Seventh stage of the Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 starting from Texing Plankenstein via Plankenstein and St. Anton an der Jeßnitz to Ötscher/Tormäuer and further to Laubenbachmühle.
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The North-South-Long-Distance trail (Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg, also known as the “05”) starts in the north of Austria at Nebelstein and ends in the south of Austria at Eibiswald. The trail is ~500km long, ~18 000m in ascent and the same amount in descent. The trail was initiated by Carl Hermann and officially established on the 25th September 1970. The trail is separated into 3 parts:
It normally takes 3 weeks to complete the entire trail. |
The here presented tour is the seventh stage of the Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 .
The tour starts at the bus station in Texing Plankenstein and first heads westwards back to the official trail before continuing following the 05 southwards to the castle of Plankenstein (Checkpoint) and then further to St. Anton an der Jeßnitz (Checkpoint) using nice forest trails.
The tour then follows the small street southwards to the Almhaus Hochbärneck (Checkpoint) with its scenic viewpoint.
The tour then descends downwards towards the Erlauf river flowing through the impressive Ötscher / Tormäuer. When reaching the Erlauf river, the here presented tour leaves the official trail to reach the train station at Laubenbachmühle.
This is achieved by following the very impressive trail along the Erlauf river with its clear and cold water eastwards and iconic waterfalls flowing into the river. At the impressive Trefflingfall, the tour then follows the trail up northwards, climbing up alongside the waterfall and then follows the trail and later the street towards Puchenstuben.
The tour then continues following the trail along the railway downwards to the big train station of Laubenbachmühle and ends here.
| Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 – Checkpoints | |
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Transportation:
I’ve planned to accomplish this stage as a single day-trip as it can be reached relatively good via public transportation. However, to use public transportation, the tour must be significantly extended but it turned out that I enjoyed the tour because of the extension through the beautiful Tormäuer.
To reach there, I used the following means of transport ( The bus service is only operating between Mondays – Fridays!):
- IC 544 from Wien Hauptbahnhof (07:55) St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof (08:28)
- R 56 from St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof (08:37) Ober-Grafendorf Bahnhof (08:53)
- Bus 679 from Ober-Grafendorf Bahnhfof (09:00) Texing Plankenstein (09:42)
To go back, I used the following means of transport:
- R 56 from Laubenbachmühle Bahnhof (19:09) St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof (20:22)
- RJ 747 from St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof (20:32) Wien Hauptbahnhof (21:05)
The hike:
I’ve started the hike on a Wednesday late morning (09:45) in summer (August). The reason for this is because the bus towards the start point in Texing Plankenstein only operates during the week (not on the weekend) and also the tour turned out to be very long and requires long daylight. In addition, the huts around the Ötscher hiking area are open longer during summer which allows for appropriate breaks and collecting the stamps.
After arriving by bus in Texing Plankenstein, I first followed the street westwards back to the point where I left the official 05 trail on the previous stage and then continued following the trail southwards up directly to the castle of Plankenstein (Checkpoint). During having a coffee, I collected the stamp at the restaurant and then continued the tour following the paved road southwards, bypassing the church. Right after the graveyard, the tour turns right and then follows shortly a trail through the forest before following again a small paved road.
Hiking along the road allows several times scenic views towards Ötscher and the surrounding area, thus I’ve enjoyed this part very much.
In St. Anton an der Jeßnitz (Checkpoint), I was lucky to find the only restaurant (Jeßnitztalerstubn) open where I was able to collect my next stamp and enjoy a nice lunch and one or two cold beers on a hot, sunny day.
The tour then continues following a small paved road southwards, bypassing the Antonisee lake and further towards the Almhaus Hochbärneck. The last meters before the hut, the tour uses a nice trail through a forest and meadows till reaching the hut.
The Almhaus Hochbärneck is the alternate Checkpoint to St. Anton an der Jeßnitz, regardless I collected here again a stamp while enjoying one or two well-deserved cold beers.
After my break, I decided to do a detour up to the viewing platform on Hochbärneck, allowing a scenic and rewarding view towards the Ötscher summit and the Tormäuer gorge.
I then went back to the trail and followed it downwards till reaching the crossing right in front of the Erlauf river.
Here, I decided to end my hike on the 05 trail for today, turned left and followed the really scenic trail towards Eibenmühle, and further to the amazing waterfalls Hundsbachfall and Trefflingfall. Especially on a hot day, this trail is rewarding due to being close to the clear and cold river. I stopped more than once to enjoy the silence, watch the waterfalls and let sound of the water calm my soul down.
At Trefflingfall, I had to leave the main route and followed the trail up to the top of the waterfall and then further towards the village of Puchenstuben. Because I was late, I missed the last train from Puchenstuben (for a few minutes), which required me to extend the tour further down to the bigger train station Laubenbachmühle. The trail is easy and mostly descends, so even after a very long hike this was not such a challenge anymore.
When I arrived at the train station in Laubenbachmühle, I was enjoying my last self-brought refreshment and waited for the train back to St. Pölten and further to Vienna.
