Note: Somthing went a little weird wiith this review and the photos posted serperately! Seen my other reviews from this trip? If not, check them out otherwise, read on. I’d been traveling for 29hrs straight when I got to Villach, the closest major town to the Dorbratch Mountain and its nature park. My Mate says he has the cure for jetlag and who am I to question this, right? The cure is to hike the Dorbratsch and see the sunrise. Sounds fair. I tried to stay awake and got to about 10pm. His departure plan was 5am the next morning. This was no problem as I was wide awake at 4:30am! So we gear up for -10c and head out. The Dorbratsch Mountain is the centre piece of the Dorbratsch nature park, just outside of Villach in southern Austria, on the Italian border. It’s actually easy to access and you can drive most of the way on the Villacher Alpenstrasse, until you get to the top car park. In fact, if you don’t have a car, it’s on a public bus route! Nice twisty drive and if you are driving, there’s lots of black ice if the road hasn’t been salted or gritted. At the carpark, the rest of the trip is on foot, skidoo or like us, snowshoes. Yeah, February on an Austrian mountain, there will be snow. Lots of it. You don’t actually need snowshoes and a pair of warm, waterproof hiking boots will get you to the top but we wanted to go off-piste for part of the hike and for that we needed snowshoes. Now, at the start of the hike there is a restaurant café and there is one at the end of the hike. That last one was the goal for breakfast. Summit and eat. Is this a difficult hike? No, but at 5:30am with wind and -7c, it had its moments. So, start off from the carpark and follow the Bad Bleiberg path. It’s about 2km to the summit and 400m in altitude. Gradient varies but the path is good we were overtaken by the grooming tractor about half way up. It was a good hike and I’ve been up to the carpark twice previously on trips, but I was really happy to finally hike it. Best part of the hike prior to the summit? The view, it is stunning. You can look east over the lakes or Worther See, Ossiacher See and the Faaker See. Yeah, it’s pronounced the way you were laughing about, but that view if so good. There is a large retransmission mast at the top and this is the beacon you keep heading for. Along the way, there are a series of number marker poles that count down your journey to the top, giving you an idea of where you are in your journey. At the summit, you will find another restaurant café called the Dorbratsch Gipfelhaus, the tower and the Maria am Stein church. Visit the cross at the summit but if it’s snowy, be very careful as what you think is the edge, is snow that’s past the edge and will collapse under you offering a very fast ride down to the valley floor! Again, a fantastic view from the summit at 2106 meters. We stopped for breakfast, which I’ll review next and recharged with food, beer and schnapps, had a rather giggly and easy trip back down! This hike can be done by all ages in a reasonable state of fitness and I can confirm that by 10am on our way down, Parents with small kids, older people and lots of Athletic types were well on their way up for a Saturday morning outing. The sun was up, the wind was gone and it was a really pleasant. I can recommend this hike as a must-do when visiting Villach. It is not suitable for all people with disabilities, especially in winter, but I would say in summer there’s a really good chance for all. More reviews to come from this trip so follow see and see what happens!

An unplanned first timer climb to the the summit on a changing weather after our lunch. Truly Austrian views as in " Sound of Music " as you hike. Halfway through the hiking, thick clouds hovered our way. Feeling like immersed in the cloud with a meter visibility walk. I almost give up.Perseverance paid -off after a 2.5 hours ascent. Upon reaching the top at 2167 meters, the clouds lifted up. The most beautiful, stunning panoramic 360 degrees views unfolded before my eyes. The clouds seemingly were beneath my feet. Wow, almost a ladder-away to heaven. Magical horizon where mountains curvatures added breathtaking views. There are 2 pilgrimages churches considered the highest in Austria's Eastern Alps. The German built Church " Maria am Stein " and Wendisch Chapel " Mariahimmelfart " (Assumption). A Cross on the highest point is a nice symbol. Cows and donkeys around. There is a restaurant with accommodation. Food is good. Next to it is a huge TV tower. Descending was awesome with blue skies, green, green hills, lakes at a distance, villach city from above. Just a lovely place for mountain hiking even for beginners. A good mountain shoes is advisable though. An entrance fee of 18. euro for our car to enter this park. This is a recommendable park when one is in Villach, Austria. Spend a day or even an overnight to experience nature's beauty from sunrise to sunset. A good weather is a plus factor. A bucket-list checked ! Hope to be back !