Vomp to Innsbruck, 25Km
Hotel Central 107 euros
One bowl of goulash soup and a paracetamol from my first aid kit, a good night’s sleep and I was ready for the bright lights of Innsbruck. It’s the center of the Tirol winter sports scene and it means bridge over the Inn (the river). I only learned that this afternoon when I thought my notes were referring to an inn but all I could see was a river.
The signing of the Austrian Camino was remarkably good in the early days. Every turning had a clear sign post and the information boards told you everything else. How it’s degenerated. The information boards have long gone and while the signs are plentiful, they have been placed where they can’t be seen. Some even point the wrong way. My map is out of date and so is the GPX which this morning tried to lead me into a major quarry and then through a huge logistics centre for the Tirol which should have been fresh pastures according to my map. Thankfully the Jerusalem Way signs are plentiful although they point the other way.
That aside, today was a spectacular walk. I was right up against the mighty Alps and there’s nothing more impressive than looking at mountains, close up. The sun was shining and everyone was fully focused on making hay. The recent rain has been a problem but the forecast is good and all the tractors are out, cutting the grass and stacking it up. I spoke to some people who were making hay from their own small holding in the traditional way, “to feed the animals in the winter”. Later, I saw a woman stacking the cut grass in pillars. All this is going on just a few kilometres from Innsbruck.
At midday I stopped at the Alpenhotel Speckbacher Hof in St Martin, Gnadenwald, “in the Karwendelgebirge Mountains with a view to the Inn Valley and the Glungezer Mountain”. Quite a nice place but hardly “Fabulous” (Booking.com). The local paths were busy with residents taking the air in their normal clothes, just like their predecessors in the sanatoriums of old.
Pilgrimage 
Good to see you back on the trail and going strong. Hay making was in full swing here on Exmoor this afternoon – agricultural style!
I saw you had a good walk again, all over Exmoor. Watch out for the heatwave coming your way
Good to see you’ve recovered Tim. Maybe you were just a bit fatigued living on a diet of croissants, cake and cappuccino? Keep the photos coming – what a great record of the walk they’re proving to be.
I think you’re right, especially when you throw in quite a bit of apple strudel
Glad to see you feel better, sunglight light is beautiful in today’s photos .
Thanks the weather is crazy. Mountains!
Pleased you can continue the walk. Great scenery, churches, agriculture, and logistics facilities. What more could you need?
Maybe an electric bike