A Divided Heart

Walking the Jakobsweg in Austria: The Pilgrim Paths to Santiago de Compostela

by Sir Mathew Thorpe 

Publication Date:  06th Aug 2021


£25.00

A Divided Heart: Walking the Jakobsweg in Austria: the Pilgrim Paths to Santiago de Compostela travel narrative – Sir Mathew Thorpe’s exploration of the Austrian Jakobsweg, walking the four paths that lead ultimately to Santiago de Compostela. Graz, Innsbruck, the Tyrol and the Brenner Pass and Salzburg are all visited en route.

About this book

An enthralling and eye-opening account of a long trek through the Austrian mountains.

Mathew Thorpe didn’t set out to write a book. He didn’t plan to devote so much time to exploring the Austrian Jakobswege. But during a fortuitous visit shortly before retiring from his role as Head of International Family Justice, Thorpe was captivated by the glorious history and unrivalled natural beauty of these pilgrim trails
A Divided Heart is the fascinating account of four long walks: the first the East-West March from Vienna to the Swiss border; the second crossing the Southern Provinces of Steiermark, Kärnten, Ost Tirol, Sud Tirol and on to Innsbruck; the third from the Czech border to Strass in Zillertal; and the fourth from Passau to Salzburg. Each walk is presented as a succession of day stages, making it a useful guide for anyone who considers adding a few days’ walking to their Austrian holiday.
But this is more than a walking guide – it’s a book of memories, and a portrait of pastoral Austria. It offers an illuminating account of the country’s monasteries and the Catholic Church, and of the kindness of the wonderful array of characters Thorpe encountered along his journeys. A Divided Heart is an enthralling adventure that will please anyone with an interest in Austria – real and armchair travellers alike.

About the Author

Mathew Thorpe read law at Balliol and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple. From 1972 to 1988 he practised at 1 Mitre Court Buildings in the Temple, taking silk in 1980. His last brief was as counsel to the Cleveland Enquiry. From 1988 to 1995 he sat as a trial judge in the Family Division of the High Court. From 1995 to 2013 he sat in the Court of Appeal and from 2005 he was Head of International Family Justice

Additional Information

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
Introduction
THE FIRST WALK
West from Vienna to Feldkirch: the Main Stream
Purkersdorf to Melk
Day 1 – 21 June 2013 – Purkersdorf to Würmla
Day 2 – 5 September 2013 – Würmla to Herzogenburg
Day 3 – 6 September 2013 – Herzogenburg to Oberbergern
Day 4 – 7 September 2013 – Oberbergern to Kartause Aggsbach
Day 5 – 8 September 2013 – Kartause Aggsbach to Melk
Melk to St Pantaleon
Day 6 – 3 October 2013 – Melk to Artstetten
Day 7 – 4 October 2013 – Artstetten to Neustadtl an der Donau
Day 8 – 5 October 2013 – Neustadtl an der Donau to Wallsee
Day 9 – 6 October 2013 – Wallsee to St Pantaleon
The route around Linz
Day 10 – 7 January 2014 – St Pantaleon to Luftenberg
Day 11 – 8 January 2014 – Luftenberg to Dornbach
Day 12 – 9 January 2014 – Dornbach to St Florian
Traun to Gampern
Day 13 – 24 March 2014 – Traun to Wels
Day 14 – 25 March 2014 – Wels to Lambach
Day 15 – 26 March 2014 – Lambach to Gampern via Stadl-Paurau
Gampern to Seekirchen
Day 16 – 5 May 2014 – Gampern to Schwaigern
Day 17 – 6 May 2014 – Schwaigern to Seekirchen Salzburg to Vienna
Day 18 – 10 September 2014 – Salzburg to Unken
Day 19 – 11 September 2014 – Unken to St Ulrich
Day 20 – 12 September 2014 – St Ulrich to St Johann in Tirol
Pillerseetal – March 2017 –
A Digression and an Afterthought
Day 21 – 13 September 2014 – St Johann to Going am Wilden Kaiser
Day 22 – 14 September 2014 – Rest Day
Day 23 – 15 September 2014 – Going to Söll
Day 24 – 16 September 2014 – Söll to Breitenbach
Day 25 – 17 September 2014 – Breitenbach to Strass im Zillertal
Day 26 – 18 September 2014 – Return to Vienna
Random Thoughts and Generalisations on this September Walk
Winter Interlude 2014-15
Melk – January 2015
Kremsmünster – January 2015
Second Stay at Kremsmünster – February 2015
Third Visit to Kremsmünster – March 2015
Jenbach to Landeck
Day 27 – 12 April 2015 – Jenbach to Stift Fiecht
Day 28 – 13 April 2015 – Stift Fiecht to St Martin
Day 29 – 14 April 2015 – St Martin to Flaurling, via Thaur and Innsbruck
Day 30 – 15 April 2015 – Flaurling to Pfaffenhofen
Day 31 – 19 May 2015 – Pfaffenhofen to Stift Stams
Day 32 – 22 May 2015 – Stift Stams to Au
Day 33 – 23 May 2015 – Au to Landeck
Landeck to Feldkirch
Day 34 – 23 June 2015 – Landeck to Strengen
Day 35 – 24 June 2015 – Strengen to St Anton
Day 36 – 25 June 2015 – St Anton to Klösterle
Some Afterthoughts on the Day’s Climb
Day 37 – 26 June 2015 – Klösterle to Feldkirch
Day 38 – 9 June 2015 – Feldkirch
Conclusion

