and we had a different tale from the trail as a bonus.

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+