Austria and Liechte
Having grown up in the hills of northern England , at 16 months old my son Oscar went on his �irst walking holiday in the Alps . My wife Carolina and I chose the Ratikon range , where Austria and Switzerland meet Liechtenstein , for a number of reasons : it looked stunning in photographs ; the walking seemed straightforward enough that a child could be carried fairly easily ; Carolina and I had been to Austria just once before , when we were locked into a graveyard while looking for hamsters – sorry , no time to explain ; and I hadn ’ t dared to dream that one day I would visit Liechtenstein .
We started in Austria , �lying out to Innsbruck and travelling by train to Bludenz . The dramatic and wild scenery all around was making me wonder why I hadn ’ t been to the Alps for so long . It must have been at least ten years – I must promise myself not to leave it another decade before I return .
We stayed in Bludenz , a lovely town in a fairytale setting of forests and mountains , then travelled by bus and cable car to the large mountain lake known as Lünersee , where our three-day hike began . Easy to reach by public transport , with cerulean waters and soaring peaks , it was no surprise that this was a popular place . Pleasingly , almost everyone was there to walk around the lake , so before long we were walking in relative solitude .
The lakeside path was smooth and childfriendly , but Oscar stayed in the child carrier as we walked , for the simple reason that he had fallen asleep . I wish he ’ d sleep in his bed at night as well as he does in the carrier during the day . He woke when we found a quiet spot for lunch , and we let him have a little wander . It ’ s good to stretch your legs from time to time and he seemed impressed by the scenery .
We were struck on this walk by the abundance and diversity of wild�lowers , even though we were there in mid-July – a couple of months too late to see the Alpine meadows at their best . A far cry from our local sheepwrecked ( to borrow an excellent word from George Monbiot ) Lake District and Yorkshire Dales , in the Ratikon we were surrounded by the blooming marvellous .
There was a dairy farm
Carolina carrying Oscar towards Carschinahuẗte beside our �irst hut – Lindauer
Hütte – and a pint of unpasteurised milk was a welcome refreshment at the end of the day ’ s walk . We were a little apprehensive about staying in Alpine huts as it ’ s not as if Oscar was generally sleeping through the night . To our immense surprise , we were given a private room . I had no idea that was even an option .
Day two comprised a long , zigzagging uphill , followed by a steady and sedate descent . Having read that there were in situ ropes at the top of the pass , it did cross our minds that perhaps we were biting off more than we could chew and being irresponsible parents , but in fact the
8 outdoor focus / spring 2023