Autumn hiking in Carinthia: When the trail begins on your doorstep
There are autumn days in Carinthia when you step out of your front door in the morning and actually have no idea yet where you want to go.
The air is fresh. There is still moisture lying over the meadow. In the forest, light falls between the trees and somewhere you hear a bird before you see it.
Perhaps this will turn into a longer hike.
Maybe just a quick walk through the woods.
When hiking in autumn in Carinthia, not every trail needs to have a destination. Sometimes it is enough just to go out.
That is precisely what we like about autumn at Ebner 1822.
Why we particularly like autumn outdoors
In summer, many people are drawn to the large lakes and popular destinations. In autumn, Carinthia changes.
The temperatures are becoming more pleasant for walking. The air feels clearer. The woods are changing their colours and with the lower light, the very same landscape suddenly looks different.
Even the little things are becoming more visible again.
A spider's web between two branches. Mushrooms on the forest floor. Moisture in the meadows. The sound of leaves underfoot.
Sometimes a roe deer comes out of the forest. Sometimes you see a hare.
And sometimes nothing spectacular happens at all.
Perhaps that is precisely the beauty of it: you start looking again.
Autumn hiking in Carinthia doesn't just start at the hikers' car park
For us, a good walking holiday isn't just about the big hike.
Of course, from Ebner 1822 you can discover the Nockberge mountains and many other parts of Carinthia. There are peaks, alpine pastures, lakes and hiking trails for days when you really want to get out and further up.
But not every holiday needs a big excursion.
Around Ebner 1822, forests, meadows and small pathways practically start right on the doorstep.
You can just put on your shoes after breakfast in the morning and head off.
Without getting into the car first.
Without a hikers' car park.
Without knowing exactly how many kilometres it's going to be today.
That can be an hour. Or a whole day.
The path must adapt to the day – not the other way around.
Being outside instead of getting as much done as possible
Counting is a popular pastime when hiking.
Kilometres. Metres of ascent. Summits. Walking times.
That can be fun. But it is not the only way to get to know a landscape.
Sometimes on our morning walk we stop at things that aren't marked on any walking map.
On an especially large spider's web, for instance.
Or on two trees growing directly next to each other.
At first glance, a spruce and a beech may simply be two trees. If you look closer, you discover how differently they grow and how differently their roots function.
Suddenly, a woodland path turns into something you want to watch.
Nature needs no staging. It was there long ago.
Perhaps we just need to learn to perceive them again.
Discovering the Nock Mountains in autumn
Those who want to go further afield will find a landscape around Ebner 1822 that is wonderful to explore on foot.
The gentle forms of the Nockberge mountains differ from many rugged alpine regions. Depending on the tour, you can take it easy or make a full day's hike out of it.
Especially in autumn, it is worth looking beyond just the summit.
The light transforms the landscape. Forests take on colour. On the heights, the view on clear days stretches far across the surrounding mountains.
And after a hike, there's no hotel business waiting.
You come back to your own nature house.
Perhaps one sits outside the house for a bit. Perhaps one goes to the natural pond. Perhaps nothing at all will be done first.
For us, that's also part of hiking: looking forward to coming back again.
When the nature house becomes part of the hiking day
At Ebner 1822 stand three handcrafted nature houses made of wood, straw and clay.
We wanted to create houses that do not conflict with their surroundings.
The natural materials, the wood and the large windows ensure that the connection to the outdoors does not suddenly end even after coming home.
Especially on cooler autumn days, you notice just how important that becomes.
You’ve been out walking for several hours. Your shoes are outside the door. Inside, it’s getting warm. Maybe you’ll read a bit more, put your feet up or simply look out through the window.
The house then doesn't just become a place to sleep.
It's all part of the daily routine.
We share more about our nature houses and the spatial ambience created by wood, straw and clay in our article about Healthy indoor climate in a holiday home.
A hiking day is allowed to begin with a breakfast hamper
Before heading out, you need something good.
At Ebner 1822, a regionally stocked breakfast basket is therefore delivered directly to the holiday home in the morning.
There is no set time you have to appear in the breakfast room.
He who wants to set off early starts early.
Anyone who notices with their first coffee that the sun is hitting the patio particularly nicely right then simply stays seated for a bit longer.
For even when hiking, the day off shouldn't become another schedule.
More about our Breakfast basket delivered straight to the holiday home we are telling stories here.
And after the hike: enjoy
Being outside is a page by Ebner 1822.
The other one tastes quite good.
In our organic-certified village tavern, Barbara cooks seasonally and regionally. What ends up on the table isn't dictated by the longest possible menu, but by the season, the produce and whatever is good right now.
Especially in autumn, hiking and eating go hand in hand for us.
Be outside for a few hours. Come back. Take off your shoes. Maybe quickly pop into your own house.
And later have something warm to eat and sit together over a glass.
You don't need to get back in the car and look for the next restaurant.
LIVING. BEING OUTSIDE. ENJOYING.
At Ebner 1822, those are not three separate holiday offers.
They belong to the same place.
Do you have to go hiking every day in autumn?
No.
And perhaps that very thing is one of the most beautiful answers to this question.
Anyone who comes to Carinthia for a hiking holiday is, of course, free to be out and about every day. But there is no reason to have to turn every fine autumn day into a trek.
Maybe after breakfast you'll end up lingering by the natural swimming pond.
Perhaps you take a book outside with you.
Perhaps you drive through Carinthia for a day.
Or you just go for a short walk in the morning and decide afterwards that today will simply be a day spent around the farm.
The programme does not decide. The guest decides.
This is an essential part of a stay at Ebner 1822 for us.
Autumn hiking with a dog
Autumn can also be a particularly pleasant time of year for a holiday with a dog.
Dogs are welcome in two of our nature houses. However, for us, it is not only decisive that a dog is permitted in the holiday home.
What is more important is the outside.
Woods, meadows and paths are right on the doorstep. The first walk of the day therefore doesn't have to begin with a car journey.
Naturally, we are moving in a habitat that we share with wildlife, agriculture and other people. Consideration is therefore just as much a part of it as the joy of being outside together.
Right on a morning walk, you realise how much there is to discover when you don't want to get somewhere as quickly as possible.
Five flowers – and still no cookie-cutter holiday
Ebner 1822 has been awarded five flowers, the highest category, by Urlaub am Bauernhof.
We achieved 70 out of a possible 70 points in the categorisation.
We are proud of that.
Nevertheless, we do not want to create a stay where quality means that every single day has already been organised for the guest.
For us, quality is also about having choices.
One's own home.
The breakfast hamper.
The natural pond.
The village inn.
Woods and fields.
And all around Carinthia and the Nock Mountains.
The guest decides what to make of it.
Autumn hiking in Carinthia – and happy to stay afterwards
Perhaps for us that is the difference between a scenic hiking region and a good holiday destination.
One would like to discover a walking region.
A good holiday destination is one you want to return to afterwards.
To a house where you feel at home.
To a pond reflecting the evening light.
To good food.
And to a place where nobody asks how many kilometres you managed today.
Anyone who visits Ebner 1822 in the autumn therefore does not have to experience as much as possible.
There is enough to see anyway.
You just have to go outside – and look again.
Experience autumn at Ebner 1822
Would you like to spend a few autumn days in Carinthia, go hiking, eat well and then return to your own nature house?
Then look for an available appointment or write to us.