Hiking route Großer Hochgrail - Niedergrail round trip - Touren-Impression #1 | © Schilcherland Steiermark Hiking route Großer Hochgrail - Niedergrail round trip - Touren-Impression #1 | © Schilcherland Steiermark

Großer Hochgrail - Niedergrail round trip

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This special hike in the vineyards of Hochgrail became famous through the programme "9 places - 9 treasures". Many places to stop for refreshments make the tour a real treat.
At the Schilcherland car park in St. Stefan you start a hike that you will never forget. Via the village centre, where you have many opportunities for refreshments, you start on the S 10 trail.

A highlight is the mill ruin, which looks as if it is from a forgotten time. Pull out your mobile phone and capture the motif.

The first chance for a stop is the Klug wine and chestnut farm. Here you should fortify yourself with a sip of Schilcher typical of the region. Of course, you can also take a bottle with you. In autumn, when chestnuts are in season, you must try these roasted delicacies. The house's own Schilchersturm goes perfectly with them. A precursor to Schilcher wine, which tastes sweet and is cloudy.

You also cover part of the trail on the Genuss-Schilcherweg. Happy and well-fed, you will arrive back at the starting point after a little less than three hours. Now you know where the trail got its name.

Characteristics

Skill
Fitness
Experience
Scenery

Best season

The tour in numbers

easy
Level of difficulty
8,0 km
Route
2:45 h
Time
317 hm
Uphill
317 hm
Downhill
585 m
Highest point
361 m
Lowest point

Map & downloads

More information

Plan your journey via Google Maps to the starting point of the tour: www.google.at/maps

From the north: Motorway Munich - Salzburg - Eben - Schladming - Liezen onto the A9 towards Graz. Exit at Lieboch and follow the B76 towards Deutschlandsberg/Stainz. A9 is subject to toll - Gleinalmtunnel. Alternative: At St. Michael take the S6 towards Bruck and in Bruck take the S35 towards Graz. On the B76 in Schlieb turn right to St. Stefan ob Stainz until the next crossroads, turn left here after approx. 1.5km the car park is on the left.

From the west: In Villach take the A2 towards Klagenfurt. Take the Steinberg exit and drive in the direction of Stainz. In the village of St. Stefan ob Stainz turn left at the Stiegler Haus crossroads and after 50m you will find the car park on the right-hand side.

From the east: A2: Vienna - Aspang - Hartberg - Fürstenfeld - Graz. From Graz continue on the A2 in the direction of Klagenfurt and take the Lieboch exit in the direction of Stainz/Deutschlandsberg/Eibiswald. Follow the B76 to Deutschlandsberg/Stainz. On the B76 in Schlieb turn right to St. Stefan ob Stainz until the next crossroads, here turn left after approx. 1.5km the car park is on the left.

From the south: A1 from Marburg to Leibnitz. Exit in Leibnitz (Gralla) and continue on the B74 in the direction of Deutschlandsberg, take the second exit at the roundabout in Preding, after approx. 2km turn right onto the L617 in the direction of Stainz. In Stainz, drive through the town centre in the direction of Graz, and at the Spar-Markt crossroads turn left into St. Stefan. In the village of St. Stefan in the 30 km zone on the priority road at the church, cross the intersection and after 50 m you will have reached the car park on the right-hand side.

This beautiful circular hike starts at the Schilcherland car park in St. Stefan opposite the school centre and the church. The path with the S10 marking leads you through the centre of St. Stefan ob Stainz. Cross the main square to the right past a transformer station and the beautiful spruce hedge down over the flowering meadow through the forest until you reach the road. Keep left for a short while and then right again to continue along the S10 hiking trail until you reach an enchanted-looking mill ruin. You should linger a little at this special place and gather strength for the rest of the tour.

From here, the path climbs a little. Through the beautiful forest, which provides shade on hot days, you can already see the unique chestnut gardens of the Klug wine and chestnut farm. Time for a short detour to the farm and a good sip of Schilcher. Don't despair if no one is at home - there is a quiet drinks seller in the old cellar. Now it's time to enjoy peace, wine and the beautiful view of the vineyards, which show themselves in the most magnificent colours in autumn. Then continue on the S10 path in the direction of Greisdorf. Here your stomach may already be rumbling. You can choose between a hearty Buschenschankjause from Achatz or Styrian delicacies from the Fuchswirt kitchen. Why not try a crispy fried chicken with a salad with wonderfully nutty-smelling kernel oil. The green gold of the region.

After this delicious refreshment, the path with the number 551 goes downhill for a bit. Then cross the Steinreib road and walk along path S7A to the Klug-Voltl wine tavern. You can't really walk past it. That's why you should take a sweet break here. Typical Strauben or a Germmehlspeise round off the culinary day.

Then continue on to Niedergrail-Straße, which you follow until you reach the main road. Or keep left at the crossroads, then after about 50 metres turn right across the road onto the S7 hiking trail.

Enjoy the special atmosphere and the peace and quiet of the forest, and you may even spot a deer or two. But you have to be very quiet. Here the trails merge into the S9 - this then runs into the Genuss-Schilcher-Weg, which you follow back to St. Stefan ab Stainz, to the starting point.

A wonderful day of hiking over a distance of eight kilometres, full of wonderful culinary delights, draws to a close here. But fortunately there are still numerous opportunities in the region to stretch your feet in the beautiful landscape of Western Styria.

Roast chestnuts at the Klug: Autumn is chestnut season in Western Styria. Take the chance and enjoy the delicious fruits with a glass of Schilchersturm.
You can find timetables and travel information directly at

With the BusBahnBim app of the Verbundlinie, timetable information is easier than ever: all connections by bus, train and tram in Austria can be retrieved by entering places and/or addresses, stops or important points. The app is available as a free app for smartphones (Android, iOS) - on Google Play and in the App Store.

Schilcherland car park in St. Stefan ob Stainz 
Tourism Association Schilcherland Styria

Hauptplatz 40

A-8530 Deutschlandsberg

Tel +43 3462 7520

 

www.schilcherland.at 

Gallery

What the weather will be like

St. Stefan ob Stainz (401m)

Morning
cloudy
4°C
25%
5 km/h
Noon
weather.icon.04
8°C
25%
5 km/h
Night
sunny
6°C
5%
5 km/h
Rather cloudy in the morning, then sunny spells will develop gradually.
Morning
very sunny
1°C
0%
0 km/h
Noon
very sunny
14°C
0%
5 km/h
Night
sunny
11°C
0%
5 km/h
Dry and bright with plenty of sunshine, clouds will be rare.
21.03.2024
cloudy
3°C 18°C
22.03.2024
slightly cloudy
7°C 18°C
23.03.2024
sunny
6°C 18°C

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