Day 12
Cesky Krumlov > Rožmberk nad Vltavou > Austrian border > Linz
90.5km
6 hours 35 mins
1,824m elevation gain
We made it to Austria! Today was a much better day of cycling and we were surprised that we made it all the way to Linz in one day. The promise of a rest day in Linz made it all the more tempting to get there. The day was another hilly one and they were such steep hills that we mainly got off the bikes and pushed them up, to try and conserve a little leg energy. It still took a lot of effort as the bikes with the bags on the back are pretty heavy. However, this worked well and we had a lovely lunch stop as well as a few breaks.
As you can see on the map above we took a wrong turn as we carried on following our Cycling Route 7 when we should have transferred to the 1033, but it was actually a nice flat section along a stream, so it was a relief to go along the route for a bit, even if we had to turn back. You can see in the elevation above that once we were in Austria, after a few hills, we just cruised down into Linz, which made it easier to meet our goal and get into the city before sunset.
 |
Saying bye to Cesky Krumlov |
 |
Cesky Krumlov |
Along the way
Whilst pushing our bikes up the huge hills coming out of Cesky Krumlov, we bumped into a German family also pushing up their bikes. It turned out that they had also travelled our route from Berlin but they had started in Hamburg. Later on after another huge hill we turned a corner which opened out to an amazing view over the town of Rozmberk, we weren't even expecting to travel through such a nice town and we were glad to have a delicious lunch along the riverside.
 |
The view of Rozmberk we came upon |
 |
The view of the castle from the riverside - Rozmberk |
The detour
We did go off course for a few kilometres as we carried on following the signposts we had been all day, Cycling Route 7, when we should have switched to get across the border to Austria. The path was a nice one, along a railway track and therefore nice and flat, and then along a river in the woods. We took a break where some cyclists were having a swim and that is where we realised that we had gone the wrong way, but it made for a pretty stop. Whilst there taking a photo, the water suddenly started coming down faster than before, I thought this was very strange and couldn't be possible. As I was thinking that the water rose and my foot almost went underwater! Soon after, a group of kayaks came down the rapids and I assume that they have some sort of control over the water level and they had pushed some extra down for them to paddle down.
 |
The beautiful river which rose! |
Sights of note
- Gunshots in the woods in Czech Republic
- Two guys in Rozmberk in pirate outfits, one even had a toy monkey around his neck
- A sign telling us to watch out for tractors - and it was right
- Two friendly ponies who walked along with us we pushed them up a hill
- A funny cow bench outside a house in Austria
 |
Watch out for tractors! |
 |
The friendly ponies |
 |
The cow bench outside an Austrian house |