THE SECOND WALK
Graz to Innsbruck: the Southern Tributary
Graz to Ehrenhausen
Day 1 – 23 July 2015 – Graz to Kalsdorf
Day 2 – 24 July 2015 – Kalsdorf to Wildon
Day 3 – 25 July 2015 – Wildon to Leibnitz
Day 4 – 26 July 2015 – Leibnitz to Ehrenhausen
Vienna to Klagenfurt
Day 5 – 25 April 2016 – Vienna to Lavamünd
Day 6 – 26 April 2016 – Lavamünd to Edling
Day 7 – 27 April 2016 – Edling to Unterburg
Day 8 – 28 April 2016 – Unterburg to Klagenfurt
Day 9 – 29 April 2016 – Klagenfurt to Vienna
Grafenstein to Maria Gail
Day 10 – 21 June 2016 – Grafenstein to Annabrücke
Day 11 – 22 June 2016 – Annabrücke to Ferlach
Day 12 – 23 June 2016 – Ferlach to St Jakob im Rosental
Day 13 – 24 June 2016 – St Jakob im Rosental to Villach
Day 14 – 25 June 2016 – Villach to Maria Gail
Villach to Dellach
Day 15 – 20 September 2016 – Villach again
Day 16 – 21 September 2016 – Villach to Wallner
Day 17 – 22 September 2016 – Wallner to Spittal an der Drau
Day 18 – 23 September 2016 – Spittal to Vienna
Day 19 – 8 October 2016 – Return to Spittal an der Drau
Day 20 – 9 October 2016 – Spittal to Lind
Day 21 – 10 October 2016 – Lind to Dellach
A Break from the Jakobsweg
Winter Interlude – December 2016
Spring Mishaps
Kremsmünster, Durnstein and Kremsmünster again – July 2017
Dellach to Mühlbach
Day 22 – 24 October 2017 – Dellach to Lienz
Day 23 – 25 October 2017 – Lienz to Thal
Day 24 – 26 October 2017 – Thal to Heinfels
Day 25 – 27 October 2017 – Heinfels to Toblach via Sillian and Innichen
Day 26 – 28 October 2017 – Toblach to Bruneck
Day 27 – 29 October 2017 – Bruneck to Mühlbach
Vienna to Steinach
Day 28 – 10 May 2018 – Vienna to Mühlbach
Day 29 – 11 May 2018 – Mühlbach to Sterzing
Day 30 – 12 May 2018 – Sterzing to Gries
Day 31 – 13 May 2018 – Gries to Steinach
Gries to Patsch
Day 32 – 30 June 2018 – Return to Gries and Steinach
Day 33 – 1 July 2018 – Steinach to Patsch

THE THIRD WaLK
The Austro-German Northern Tributary
Stift Schlägl to Schärding
Prelude
Day 1 – 1 October 2018 – Stift Schlägl to Sarleinsbach
Day 2 – 2 October 2018 – Sarleinsbach to Gottsdorf
Day 3 – 3 October 2018 – Gottsdorf to Thyrnau
Day 4 – 4 October 2018 – Thyrnau to Passau
Day 5 – 5 October 2018 – Passau to Schärding
Brannenburg to Strass im Zillertal
Day 6 – 14 May 2019 – Brannenburg
Day 7 – 15 May 2019 – Brannenburg to Kufstein
Day 8 – 1