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07:21: I’m up and dressed. It’s cloudy and cool, but dry with no dew. I’m about to wash my earplugs ad have a pee. It took me a long time to fall asleep, but I seem to have slept well.
07:31:26 
07:31:38
09:39: A few moments after I wrote that, Herr Schmitt came by in his Pajero, all smiles, and invited me to wash at the campsite — which I’d passed on the way down the hill, argued with myself about walking to, and then utterly forgotten about after I found the cabin. I had a langourous wash (and clothes wash) in his gorgeous bathroom, then as I was making porridge outside he said “Oh, there’s breakfast inside for you!” I finished making the porridge and had it as a starter to a lovely breakfast of bread, cheese, salami, sweet condiments, butter and some mystery meat spreads, while watching a soap from the mid-eighties that was a mix of Dallas and Fawlty Towers: “Ein Schloss am Wörthersee”.
Herr Schmitt wouldn’t take any payment from me at the end. Incredibly generous. Now the sun’s come out and I’m going to hit the road to Gnesau, which is only about 20km.
10:00: Making a move, finally.
10:11: Leaving Turracher Höhe.
10:14:17
Descending steeply. This side of the mountain seems steeper than the other. I’m listening to podcasts and the sun is now out.
11:00:33
11:20: 1,327m.
11:23:32 
11:40:24 
11:40:42 
11:52:22
11:57: Flattish valley floor. I’ve only covered 6km in the last two hours! 1,071m.
12:02: Ebene Reichenau.
12:16: Popping into Spar to get lunch. I’m eyeing up the grapes!
12:33: €7.35 for lunch of (crisps, which I have), apple, mackerel (on bread, which I have) and a kilo of grapes and a tub of fruit yoghurt.
12:41: Munching the grapes which I washed in a spring in the village centre.
13:18: On the move again. Bread, fish and apple left over.
13:23:04 
13:23:15
13:24: Leaving Ebene Reichenau.
14:03: Covered myself in insect repellent as the horseflies were getting bad.
14:10:44 
14:22:09 
14:24:23 
14:24:39
14:42: Patergassen
14:52:18
14:55: Leaving Patergassen. Very suburban village feel. My legs are shagged.
14:59: I’ve decided not to follow the crinkly parallel road, but to follow the main road instead. Having a rest first. The sky is mostly overcast with broken cumulus.
15:05: 8.37km crow-flies to Gnesau. I’m inclined to give myself a rest day tomorrow. I’ll check the weather later.
15:13: Getting ready to move again.
15:28:03 
15:42:27
17:01: Descending towards the campsite now. That was a fucking slog.
17:16: Checked in. Seems like a nice campsite. I’ll stay two nights and chill out tomorrow all day. Spar in Gnesau will be shut all day but I have chocolate, peanut butter and tea. I’ve ordered four bread rolls.1
18:48: I got the basha up just before a really heavy shower rolled through. A lad who was barbequing just brought me a giant cutlet of meat! I was about to go and have dinner, but this is it!
19:22: That was phenomenal. A delicious, sweetly flavoursome moist pork cutlet, a nine-bar of barbequed pork belly and a fat pork sausage filled with globules of of cheese. I ate it with the last bread baton, and now I’m having an Apfelsaft mit Wasser at the buzzy bar. The lad who brought me the meat (on two paper plates) is named Marcus. He was tending the barbecue with his shirt off as the rain came down. His barbecue skills are masterful — I don’t need anything else today. I’m sittng on the bar “terrace” with my Apfelsaft. My battery and headphones are charging behind the bar and I’m going to enjoy an hour of reading my book. I’ll charge my phone tomorrow.
20:58: The rain’s started a little earlier than forecast! I had just got under the tent whe it started. I’ve dropped the poles to much shorter lengths because there’s quite a bit of wind with the rain. I still need to have my bedtime pee, but now I’m trapped in the tent! Might just have to make a run for it, on exceptionally tired and aching feet.
Many campsites without restaurants offer the chance at checkin to order a few basic foodstuffs. This was a lifesaver for me on more than one occasion.↩
