Grande Granite Loop: Stage 4

Description:

From the summit castle village of Waxenberg, the bike flows back into the idyllic meadow valley of the Kleine Rodl. A short forest climb, then you stand on the last ridge of the northern granite region. In wide meanders, the route leads through hidden valleys down to Neußerling. There, the rural panorama plateau begins, intersected by deep forest ravines. Majestic cultural cycling meets - partly tricky - bike fun in the ravines. In St. Martin in the Mühlkreis, a legendary Danube valley view descent to the Danube port town of Untermühl perfectly rounds off the stage.

Highlights:

Summit castle village Waxenberg (summit castle ruins, 360° panoramic observation tower, castle)
Pesenbach Valley Nature Reserve (first nature reserve of the Mühlviertel) 
St. Martin in the Mühlkreis (quarry area of the famous Neuhauser granite, granite beer)
Neuhaus Castle (granite transport – end of the field railway, start of the cable car to the Danube)
Danube port town Untermühl (loading point for the famous Neuhauser granite)
Overnight stay: In the Danube port town of Untermühl
Directions:

From the summit castle village of Waxenberg, the bike flows back into the idyllic meadow valley of the Kleine Rodl. A short forest climb, then you stand on the last ridge of the northern granite region. In wide meanders, the route leads through hidden valleys down to Neußerling. There, the rural panorama plateau begins, intersected by deep forest ravines. Majestic cultural cycling meets - partly tricky - bike fun in the ravines. In St. Martin in the Mühlkreis, a legendary Danube valley view descent to the Danube port town of Untermühl perfectly rounds off the stage.

Waxenberg – majestically lies the summit castle (ruin) on a wooded hill cone above the Kleine Rodl valley and the quaint village in the saddle nearby. The fortress was built during the development of the Mühlviertel primeval forests as a seat of power at the center of the largest clearing estate in the Mühlviertel. Tip: The 360° panoramic observation tower on the castle offers views from the Bohemian Forest to the Alps – a highlight! The bike flows through mixed mountain forest, later rhythmically along winding farm roads through gently rolling Mühlviertel farmland into the meadow valley of the Kleine Rodl. Pure bike happiness! After Loymühle follows a climb (150 meters in altitude), first steeper in the hillside forest, then easier on farm roads. In Buchholz, you reach the last ridge (720 m) of the northern granite region. Congratulations! On the ridge top, short altitude cruising with Alpine views gives a pure feeling of freedom. The descent leads with trail character into a hidden side valley. A short climb and you bike through a concealed hollow in enjoyable meanders down to Neußerling. There, the rural panorama plateau begins, intersected by deep forest ravines. Majestic cultural land cycling with boundless spaciousness meets - partly tricky - bike fun in narrow valleys! The route passes through three smaller ravines, the middle one with short trail character, to the neat high plateau village of Herzogsdorf. Here the plateau shows its best side: dreamy wide view descent with asphalt turns full of bliss at the plateau's edge towards Böckstein! The subsequent detour to the Eschelbach valley thrills with trail fun: short tricky steep descent into the forest valley, "stream" biking along the stream, and a tough climb back onto the plateau. Certainly the most technically demanding section of the entire loop! From the panorama plateau, it goes quickly on quiet side roads into the Pesenbach valley and on the opposite slope after a short altitude cruise downhill to Bimberg. Then one delicacy follows another: pleasure cycling in the valley floor of the Pesenbach valley, a hearty (forest) climb to Gaisberg, majestic wide view cruising between patchwork fields and huge farms, ... The last valley detour leads down into the solitary part of the Pesenbach valley – the Pesenbach valley nature reserve! Surrounded by rustic mixed forest, you bike on historic farm tracks and narrow footpaths along the amber-colored stream uphill. Thoughts of the initial settlement of the long secluded Mühlviertel arise. Over the hidden double-wolf ravine, you leisurely pedal back onto the panorama plateau – to St. Martin in the Mühlkreis. The special significance of the village only opens with the knowledge of its history: quarry area of the famous Neuhauser granite and base on the salt route to Bohemia! Tip: Neuhauser granite (art) can be seen in the parish church – the artistic net rib vault – and the delicious granite beer of the region tells of a long supply tradition. Now the return begins into the deep Danube valley. A fast descent leads into the hidden Dreißenbach ravine, there surprises with a short but tough meadow-forest trail ascent. Then a panoramic ridge impresses with a legendary view into the Danube valley. A highlight! A short pleasure climb and you quickly cross the last ravine to the magnificent (private) Neuhaus castle. Here the Neuhauser granite was once transshipped from the field railway from the granite quarries to the cable car to the Danube. Then you dive again into the rustic gorge forest of the Danube valley and speed down into the Danube port town of Untermühl, the loading port of the Neuhauser granite.