The lovely Sandra from Spirits of Life invited us on a herb walk in Wöllersdorf-Steinabrückl, Lower Austria. On this herb walk, wild herbs take centre stage as the culinary highlight. We had to do the autumn hike with Sandra in the Bucklige Welt on our own, because I was ill at the time. So there was no way we were going to miss this one.
Archie's dew claw amputation has thankfully healed so well that he can join my mum, Murphy and me. So we meet on a Saturday in early April at 10 o'clock in the morning. From the small car park "in der Teufelsmühle" we set off, along with 9 other dogs and their owners.
The Herb Educator
We are accompanied by local expert Gabriela Baderer from the Kräutervilla, who shares her knowledge about the wild herbs of the area. We discover a huge variety of spring herbs. Gabriela explains all sorts of things: from identifying them to their traditional folk medicine uses and, of course, how to cook with them.
On our voyage of discovery we identify ground elder, chickweed, wild garlic, dead-nettle, lungwort, coltsfoot, wood sorrel, and among the poisonous species — autumn crocus, which is easily confused with wild garlic.
All of these spring herbs, with their excellent mineral content and high levels of vitamin C, are considered a local superfood in our diet and strengthen our immune system. Our four-legged favourites can also enjoy a thorough voyage of discovery with all the scents the forest has to offer.
As a crowning finale, every participant got to taste for themselves — herb soup, herb bread and a meadow elderflower drink.
The Photographer & the Four-Legged Hikers
Today I get to go camera-free and can devote myself entirely to nature, the dogs and my mum. Melitta (Meli's viewpoint) and Romana join us on the herb trail with their cameras and kindly provide their wonderful photos for this blog post. THANK YOU!!
At the start of the hike we make sure to keep enough distance from the other four-legged walkers. Murphy is always "Mr. Grumpy" at first and needs to have a grumble, but after a few metres on the trail together they all become part of his pack ;)
The Route & the Fire Salamanders
We set off, keeping a respectful distance from the other walkers. The path takes us past a few family homes in the direction of the Marchgraben playground. Just beyond it, our first herb-learning stop begins and Gabi tells us all about the local plants.
After the meadow we turn right at the crossroads onto the forest path. A few metres in, we spot the first fire salamander of the day. Most of us manage to see 4, and some even 5.
Why so many amphibians cross our path is explained to me later by Gabi's husband. They prefer damp weather and it had rained the previous night. They also live in mixed forests, which is exactly what this is. On top of that, the salamanders find refreshment in the stream — just like our dogs ;)
The Forest Shrine and the Cave
Fresh wild garlic lines our route in abundance, filling the forest with the scent of garlic. We walk along the little path beside the stream until we reach a forest shrine, also known as Karolinenruhe. There we linger with our dogs, take a break, share our snacks and enjoy the fresh air.
After this little pick-me-up we continue on to the next clearing, where we come across a wildlife feeding station as well as a bridge leading to the other side of the Marchgrabenbach. On that side there's a cave — and you can actually go inside it. Gabi works with incense in the "Zigeunerloch" and anyone who's curious is welcome to join and marvel at the roughly 7-metre-long cave.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group enjoys the large meadow on the other side. Then we head back to the starting point along a wider path, where Gabi's husband is already waiting for us at the playground with his homemade treats.
Hike from Wöllersdorf-Steinabrückl to the Zigeunerloch | Lower Austria
Tour Details
- Pace: slow
- Walking time: approx. 1:30 hours
- Duration: approximately 3 hours – we had quite a lot to discover
- Distance: 5.1 km
- Ascent: 90 hm
- Descent: 90 hm
- Highest point: 422 hm
- Lowest point: 332 hm
Dog Facts
- Hike on forest paths and forestry roads
- gentle steady climb, followed by a gentle steady descent back to the starting point
- small streams easily accessible for drinking throughout
- Hardly any other hikers that day and 2 brief encounters with other dogs
- no wildlife spotted (only fire salamanders)
