Guttaring - 7-church path

Basic info: for cars

Departure: 5:00 am, PP Intersport Nord, Klagenfurt, AP: 5:45 am, PP Althofener Straße    

strenuous hike: 1100/1070 m elevation gain, 33 km, duration: 10 1/2 h – of which 9 h walking time

WAYPOINTS:

PP Althofener Str. in Guttaring (car) - stop Guttaring Ort (public transport) - Church St. Gertruden - Parish church Hl. Rupert in Guttaring - Mariahilfer Way - Hemma Way - Pilgrimage church Maria Hilf/1, 3 - Schelmberg - Branch church Hl. Jakobus d. Ä. in Deinsberg - Stieflitzer - eastern Höffern - Fedl - Parish church Maria Waitschach/1, G1 - Schwarzlkogel - Baierberg - Guesthouse Steiner in Ratteingraben - northern Teichbauer - wayside cross in Kräuping/Hemma Way - eastern Hubmannkogel - Dobritsch Parish church Hl. Martin - northwest Töchlinger - Eggerbauer/1 - Höhenkammpfad - Pleschutzkogel - Scheuerkreuz - Dobritscher Str./1, A2 - Calvary chapel - Old town Althofen/1, 4 - Parish church Hl. Thomas v. Canterbury - PP Primary school (car) - Train station Treibach-Althofen (public transport)

DETAILED ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

1. We hike from the PP (642 m) about 350 m southwest along the state road L 82b – we turn left, south slightly uphill to the church St. Gertruden. Here is the official start of the 7-church hike – we walk the same way back and shortly turn left northeast into Silberegger Str. L 82 to visit the second church, the parish church Hl. Rupert (1st break, 1.7 km, 640 m).

2. From the parish church we follow Silberegger Str. L 82 southeast into Angernweg, which we leave after about 100 m half-left. After approx. 500 m, just before the Vellacher property, we hike up on a natural path to the forest edge. The well-marked pilgrimage trail takes us up to the pilgrimage church Maria Hilf (3rd church), crossing 2 main agricultural roads (HWW) and ignoring 2 left side paths (2nd break, 4.2 km, 899 m).

3. After the panoramic view and visit, we return to the guesthouse Lindenwirt, which we bypass in a left arc southwest. Without markings (watch the GPS) we pass a wayside cross and descend to Schelmberg – shortly before arriving at a HWW after approx. 1.2 km, which we follow right northeast. We turn shortly left northwest and cross the state road L 82 – a paved road brings us in a left arc after approx. 1.5 km to the branch church Hl. Jakobus d. Ä. (4th church) in Deinsberg (3rd break, 7 km, 740 m).

4. We turn shortly left west and immediately afterward ascend right northeast on an asphalt path. After about 300 m we continue uphill on a trail (watch the GPS) – shortly after the forest edge we meet a HWW (with the hiking sign “Hemmaweg”). We turn right northeast/east – we leave the HWW after about 300 m and continue half-left on a forest path.

5. After about 300 m we cross the driveway to the Stieflitzer property and after approx. 400 m reach a HWW, which we follow left northwest (signposted “Hemmaweg”). After about 600 m we cross a HWW and after 200 m at a fork turn half-right (northeast) (4th, short break, 9.5 km, 920 m).

6. After about 900 m we cross east of Höffern the driveway and meet SH 965 after about 1 km at the hiking trail G1. We follow G1 northwest, pass the Fedl property after about 400 m, leave the closed forest and steadily ascend towards Waitschach. Shortly before a fork we choose a meadow path to the right, east. In a left arc we reach the pilgrimage church (5th church) and take the 5th break, 13.2 km, 1155 m.

7. We follow Hemmaweg northwest towards Baierberg and after about 900 m at a fork take half-left. We walk slightly uphill west of Schwarzlkogel heading to the highest point of the 7-church hike. At the crossroads in Baierberg, south of Thoma, we make the 6th break, 16.5 km, 1246 m.

8. After about 300 m we stay on Hemmaweg and walk northwest past Zechner, Ranacher and Jungmann, slightly downhill into Ratteingraben. Just before Silberbach we walk south of the Steiner property and take the 7th break, 19.6 km, 1040 m. In a left arc we pass north of the Teichbauer property uphill to Kräuping. At the crossroads we turn left south leaving Hemmaweg and reach, passing east of Hubmannkogel, the parish church Hl. Martin (8th break, 23.2 km, 1167 m).

9. We now hike along the “Althofen-Pleschutzkogel-Dobritsch-Friesach” track tour and mostly along the 7-church path to the old town Althofen. We walk west of the church and at the fork half-right – after about 1.2 km, slightly uphill, we cross a driveway northwest of the Töchlinger property.

10. We hike south to the Eggerbauer property ignoring a right fork. After about 500 m we leave the HWW with the 7-church path and turn right southwest on a path. Watching the GPS, we immediately take a little marked narrow path left south and on a natural path (on the ridge) reach Pleschutzkogel after approx. 1.8 km (9th break, 27.8 km, 1225 m).

ALTERNATIVE: After the Eggerbauer property stay on the 7-church path until the fork and take half-left the connecting path via Oberfercher and Holzerbauer back to the PP in Guttaring. 

11. Using the hiking path A2 we go down on natural paths via the Scheurerkreuz to the Calvary chapel. The Calvary path takes us to the old town Althofen and the 7th church, the parish church Hl. Thomas v. Canterbury. Passing the museum and Anna Tower we reach the PP at the primary school (32.7 km, 669 m).