On the Berwang Holiday Music Course, great importance is attached to achieving a balance between music-making and 'holiday'.  It is therefore marvellous that Berwang itself offers such a splendid variety of leisure facilities.  Berwang is a quiet, mountain village at a height of 1336m; there are many opportunities for walks of varying difficulty, from leisurely strolls in the village (and its surroundings) to steep climbs; a sample of these is given below.

The Morning Walk

There is a daily 'early morning walk', departing 07:30 from outside the Hotel Singer and returning in time for breakfast at 08:00.  This is a gentle walk through the hamlet of Groben in the direction of the Roterstein.  Every day, we increase the distance by some 25-50 metres but still arrive back at 08:00 – some evidence of improving fitness!

An Evening Walk

We also have a 'Glühwein evening' when we walk to the Thanellerstube at Rinnen, the next little village along the valley.  Here, we sing, tell stories and jokes, and generally have a lively time.  Despite the name of this event, the Thanellerstube is renowned throughout Austria for its beer, brewed in-house, and, of course, soft drinks are also available.  The owner of the Stube often provides a small demonstration of the Alphorn.  For those preferring not to walk, a few cars ferry people to and from Rinnen.

Easy Walks (about 1 hour)

1.            Downhill Walk – to the village of Bichlbach on paths following a mountain stream, turning left along the road towards Heiterwang.  Take the lift up to Hochalm and return down to Berwang along forest roads and paths.

 2.            Kögelhutte Walk – leave Berwang via the Rinnen road; branch left at the signpost to the Kögelhutte, and follow the track up to the hut, where  refreshments are available.  There are alternative routes back to Berwang.

 3.            Hochalm – from the rear of the Hotel Singer, take the marked path leading along to woodland.  Keep going uphill until Hochalm is reached, where refreshments are available.  Again, the return to Berwang is via forest roads and paths.

 4.            Jägerhaus – take the same path to the woodland, but turn left along a traversing path signposted ' Jägerhaus' - a refuelling stop! – then back to Berwang.

More Strenuous Walks (2-3 hours)

 1.         Stausee – take the path to Rinnen, go through the village and, at the sign to Stausee, go straight on to a dam at the far end of the lake.  Continue around the lake to a short, steep upward path back to Rinnen, with alternative routes back to Berwang.

 2.            Raazalpe – From Rinnen, there is a circular route up to Raazalpe, returing via Ehenbichler Alpe.

 Moderately Difficult Walks (more than 3 hours)

 1.         Hönig (2052m) – from Berwang, take the Kögelhutte path and continue on to climb steeply up to the ridge of Hönig.  Proceed along the ridge, turning left to go down into the Roterstein valley and thence back to Berwang.

 There are two local mountains:

 2.            Thaneller (2343m; 1000m climb) – 3 hours up, equal to climbing Snowdon!  From the top of Berwang, the path goes through woods, rising to the summit where you are rewarded with extensive views.  Looking north, the view is of the Bavarian Alps; to the east, a superb view of the Zugspitze (Germany's highest mountain).  The view to the west is towards the Swiss Alps and to the south is Italy.  Return to Berwang along the same route.

 3.            Roterstein (3366m) – proceed up the valley opposite the front of the Hotel Singer, keep on till the track takes you left and up to the summit.  Return the same way.

After a short car journey, these mountains can be climbed from the other side, which is generally a bit more challenging.  Further use of a car and/or cable cars offers splendid walks in this area.

For further ideas for holiday activities, please click here or on the top border.  There is also the tourist office, which has maps and other information, both about Berwang and the surrounding areas – visit their website at www.tiscover.com/Berwang or www.berwang.at.