The Blockheide Gmünd-Eibenstein Nature Park
Hurraaaaa! The Covid pandemic is finally taking something of a break, and so — would you believe it — 616 days have passed since our last Hundereise…. I'm so happy to finally be able to "whisk you away" again.
Our last holiday before Covid-19 took us to the Waldviertel, as you can read about here. Since we fell in love with this corner of Austria and there are still a few magical places left to discover, we're spending a few days in the north-west of Lower Austria.
My partner, Murphy, Archie and I kick things off with a trip to the Blockheide Gmünd-Eibenstein Nature Park, as we want to see more of the legendary granite formations.
As early as a holiday morning allows, we set off from our accommodation towards Gmünd and head for the Grillenstein car park. It's the perfect starting point for us, since a short stretch past some residential houses leads straight into the Blockheide.
A gravel path leads towards the pond and the refuge hut, from where all the themed trails are accessible. A sign here indicates that dogs must be kept on a lead.
Nearby Car Parks
The following free car parks are available in the area:
- Gasthaus Traxler, Grillenstein (where we parked)
- Latschenhütte
- Gasthaus Grubel, Groß Eibenstein
- Busparkplatz Mühlgasse
Murphy cools off in the still-dewy grass, and while we make up our minds about which trail to take, Archie keeps a close eye on what the carp in the pond are up to.
The Themed Trails to Choose From
There are 4 themed trails and 2 running routes to choose from. The distances range from 2.7 km to 5.8 km.
- The purple TEUFELSBETT running route at 2.7 km
- The LANDSCHAFTSkulTOUR in green at 2.8 km
- The 2.9 km red GRANITkulTOUR
- The blue MYTHOlogieTOUR at 3.5 km
- The yellow MARIENkäferWEG at 5.6 km
- The pink PILZSTEIN running route at 5.8 km
Which trail will it be?
The MYTHOlogieTOUR
We go for the MYTHOlogieTOUR with its 3.5 km and follow the blue markers past the pond.
The Geological Open-Air Museum and the 15th Meridian
First we reach the geological open-air museum, where we learn quite a bit about the history of the granite stones and how they were used.
The nature of the Blockheide Gmünd-Eibenstein helps us forget the stressful time behind us and simply arrive in the here and now, breathing it all in.
We hike along the 15th Meridian. In the Blockheide, mean solar time is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, which means it corresponds exactly to Central European Time (CET).
Schuldstein, Teufelsbett und Teufelsbrotlaib
From the 15° east meridian we move on to the first large, legendary standing stones, which form fascinating shapes and bear remarkable names:
The Impressive Christophorusstein
The next gigantic residual boulder — as these granite formations are also known — is the Christophorusstein. Its sheer size and the cleft through it make it an invitation for all sorts of fun photos.
At Wackelstein II we take a short break and snap more photos of the beautiful surroundings:
Last but Not Least: Mondteiche and Wackelsteine
At the Mondteiche, Archie and Murphy take a little dip to cool off (we of course have plenty of water in the rucksack too) and we pass by the enormous Pilzstein and Wackelstein III, which round off this trip to the Blockheide Gmünd-Eibenstein perfectly.
Trail Details
- Pace: leisurely
- Stated hiking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Our duration: 2 hours
- Route length: 4.7 km
- Ascent: 66 m
- Descent: 65 m
- Highest point: 542 m
- Lowest point: 477 m
Dog facts
- The hike runs mostly along lovely forest tracks and paths.
- An easy, flat walk with a very straightforward route.
- We found few spots where the dogs could take a dip.
- On that day we barely came across any walkers, hikers or fellow dog owners. The ones we did meet were all very relaxed and considerate.
Final thoughts on the trip to Blockheide Gmünd
A beautiful loop that is wonderfully varied thanks to the many granite rock formations — and one that can easily be done in summer too, since most of the route is in the shade.
