Our journey to Umhausen was pretty uneventful except for getting stuck in traffic at the Kerenzerberg Tunnel in Switzerland. There were also lots of roadworks in Austria but no delays.
We drove through the Arlberg Tunnel, which, when it opened in 1978, was the longest road tunnel in Europe.
Huge waterfall 
Bits of snow high up 
Stunning mountains 
Another route back to Switzerland
On arriving in Umhausen we found the Explorer Hotel quite easily and checked in. We had arranged early check in otherwise we would have had to wait until 5pm.
The hotel was, as expected, similar to the Premier Inn chain in the UK – clean and functional. In the information it said that there was no wardrobe, just hooks and shelves, but our room had plenty of hangers and hanging space. The bathroom looked small on the photos but the shower was big.
After unpacking we decided to go out and explore. I hadn’t looked at what was in the area, other than the spa which I had booked for Wednesday. There was an interactive information board in reception with lots of local information. We decided to go to the waterfall – the biggest in Tirol. Also in the same area there was Ötzidorf – a Stone Age village, a birds of prey park and a natural swimming pool.
The car park was quite busy when we arrived but we still found a space. There were even electric car charging points in the underground garage. We had only booked an outdoor spot as we planned to recharge at the spa on Wednesday.
We decided to get something to eat before hiking up to the waterfall. There was a small bar / restaurant by the car park that was still serving food. We both chose the ‘special toast’ with bacon, egg and BBQ sauce, expecting a toasted sandwich. It ended up being a bit bigger than we expected. We washed it down with a Radler / shandy.
The hike up to the waterfall was supposed to take 30 minutes and was uphill all the way. In places quite steep but in others much flatter. We could hear the water as we got closer.
The view of the waterfall from the bottom was pretty amazing but nothing compared to the view from the bottom of the metal staircase. I didn’t attempt to go up the stairs as by this point I was pretty tired, plus the whole thing wobbled as people were walking down. I’m sure there were some even more stunning views from further up but I had seen enough.
View from the base 
There were around 200 steps between platform 1 and the bottom of the metal steps 
Umhausen in the valley 
The whole falls 
It was a long way up to the top 
Selfie 
Panoramic view 
Rainbow at the bottom
There was also the option of climbing up to the top of the falls on the left hand side. This looked even more demanding!
We made our way carefully down the path and back to the car. The total hike was 6km with a height gain, according to Strava, of 320m. My Adidas Running tracker reckoned it was a height gain of 570m!?
As we drove back through Umhausen we stopped at a restaurant I had seen to check out the menu and decided to book a table for the evening. Back at the hotel we showered and relaxed after the hike.
The hotel is fully kitted out for skiers and cyclists with equipment needed for fixing / adjusting skis, snowboards and bikes including two bike stands. They also had a number of large ‘lockers’ where you could store bikes or ski equipment plus extra storage space in the underground level. Outside there was a jet wash for cleaning muddy bikes.
Equipment and bench for adjusting bikes, skis or snowboards 
Lockable storage cupboard 
Space to relax 
Sölden ski resort is 20km up the valley
Just before 8pm we left the hotel to head to the restaurant. We hoped to find a bank on the way but didn’t. Luckily we could pay by card at the restaurant. Our table was ready when we arrived and we sat down to peruse the menu. We ordered drinks immediately – limoncello spritz and a Radler.
I chose the potato and vegetable gröstl and Michael chose rumpsteak with jacket potato and vegetables. The restaurant was quite busy even though the village itself seemed very quiet. When our food arrived Michael’s steak came with fries but he couldn’t be bothered to complain. It all tasted great.
Michael even managed to save space for apple strudel with ice cream. It was good that we had to walk back to the hotel as it gave us chance to work off the calories, especially as we would be spending the next day relaxing at the spa!
Crouch Family On Tour 