Marian pilgrimage route variant 10. Stage, part 1: Kötschach-Mauthen - Niedergail

Those traveling on the section of the Marian pilgrimage route from Kötschach-Mauthen to Maria Luggau should especially start early in the morning on weekends to avoid the excursion traffic that sets in during the morning. Starting from the town center, follow the signs to Lesachtal and follow the Gailtal road uphill via Gentschach and Strajach to St. Jakob, which is reached in about two hours (Kötschach-Mauthen - St. Jakob i. Lesachtal: approx. 8 km). After another 2 km and half an hour of walking, you reach Podlanig, where you finally leave the federal road and walk steeply downhill to the Gail, cross it, and go up on the opposite slope to Wodmaier (Podlanig – Wodmaier: 4 km). Now follow the signs toward Wolayersee for about an hour before crossing the Wolayerbach to the west and reaching Nostra in just under another hour without significant elevation changes (Wodmaier – Nostra: 6.5 km). From Nostra, go steeply downhill again along some curves to the Gail. In just under 30 minutes, you reach the creek, which flows wildly foaming downstream here. Immediately before the bridge, keep left and follow a gravel road parallel to the river and finally cross the Niedergailer creek after an additional hour. From here, the path leads through the forest uphill for half an hour to Niedergail, the destination of the day stage (Nostra – Niedergail: 6.5 km).