The Valley of the Inn: Maurach - Innsbruck
Friday June 1, 2007
Maurach is situated at the tip of the lake, Achensee, with lovely views to the mountains. The town itself is geared to tourism and now in the pre-season, it seems to be one giant construction site getting ready for the onslaught of tourists in the summer. At the moment everything is in the process of being renovated and enlarged, not always in good taste.Out of the window this morning it's grey, no, not just grey, it's raining. Before getting on our bikes and to give the rain a chance to stop, we take time to call ahead and reserve a room in Innsbruck. And eventually the rain stops.
We intended to take a gentler descent curving along the side of the mountain into the Inn Valley, but we got on the wrong road and it plummeted more or less straight down. We were prepared for a nice downhill ride, but not this. It's kind of scary and before we know it, we are on the floor of the valley in the town of Jenbach.
Maurach is situated at the tip of the lake, Achensee, with lovely views to the mountains. The town itself is geared to tourism and now in the pre-season, it seems to be one giant construction site getting ready for the onslaught of tourists in the summer. At the moment everything is in the process of being renovated and enlarged, not always in good taste.Out of the window this morning it's grey, no, not just grey, it's raining. Before getting on our bikes and to give the rain a chance to stop, we take time to call ahead and reserve a room in Innsbruck. And eventually the rain stops.
We intended to take a gentler descent curving along the side of the mountain into the Inn Valley, but we got on the wrong road and it plummeted more or less straight down. We were prepared for a nice downhill ride, but not this. It's kind of scary and before we know it, we are on the floor of the valley in the town of Jenbach.
Descent into the Valley of the Inn: Remember, it's always steeper than it looks in the picture
The Valley of the Inn must accommodate many things in a narrow space - freeway, railroad, power lines, two major roads, and of course the river itself. Dealing with freeways, railroad tracks and a river on a bike can be tricky. In Jenbach it is a challenge to find our way to the other side of the train tracks and freeway without having to use one of those intimidating bridge crossings with no shoulder. Our ingenious solution is to go to the train station and take the lift down to the underground passageway and a lift up again, and lo and behold we are on the other side of the tracks. Eventually we find the tunnel under the freeway, too, and now we can reach the bike path with no further obstacles.
Fortunately the bike route from Jenbach to Innsbruck is well signposted, guiding us from one side of the Inn to the other, detouring us around construction sites, showing us railway crossings and underpasses that take us to the other side of the freeway. The ride isn't exactly idyllic, but pleasant enough most of the way.
Fortunately the bike route from Jenbach to Innsbruck is well signposted, guiding us from one side of the Inn to the other, detouring us around construction sites, showing us railway crossings and underpasses that take us to the other side of the freeway. The ride isn't exactly idyllic, but pleasant enough most of the way.
Inn Valley, the freeway is to the right behind a barrier
We pass some industry, some open fields of vegetables or corn, some secluded short stretches next to the river, mountains always in sight, and some lovely little towns, Schwaz and Hall, with historic centers.
Industry
Bike path with freeway and construction sites
Power lines and castles
Agriculture: here red and green varieties of lettuce
Railway bridge
Traditional sign in Schwaz: perhaps a station along the post route in the days prior to motorized traffic
Only the freeway is omnipresent, and has probably destroyed the magnificent Inn Valley as it was in times past.
The whole day we have a mighty tailwind! The sky remains grey and by the time we arrive in Innsbruck it's raining lightly, not enough to have to get into our rain gear. When we check into our hotel, two other cyclists arriving at the same time are sent away. There are no more vacancies, and we are reminded what a good idea it is to reserve ahead, especially in a bigger city, especially on a week-end. Vacancies are hard to find in the late afternoon and are always more expensive. We are in Gasthof Innbrücke, centrally located, for 66 € incl. breakfast.
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