Allan Hartley’s excellent new guide is clearly based on intimate knowledge of the Hohe Tauern, a magnificent area of Austria’s Alps, protected since 1981 as the country’s first National Park.

The book is rich in detail and personal experience, not only of the hut-to-hut routes themselves.  His blow-by-blow account of how to stay in a Tyrolische Hutte leaves no Stube unturned.  There is abundant coverage of testing summit excursions, ideal for those with the ambitions of a true Bergfuhrer.  Local legend also colours the text, such as the story of the Reichen Dwarves’ treasure.

The guide features extensive treks in the Reichen, Venediger and Gross Glockner mountain groups.  Descriptions of the specific routes are comprehensive and accompanied by excellent maps and photographs.  Trails suitable for both regular hill-walkers, the so-called Rucksack Routes, and full-on Alpinists, the Glacier Tours, are included.  My one general reservation with Cicerone Guides is that only certain routes are covered and that these tend to be the most challenging.  Here the wonderful, unspoilt Virgental seems to me to be under-represented, with no mention of its excellent Lasorling Höhenweg and the superbly situated Neue Reichenberger Hutte.

A wealth of information in the guide for those planning a trip to the area includes a very useful hut directory.  One small point to add here: The Neue Sajat Hutte, which the author reports hearing of as more a hotel than a hut, is actually to my mind a superb example of what can be done to preserve the great Alpine hutting tradition in a new building.  It is another highlight of the Hohe Tauern, a spectacular mountain area which this guide will encourage many to visit.

Overall Allan Hartley’s outstanding new book will be much enjoyed by all who love to trek through Austria’s Alps and is a very welcome and rewarding addition to any mountain-lover’s library.

 by Ivor Coleman