Hiking Tour: “Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 Stage 19: From Plotscherbauer to Oskar Schauer Sattelhaus”

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
	Gleinalm-Schutzhaus: Limited service and opening hours! Oskar-Schauer-Haus: a.k.a. Sattelhaus

Personal impressions:
Transportation:
I’ve planned to accomplish this stage as the third of an 8-day multi-day trip. As I stayed the night at the Plotscherbauer, I was able to directly start the tour the next morning.

The hike:
This hike was part of an 8-day multi-day trip. Initially, I planned to start from Gleinalm-Schutzhaus but I was luckily informed before that this hut was closed in summer 2025 and thus I decided to detour to Plotscherbauer. This however resulted in a very demanding tour for this stage, with literally no serviced hut but a distance of approx. 30km with nearly 2000m in ascent.
Luckily I got a lunch package at Plotscherbauer and I also was able to fill up my water supplies – as it also turned out that there is no water source on the way but the trail is constantly exposed to sun.
So after my overnight stay at the attic, I decided to start early to avoid the heat during ascent, as I first had to hike back from Plotscherbauer to the saddle below the Fensteralm, the crossing where I left the official  05  trail the day before. The way back is relatively easy but has one or two exposed and steeper parts that require attention.
I managed to be early at the Fensteralm and enjoying the nice view from there. From there the tour gets really exciting and scenic, but is a constant up and down, from summits down into saddles and then back up to summits. Once at the Fensteralm, the hike turns out to be very pleasant, constantly having scenic views, especially at the Eiblkogel. From there the trail descends easy down into the Kreuzsattel (saddle) before it ascends steep up to the Lärchkogel.
As it was very hot, I started run out of water (although filled up at Plotscherbauer) but used the time at the Lärchkogel for also having lunch (also thankfully provided by Plotscherbauer). I got a bit into panic mode knowing that I run out of water but hoped to find some possibility to refill at the Gleinalm-Schutzhaus.
After my break, I continued the hike up to the summit of Speikkogel. The trail up is relatively easy but requires a bit of attention due to the many rocks. Once I made it to the Speikkogel and enjoying again the view and taking a few of the last sips from my water bottle, I descended down to the Gleinalm-Schutzhaus. The trail down turned out to be steep on lose gravel and requires a sure foot and attention. But the closer I came to the hut, the more noise I heard and to my full surprise, I indeed had the luck that it was exceptionally open because of a big organized hiking group.
Although no food was served, I was able to purchase two or three cold beers before I also realized my exceptional luck: It turned out that the hut does not have drinking water on tap but due to their exceptional opening, I was able to acquire bottled mineral water and thus being able to fill up my water supplies! I really don’t want to imagine what would have happened if the hut was closed !!!
After a long break having cold drinks and get hydrated again, I then continued my last part. Again, short but steep up on the other side of the saddle. Because I felt good again and also had enough water, I decided to detour up to the summit of Roßbachkogel, providing another amazing view back to Speikkogel and the other summits that I have passed by.
After a short break, I descended back to the official trail and then followed it towards the Zeissmannhütte – the first time I could have refilled my water supplies thanks to the huge water well. The remaining tour turned out to be easy, first on an easy trail through the forest and then along a comfortable forest road till reaching the Oskar Schauer Sattelhaus.
It seemed that the staff there recognized that I was really exhausted and served me quickly the first beer. In general, it turned out to be one of the nicest hut I ever visited. Extremely friendly staff, excellent food, and the tenant ensures that the hut looks extraordinary beautiful from outside and inside. Indeed, a highly recommended place to stay!

Summary:
An extremely scenic trail with no major difficulties and only one steep ascent after the Kreuzsattel. But the trail requires good weather! The only drawback is the very bad infrastructure regarding huts and water sources. On a hot day there is a risk to run out of water quickly, 2 liters were not enough for me.