Ellmi’s and the Magical Wood

The train up

 On the weekend we joined some friends at the top of a mountain in Ellmau, about 10 minutes drive away.  We caught the mountain train just in time after battling with traffic and tourist coaches and closed roads all due to a concert by the much daggier, Eurovision-ised Austrian version of Tom Jones!  Apparently all the women over 50 go mad for him but even more disturbingly was that they seemed to have been joined by their husbands, all sporting the badge to let everyone know ‘I’ve been to the Helmut Hinterseer concert’ or whatever his name is!  He’s got blonde flowing hair and snow white teeth, a bit like a skinny Warwick Capper in pink fluffy boots!

The Giants' Chairs

Anyway, at the top of the mountain, 1500m up is a fantastic adventure land for kids, playgrounds and trampolines, all sorts of streams and paddling pools.  Part of the walking trail is called the magical wood.  A little way into it is a tunnel of overhanging branches that drizzle water over you as you walk through, like a rainforest, and creepy witches voices start cackling and talking from the trees.  Amelia wasn’t so keen on that bit!  There’s an owl carved out of wood who talks when you tap him with a stick, a big boat to climb aboard and pretend to be a pirate, fortresses hidden in the trees, an area covered in wooden mushrooms and toadstools the kids can play on, so many things that we didn’t even get around half of it.  The kids can also collect stamps from different areas on a map as they go around. 

But don’t worry, it’s not all for the kids.  There’s also a lovely restaurant and bar, and we ended the afternoon with a beer and an ice-cream with spectacular views.