WAB - Stage 7: Gschaidt - Mönichkirchen

The start of stage 7 is located directly on the main road at the Landgasthof Höller in Gschaidt. The first section of the stage leads us along the forest adventure trail in a loop to the Luckerbauerriegel viewpoint and back to Gschaidt. We follow the Ulrichsdorf farm track past the department store, turn right at the event hall onto the forest adventure trail, and reach the magnificent viewpoint at Luckerbauerriegel. We go back a short distance on the hiking trail, then turn left, follow the forest path down to a red-marked hiking trail, and follow this uphill to the right back to Gschaidt. After the fire station, turn left onto the main road, but shortly after turn left again onto a cart track. The marked hiking trail leads us almost 200 meters downhill into the valley. We cross the Hochneukirchner Bach and turn right directly onto the road. Not even 10 minutes later, we turn half-left onto the Zöbersdorf farm track. Passing the Trettlermühle, we follow the road slightly uphill, at the fork continue on the left farm track towards Zöbersdorf. After a few minutes, we turn half-right off the road at a sharp left bend and walk down a forest path to the Tannwaldbach. We hike on the path next to the stream uphill along the valley, alternating on shady forest paths and lonely meadow paths northwards and at the upper end of a meadow turn right onto a forest and cart track towards Gumpoldshof. We continue walking on the access road to Gumpoldshof, steadily slightly uphill. Coming out of the forest, the access road leads into another road, we turn right. A few minutes later, we turn sharply left on open fields onto the farm track towards Waldbauer and follow the scenic path to the edge of a forest hill. Here we leave the farm track and turn right onto the forest path to the Steinkreis Waldbauer viewpoint. Between trees is the man-made stone circle. About 6 meters in diameter, it invites you to rest and reflect.

We continue walking to Waldbauer, then hike along the edge of the forest and follow the road past the Tannhof to Pichl. On the right, we cross the small settlement and follow the marked farm track past Schloss Ziegersberg to Schlag. In front of the fire station in Schlag, we leave the main road to the right and follow the farm track without significant climbs to the A2. Briefly, we enter Styria, cross the motorway, and immediately after turn left onto a farm track, then shortly after turn right uphill on a cart track to a hill. The marked hiking trail now leads us over forest roads and forest paths, partly with a view, in a westerly direction past Hartberg; the short Styrian path interlude ends here at the Wechsel federal road near Mönichkirchen. At the crossroads, we leave the federal road to the right and enter the air health resort Mönichkirchen. Past the municipal office, we climb the road to the right of the Rois department store uphill to the parish church and then follow the marked path to the car park at the valley station of the Mönichkirchen ski area.