Description

Given that during the course of this ride you are never more than a couple of kilometres (as the crow flies) from a village, it's quite amazing how wild the trip feels.

As soon as you leave the road at the northern edge of Seefeld village there's a real sense of peace and tranquility that stays with all until you return to civilisation at the end of the day. The trip starts with a short ride through the outskirts of Seefeld and then you dive into a peaceful forest.

Initially you are on a tarmac road through the forest but this quickly becomes a fairly rough jeep track.

The track is clear and there is no technical riding on it, but it's not quite as pancake-smooth as many of the Tirol's gravel roads.

Follow the track as it passes above the village of Lehenwald (not that you can see it from the track) and then swings around south-west and descends down to reach a road.

Carry on down the road past some gorgeous alpine chalets to reach the main L14 road which links Seefeld and Weidach.

Follow the road down some fun, sweeping corners then dive back into more forests and get on the rather amusingly titled "Mental Power Weg" - a bike route which leads you to the Wildmoos Alm, possibly the finest and most welcoming hut in, well, the World! The owners are fanatical football fans and the hut is covered in memorabilia from stadiums around the globe.

They are also incredibly friendly and the hut enjoys a fabulous view so a stop for a drink is all but compulsory! Suitably hydrated, ride south-west on a track then a road past the Seefeld-Wildmoos golf course and then go back into the woods on a track which climbs then descends down to Mösern village.

If energy levels are flagging then it's an easy ride from here back to Seefeld along the road, but if you've got some juice left then finishing your day with a trip over the Gshwandtkopf peak is highly recommended.

From the summit you'll be rewarded with a superb panorama and then it's a straightforward descent down a good track back into Seefeld.