By Bike

Day 6 (9^th August) – Faaker am See to Rieding

Our ride today for the most part took us a lovely trek east through the foothills of central Carinthia, a less-populated region in the southern part of Austria. Flanked by high mountains north and south and bisected by the mighty Drava River, another tributary of the Danube, with its source high up in the Dolomites to the west.

A good part of the route was via a series of lakes, most notably the largest lake in Carinthia, the originally glacially formed, now warmish (25°C) Wörthersee.

The cycle routes here are impressive. It hasn’t been often that we’ve had to ride on main roads, and usually only for short sections. Mostly we ride back roads between villages, along paved farm roads bordered by lush green pasture or crops of maize and dedicated wide bike paths. And of course never far from a bakery.

Our campsite for the night was at Rieding, part way up Große Speikkogel. Spectacular views back over our route and south for a last look at the Julian Alps.

Große Speikkogel stands as the most easterly major col in the Alps and part of our journey. Known for its steep gradients, this climb poses a significant challenge, attracting riders eager to test their limits.

I decided to test my limit and crawled my way up its steep forested slopes, and out onto alpine meadows.

The effort was worth the beautiful alpine flora and breathtaking views.

The route culminates at a military radar station.

According to http://www.climbfinder.com

According to Garmin