Hiking Tour: “Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 Stage 2: From Karlstift to Altmelon”

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: the northern part from Nebelstein to Plankenstein via the Mühl- & Waldviertel and the Wachau, the middle part from Plankenstein to Trofaiach via the Ötscher, Hochschwab and Eisenerzer Reichenstein, and the southern part from Trofaiach to Eibiswald via the Pack and Koralpe. It normally takes 3 weeks to complete the entire trail.

	Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 – Checkpoints
	Karlstift: The stamp is provided at restaurant Zeiler in Karlstift 36. Liebenau: A stamp can be acquired at the municipal office in Liebenau 41. Arbesbach: A stamp can be acquired either at the municipal office (Arbesbach 35) or at the restaurant Kerschbaummayr. Altmelon: A stamp can be acquired at the municipal office in Altmelon 60.

Personal impressions:
Transportation:
As I’ve planned a single day-trip to accomplish this stage, I used my car to drive to the destination Altmelon and parked it there next to the school. From there bus service is provided during school days to reach Karlstift:

1. Bus 735 from Altmelon Ortsmitte (06:19) Arbesbach Ortsmitte (06:24)
2. Bus 736 from Arbesbach Ortsmitte (06:30) Groß Gerungs Hauptplatz (06:43)
3. Bus 736 from Groß Gerungs Hauptplatz (06:43) Karlstift B38/Abzw. Ort (07:07)

Having the car parked at the destination allows for detours and breaks, not having pressure to catch public transportation.

The hike:
I started the hike on a weekday (Wednesday) early in the morning (7:00). Doing the stage during the week allows for two important things: (1) the bus to get from Altmelon to Karlstift is operating only during school days (not on the weekend!), and (2) stamps can be collected at the municipal offices, thus not being dependent on opening hours of restaurants.
If not done in the previous stage, the first stamp can be acquired at the restaurant Zeiler in Karlstift having a morning coffee before starting the tour. I had the stamp already from the previous stage so I’ve used the time and started directly the tour towards Liebenau.
I personally liked the trail from Karlstift to Liebenau through the amazing and green forests, mainly on gravel forest roads or silent tarmac roads. Because I’ve started early, I reached Liebenau still in the morning (around 9:00), allowing me to get the stamp quick and without consumption at the municipal office. After a quick stock-up at the local grocery store, I continued the tour heading towards Arbesbach.
Again the trail used mainly silent gravel or paved roads with the exception of walking twice on the fairly occupied L576 with no sidewalk. The trail leads this time mainly through green and beautiful meadows, which is exposed to sun, thus an early hike is advantageous to avoid heat.
For me the highlight was reaching the beautiful Rubner Teich lake with its inviting rest area. There is a bistro which was not open yet but also a vending machine for cold drinks which I took advantage of.
Again it traded off being early as I was alone and could really enjoy the silence looking at the beautiful lake before continuing the tour towards Arbesbach, this time mainly through the forest.
On the trail, I’ve noticed the sign Bärenweg which attracted my attention. Being badly prepared, I was not aware of this unique attraction requiring just a small detour. I therefore continued on the 05 trail to Arbesbach, having lunch at the restaurant Kerschbaummayr and also acquiring my next stamp .
During lunch I researched the Bärenschutzzentrum Arbesbach (bear sanctuary) and immediately regretted that I have skipped that. But knowing that my car is close, I decided to give it a visit on the way back home.
After my lunch in Arbesbach, I made a small detour towards the castle and the Frauensitz rock, before going back and continue the hike on the 05 trail to Altmelon. The trail to Altmelon is not too exciting, mainly on gravel or paved roads through meadows with no highlights.
After I’ve reached Altmelon, I’ve acquired my last stamp on this stage at the municipal office which has very generous opening hours (Mon – Thu till 17:00).
When I’ve reached my car, I drove back to Arbesbach and did an enjoyable and very recommended visit of the bear sanctuary which I would highly recommend to do as a detour on the trail from Liebenau to Arbesbach.

Another thing to consider is acquiring a Niederösterreich Card, as it would cover the entrance fee for this attraction as well as many other attractions on future stages.