Bailey Endeavour

Sunday 17th May 2026 – a day in Vaduz, Liechtenstein….

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A lovely sunny day as we leave Austria behind and dip our toes into Liechtenstein for a night. My overriding impression was the lushness of this small country completely enveloped by the Alps. The road bobbed in and out of Switzerland with little fanfare just the two countries emblems – the border actually running down the middle of the Rhine as it snakes it’s way down from Germany.

We easily found our park up – a rather scenic train station car park bordered by the small captital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz and the Rhine….

We headed straight into Vaduz and enjoyed a wander around the pristine town, an interesting mix of new and old architecture but all immaculately presented….

The stunning church with it’s cool interior…

The main pedestrianised square and an obligatory Lindt Chocolate shop and yes we did….

High above us the Princely home and castle – home to the Liechtenstein Royal Family, is perched on the hillside overlooking the Capital….

It didn’t take very long, exploring the capital in full so instead of returning to the van we wandered along the footpath / cycle path which shadows this stretch of the Rhine….

Stunning and incredibly peaceful an absolute joy to walk, especially on the lower path which is cycle free and Tilly could happily potter off the lead. We ventured across the footbridge, marked with the national borders and wandered along the Swiss side for awhile before returning for a very peaceful and free night courtesy of the kindness of the country of Liechtenstein….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 76
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Countries – 3
  • O/N – free

Saturday 16th May 2026 – a lovely walk up the Rosengarten Trail from Imst….

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A bit damp overnight and into the morning as we gathered ourselves together to move on a little further through the Alps. This time though the journey was mostly Autobahn and along the valley floor and by the time we had arrived at our campsite for the night in Imst the sun had joined us.

Not to waste the sun we set straight off, through the village to the start of the Rosengarten Trail (not sure why it is called this as we didn’t see any roses) as recommended by the campsite owner….

Well I would say that the word trail is a little bit on the soft side for what actually followed as we instantly started to climb up some rough hewn steps and a long various hanging plank walkways, following the course of Schinderbach Waterfall….

It was a pretty strenuous climb and though she never complains or visibly seems to tire, poor little Tilly’s legs must have felt it – I know mine did….

As we neared the top, spectacular mountain views could be glimpsed down the gorge and over the trees….

Still we pressed on, no choice really as I think it would be a much trickier hike back down the way we had come….

Beyond this first hill there is the opportunity to continue upwards to the small village perched high above Imst but we have had enough and chose to return to the site via the steep but much less perilous footpath away from the gorge.

A challenging but beautiful walk and the views well worth it….

Back on site (Camping Acktiv Imst) the views are non too shabby either….

This is our last day of our incredible journey through Austria and I realise that we have hardly scratched the surface – but I believe it is always good to leave something worth returning for.

Todays stats:

  • Miles driven – 82
  • Miles walked – 6 (vertical!)
  • Fuel – £80.63
  • AdBlue – £14.02
  • O/N – £19.63

Friday 15th May 2026 – driving across to Mayrhofer….

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Still damp again this morning as we prepared to head off a bit further north and west to Mayrhofen. The main part of our journey was a series of mountain passes, firstly taking us over and through the Felbertauern Pass and Tunnel (Toll) where we again drove up into the magical snowy landscape and the accompanying drizzle turned into light snow at the highest points…

A stretch of valley road from Mittesall to the pretty village of Wald im Pinzgau with it’s tidy church and typical Austrian spire…

At this junction the sat nav had designs on us creeping up another mountain pass as a bit of a short cut however it quickly became apparent that it was not at all suitable for us as the road quickly reduced to single track and there was a sign prohibiting vehicles over 2.5t. We parked opposite the church and as the sat nav wasn’t being overly helpful I went and fortunately found some one with sufficient english to point me in the right direction, which did still involve crossing a high pass but at least it was suitable.

Off and up we went, passing Krimml Waterfall, Austria’s highest on the way….

Onwards and upwards (another toll) as we drove over Gerlos Pass and up into the snow again….

The last bit of the journey was event free and on the Autobahn and so we soon arrived in the village of Mayrhofer where it kindly stopped raining and allowed us to get our for a little wander….

Not the most interesting of villages, very geared up for either the winter snow or the summer hiking / cycling with a few bars and restaurants for when you are taking some down time from active outdoor pursuits, but pleasant enough for a nice walk.

We had originally thought to stay a couple of nights but having wandered around we have decided to move on again tomorrow – not least of all because it was a very expensive (for me) site. Even though listed as an ACSI site which should cost 27 euros for the night they insisted that they could only charge on this system for 2 people, making it a hefty 37 euros after environment tax of 4.50 and 2 lots of tourist tax at 3.6 euros – not impressed.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 84
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Tolls – £23.05
  • O/N – £32.04

Thursday 14th May 2026 – a wet and soggy day in Lienz….

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We were so lucky with the weather yesterday as it was so much better and clearer than forecast – today however it is running true to form with the rain setting in during the night and staying with us most of the day. Sure enough the Grossglockner road is closed today.

By mid afternoon it was still a little damp but we needed to get out for a bit and set off northwards out of town to enjoy the greenery and spring flowers….

Shortly we began to catch glimpses of Schloss Bruck and followed the footpath to get a closer look….

We were able to get up to the front door, unfortunately nobody home, though it does open to the public in the summer months and had a little nosey….

The rain started to come down again, not heavily, but enough to scupper any plans of going any further – on the way back we marvelled at the low whispy clouds hugging the mountains behind the site….

Thoughts of the day:

  • Whilst walking I was just thinking about the difference in the properties in France and Italy where shabby chic with the emphasis on shabby exterior wise is so different to the perfectly smooth, precisely painted decorated and very angular properties in Austria….
  • The weather in Austria looks a little unsettled for the next few days which could potentially cause us issues on higher ground so we are going to start to make our way across to Switzerland and try our luck there.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • O/N – £26.11

Wenesday 13th May 2026 – driving the Grossglockner High Alpine Road Part 2…

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Making the most of this wonderful afternoon up here high in the sky we work our way up and over the Hochter Pass – the highest point of this road being 2504m taking the opportunity to pull in just after the road tunnel at the top and capture the stunning scene in front of us and looking down on the road that we have climbed to get here….

Here the snow is banked up at the side of the road where the snow ploughs have kept the road clear and where they have started to pass through and clear fallen or collapsing snow banks – I have set myself a time limit of 5pm to start to make the return trip to ensure that I don’t get caught up in any freeze and I think the park closes around 6 anyway – since 4pm there has been an increase in the arrival of sports cars (the price goes down slightly at 4pm) and we played tag for awhile with these to soft top metallic Golfs….

A little further on, it wouldn’t be a proper road trip without at least one ‘Room with a View’….

By now we are three quarters of the way along this spectacular drive and it is now 5pm, I make the executive decision to turn around and start to make our way back because if we get caught at closing time at the far end the alternative route home is a massive detour….

Having found a nice wide parking area to turn in, we take a last wander and marvel at the sheer beauty of this snowy landscape and how amazing it is to be admiring all the 3000m + from such close quarters. One of my bucket list items is seeing a frozen waterfall now I know that this is not the trip for such a sight but I was still pretty impressed with these icicles clinging onto the rock face….

Of course there were a few more stops on the way down and just look at that road ahead….

What an amazing experience and day, I’m not sure what Tilly makes of the views or even appreciates them at all but she had plenty of opportunity to walk, have a little play in the snow and of course sniff out a couple of Marmots so a good day all round.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 85
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Entrance ticket – £40.46
  • O/N – £26.11