Day 6 Imst to Kötschach-Mauten


Monday 2nd July 2018

We are up at 6am before the rising sun appears over the surrounding peaks. It is quite cool as we make a brew. 
The nearby supermarket opens at 7:15 so we score breakfast stocks there before packing up the camp.
My self-inflating sleep mat has sprung a leak which is resistant to my rather amateur efforts to fix so our first port of call is Hervis sports and camping store on nearby industrial estate for a replacement.


The lake near the Gerlos summit

Then we set off east and the long drag through Innsbruck. In hindsight we probably should have stumped up for an autobahn vignette. It would have saved us maybe an hour but seems poor value for less than 50km of travel. A 10 day pass would be expired by the time we return to Austria.

A small pass takes us over to the next valley south, then through Mittersill and the climb up to the summit of the Gerloss Pass. At the top there is a small cafe overlooking a reservoir.


Knut Meyn and his GSA

 Here we get talking to a fellow biker. This is Knut Meyn from Norway. We are soon comparing travel notes and potential routes. He has no fixed plan but like us he is heading for the Großglockner Alpenstrasse so decides to tag along. 

Knut is on the newer semi-water cooled BMW GSA. He had a small clash with a car in northern Germany so the ‘beak’ is stitched together with a neat row of tie-wraps and the head light partially covered with black tape. But no damage to the rider and the rush repairs by BMW Motorrad will see him home where his insurance will deal with a proper repair (for the unbelievable sum of 7 or 8 thousand euros according to BMW). 


Grossglockner road from Edelweissspitze


The Großglockner toll is now €26 for bikes. We ride up the little cobbled street to the cafe atop Edelweißspitze. To Knut we have been extolling the virtues of the  Bierhotel Loncium in Kötschach-Mauten where we stayed last year. So we get onto Booking.com and reserve rooms. A late booking discount has kicked in (it’s after 5pm now) and a double room with breakfast is just €67 for one of our favourite hotels in the Alps. Result!


Pension Edelweiss aka Bierhotel Loncium

As always the run over the Glockner is fantastic. Knut is a fast rider and very good for a born-again biker. It’s a short run from the south end of the pass to K-M and we arrive at the Bierhotel Loncium aka Gasthof Edelweiss just as drops of rain are starting to fall. We ride straight into the bike garage feeling lucky. It’s a good omen.

The lady of the house remembers us and asks if we would prefer to switch to a twin bed room for the same discounted price. Yes please!


In-house brewery

The in-house brewery has a range of new beers since last year. So of course we try most of them. It’s lovely stuff, a new stout, some lovely IPAs made with what tastes like American hops, hell and dunkel (golden and dark) weizen beers and an unusual Rauchbier (smoke beer).


Over an excellent dinner of pork steak in a pepper sauce we sup our beers and swap travellers tales. We promise to keep in touch with Knut about our continuing adventures and I finally drift off to bed for a good dreamless sleep.


Great food

See http://meynstream.com/ for the further adventures of King Knut.

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