Summary:
Although long, this stage turned out to be a really nice one. The tour allows several nice views towards Ötscher and because the second part is mostly in shadow, it can also be done on hot, sunny days. My personal highlight was the way back, following the Erlauf river towards Puchenstuben. Hiking alongside this amazing river cannot be expressed in words, the waterfalls are amazing and the entire tour – although very long – recharged my batteries. It is a pity that the official trail is bypassing this nature jewel, so I definitely recommend to plan an extra day to explore this region.
| 00:00 | Start at the bus station in Texing Plankenstein. Follow the main road L89 westwards. |
| 00:10 | Turn left into trail 05 and follow the trail southwards. |
| 00:15 | At the crossing, keep straight and follow the trail through the forest up to the castle Plankenstein. |
| 00:25 | Well-deserved break () at Burg Plankenstein. Do not forget to collect your stamp here . |
| 00:35 | Follow the paved road southwards, bypass the church and right after the cemetery, turn right and follow the marked trail southwestwards. |
| 00:45 | Turn sharply right and now follow the paved road southwestwards. |
| 01:05 | At the crossing, keep right and continue following the marked trail 05. At the next crossing, keep right, ascent towards the meadow and then turn right, following the trail into the forest. |
| 01:25 | Turn right and follow the paved road southwards. |
| 01:40 | At the crossing, first enjoy the amazing view towards Ötscher, then turn right and follow the trail westwards. |
| 02:00 | At the crossing at Rainstein, turn left and descend towards Jeßnitzreit. Depending on the time of the year, you might need to bypass the meadow with cows by following the trail on the other side of the fence. |
| 02:10 | Follow the street around the farm (first eastwards), then turn right and follow the trail southwestwards. |
| 02:15 | Turn right into the paved road and follow it alongside the river till St. Anton an der Jeßnitz. |
| 02:45 | In St. Anton an der Jeßnitz (Checkpoint), turn right into the main road, follow it for a few meters and enjoy a well-deserved break () at Jeßnitztalerstubn. Don’t forget to collect your stamp here! |
| 03:25 | Continue following the main street westwards and at the next crossing, turn left into the smaller street. Follow this street southwards alongside the Jeßnitzbach river, bypassing the Antonisee lake. |
| 04:10 | Turn left into the gravel road and follow it. The road bypasses a house (Schaufelreith) and continues towards Hochbärneck. |
| 05:05 | Well deserved break () at Almhaus Hochbärneck. If not yet acquired, you might want to get a stamp here as well! |
| 05:30 | Detour: Follow the trail eastwards and just before the forest, turn right. The trail automatically leads up to the top of Hochbärneck with its viewing platform. Climb up the wooden platform and enjoy the scenic view from there. |
| 05:40 | Hike back to the hut and then turn left. Follow the marked trail 05 southwards towards the Erlauf river. |
| 06:15 | At the crossing (gravel road makes an U-turn) just before the Erlauf river, turn left and leave the 05 trail. Follow the very beautiful trail eastwards along the Erlauf river. |
| 06:30 | Short break opposite Hundsbachfall to enjoy this amazing waterfall. |
| 06:40 | Another short break (best enjoyed with a self-brought refreshment ) at the Trefflingfall with its rest area. |
| 06:45 | Turn left and follow the trail up towards the top of Trefflingfall. Continue following the trail 604A northwards. |
| 06:10 | Follow the trail around the Rauschhof southwards which leads to the road L5247. |
| 06:20 | When approaching the road, do not cross but turn right, follow the street eastwards and then turn left into the next street! Follow this street southwards which leads into a trail after bypassing the building. |
| 06:35 | At the crossing, turn sharp left (U-turn) and follow the marked trail. |
| 07:20 | Follow the Naturparkstraße northeastwards towards Puchenstuben. You might consider doing a final break () at Trefflingtalerhaus. |
| 07:50 | Continue following the Naturparkstraße northeastwards towards Puchenstuben. |
| 08:30 | in Puchenstuben, turn left and follow the main street northwards. Right at the center, opposite the school, turn right and follow the smaller street downwards. Just before the train station, turn left and follow the trail 604A downwards, crossing the railway track. |
| 08:40 | Turn left into the Bahnwanderweg and follow it downwards. The trail will lead into a street down to Laubenbach. |
| 09:05 | In Laubenbach, turn left and follow the street northwards to the train station Laubenbachmühle. |
| 09:15 | Arrival at the train station Laubenbachmühle. End of the tour. |
| Area: | Mostviertel, Lower Austria, Austria | |
| Distance: | 38km | |
| Ascent: | 1457m (4h 20min) | |
| Descent: | 1396m (3h 00min) | |
| Highest Pt: | 956m | |
| Lowest Pt: | 383m | |
| Duration: | 7h 30min (without breaks) 9h 15min (with breaks) |
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| Stop/Rest: | Traverne Burg Plankenstein (665m) Gasthaus Grassmann (Plankenstein, 676m) Jeßnitztalerstubn (St. Anton an der Jeßnitz, 385m) Almhaus Hochbärneck (St. Anton an der Jeßnitz, 916m) Trefflingtalerhaus (620m) |
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| Equipment: | Backpack with standard hiking equipment Comfortable hiking shoes Snacks, Food and plenty (!) of water 2x Gipfelbier Sun & Weather protection Camera |
| Download GPX | ||
| O | Tour at outdooractive.com |
At a glance
| Level | difficult |
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