The trail follows the Talfer river into the heart of the lush Sarntal valley. With its scattered farmsteads, meadows and vast forests, this little-visited valley has retained its rural character. The walk can also be done in the opposite direction.

Accessibility

From Bolzano, take the main road into the Sarntal valley. A few kilometres before Sarnthein, turn left and drive to the Hotel Restaurant Bad Schörgau, where you can park.

Description

From the car park (935 m), a partly tarmac-surfaced forest road leads northwards into the woods. After about 500 m along a gently ascending forest path, we leave the wider track at a small bridge and follow signpost no. 24 towards Sarnthein, which runs along the right bank of the Talfer.

This lovely walking trail, which features seating areas and evening lighting, is almost entirely flat and leads past a sports ground and an equestrian centre on the right, all the way to Sarnthein. The village is reached after 2 km. Here, the small, gravel-surfaced track comes to an end; via a short ramp (17% gradient) and a wooden footbridge, we cross the Talfer river on a road bridge to the right and reach the large car park at the bus station. The walk continues northwards across a wooden footbridge. On the Europastraße, through the picturesque village centre of Sarnthein (960 m), we reach the historic Kellerburg estate. The Lords of Nordheim lived here until the 17th century, followed by David Wagner from 1635 and, to this day, his descendants, the Counts of Sarnthein. At an old hay barn behind the castle, we turn left and follow hiking trail no. 18. From here, the walk becomes more challenging. The ground becomes bumpier (grass, gravel and stones) and the route includes steep gradients of between 11–13%. After crossing a meadow on a steep section of path (with firm earth and grass), we reach a wooden fence. Continuing straight on through the industrial estate, we reach the start of a small tarmac road with a barrier, which can be easily bypassed. We slowly approach the first houses of Nordheim (995 m) and finally arrive at the small Gothic church of St. Nikolaus, where we cross the river once more. At this point, we follow the gravel path along the Talfer once more to Astfeld (1010 m). This is where our walk ends. Nearby, there is a children’s playground, a SAD bus stop and the Sonne inn. We walk back to our starting point along the same route.