Carinthia: Gravel Carinthia – 1,800 kilometres of gravel, spread across 24 routes

Kärnten Werbung has developed a network of gravel routes in collaboration with seven partner regions. Klopeiner See/Southern Carinthia, Klagenfurt, Wörthersee/Rosental, Villach, Nassfeld-Lesachtal-Weissensee, Millstätter See-Bad Kleinkirchheim-Nockberge and Central Carinthia have each mapped out three to four routes.

All routes consist of at least 50 per cent gravel. Under the headings ‘Lost Places’ and ‘Soul Places’, cyclists are guided specifically to hidden castles, abandoned ruins and legendary sites that lie off the beaten track. Each tour thus becomes a cultural journey of discovery through Carinthian history.

Lost Places as waypoints

For the project, journalist Georg Lux has researched places that lie off the beaten track. Old castle ruins, abandoned towers and forgotten spots steeped in history are incorporated into the route. Gravel Carinthia refers to these spots as ‘Lost Places’ and ‘Soul Places’.

They provide photo opportunities and tell the story of the region’s past. Private property, as well as signs indicating restrictions and rules along the paths, must be respected. As a general rule, you must not enter these ‘lost places’, as they are not secured and no liability is accepted in the event of collapse or accidents. There are a particularly large number of ‘lost places’ in the Wörthersee region.

• The Einsiedler Cave near Maria Rain, the mill ruins near Arnoldstein, and the bunker on the church hill at Maria Gail near Villach.
• The Schütt, with the Dobratsch landslide caused by the 1348 earthquake, as well as burial mounds near Frög and at Michaeler Teich.
• Tarvisio Centrale – the abandoned railway station right on the Alpe-Adria Cycle Route, a wonderful ‘lost place’.
• On the way to Tarvisio, you also pass abandoned mills. The highlight is the abandoned railway station site at Tarvisio Centrale.

24 routes for Gravel Carinthia

The network comprises 24 routes of varying levels of difficulty. The routes range from flat loops along lakes and rivers to climbs up to alpine pastures and high plateaus. All routes are interconnected and start and finish at Community Points, the meeting places for the local gravel cycling scene.

Information on routes, community points and the featured locations is available at gravelcarinthia.cc. The GPX tracks from Gravel Carinthia take you sometimes along gentle gravel trails beside lakes and rivers, and sometimes up challenging climbs to alpine pastures, peaks or remote high plateaus. Some tours are easy and inviting, whilst others demand stamina and concentration.

Regions of Gravel Carinthia

The seven regions covered by the routes through Gravel Carinthia:

1. Nassfeld-Pressegger See – Lesachtal – Weissensee
2. Wörthersee – Rosental
3. Lake Klopein – Southern Carinthia
4. Lake Millstatt – Bad Kleinkirchheim – the Nockberge Mountains
5. Villach – Lake Faaker See – Lake Ossiacher See
6. Central Carinthia
7. Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee