WAB - Stage 18: Waxeneckhaus - Markt Piesting

Description

“Rustling woods, rugged rocks, bubbling streams, and hidden paths” is a description regularly used to describe the area around Gutenstein. The rustling woods accompany us, and the view from the Hohe Mandling is the reward on this stage after passing the Steinwandkamm and the Türkenloch. Go downhill into the Piestingtal Valley, where you can the truly soak up the Biedermeier culture.

Starting point of the tour

Schutzhaus Waxeneck

Destination point of the tour

Markt Piesting, car park in village centre at the information pavilion

Route description WAB - Stage 18: Waxeneckhaus - Markt Piesting

The stage down into the Piestingtal valley initially takes us uphill along a private road then follows the Viennese Alps Way slightly downhill towards Geyersattel. We head along a broad forest path and start ascending slightly until descending a touch into a small dip at Fozeben skiing hut. The last wolf in Lower Austria was killed on this path in 1866. However, there are an increasing number of reports that, slowly but surely, wolves are coming back to Lower Austria.

 

 

A steep forest path guides us through young forest up to the summit of Hohe Mandling. The Berndorfer Hütte, which burned down in 2007, was carried away and a cross can be seen commemorating it. We follow path no. 231 south over the Knödelwiese in the direction of Markt Piesting. We go downhill for around 1.5 kilometres to a saddle, cross over a forest road, and follow the hiking route to a lay-by. A path marked in yellow on the left goes to Berndorf, whilst we go right on the red path downhill to a meadow with a hunting lodge. We leave the forest road whilst veering left and continue along the woodland trail. A few minutes later, we come across another forest path and follow the hiking path on both paths and forest roads as far as a crossroads at a high-voltage line. Initially we ascend slightly through dense forest, then down to the Rotes Kreuz with views of Alkersdorf to our left.

 

 

We walk past the reservoir and carry on through a pine forest. After going past the Vinzenzkapelle and along the Pecherlehrpfad route, we reach a car park. At this point we cross the road and turn right, go around 100 metres alongside the road until we turn left onto a marked hiking path. This narrow path later becomes a forest road, which then becomes a paved road. We walk along this and past some houses downhill to the start and finish of the Piestingtaler Rundwanderweg route. Then we hike down Talgasse to the chapel and turn right onto Feldgasse. At the end of this road we cross the rails to our left, walk over the Piesting river and after two more turns finish up at the Markt Piesting municipal office.