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<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook</h2>
<h1>CUCC Expo: Getting There</h1>
<p>Expo needs to shift a fair amount of stuff and people to Austria;
less than we used to, as a lot is stored there, but at least a couple
of cars are needed to shift kit. And full cars are a reasonable way of
transporting people. They are also useful in Austria for getting up
and down the hill. But public transport to expo also works well and
has become more popular in recent years. Bus, Train and Plane are all
practical. Details are given below. It costs &pound;75-&pound;200 each way,
depending how you travel, what mode you use and how far in advance you
book.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rome2rio.com/s/London/Bad-Aussee">Rome2Rio</a> gives a useful overview of plausible options. <a href="https://www.omio.com">Omio</a> (previously goeuro) is a similar site (trains, buses and planes), not as smart about connected routes/modes, but sometimes good for cheap options.</p>
<p>You are trying to get to Gasthof Staudnwirt, Grundleseer Strasse 21, Bad Aussee-8990,
Austria. i.e. <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=47.61616&mlon=13.81218#map=19/47.61616/13.81218">
expo is here</a>.</p>
<p>The last bit: <a href="#lastbit">from Bad Aussee to the campsite</a>
<h3>Kit by post</h3>
In these days of Amazon deliveries, you can get kit delivered directly to base camp at Gasthof Staudnwirt at the address above.
Make sure it's clearly marked "CUCC EXPO" as well as your name, then it will be clear to Karin (the Gasthof owner).
Please don't send stuff in this way before base camp has people staying at it.
We don't want to create work for Karin by making her keep a lot of packages carefully for us.
<p>For emergency deliveries, e.g. if all the batteries die and we need new ones in a hurry,
we have an Amazon account registered in Germany which can do next day delivery to Staudnwirt. Ask Wookey for details.
<h3>Contacting Expo to say when you are arriving</h3>
<p>Put the <a href="comms/phone.html">basecamp phone number</a> into your phone address book before you leave home.
<h2>By Train</h2>
<p>This is (these days) pretty easy to arrange and has the advantage
of allowing for stopping off en route in Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt,
Munich or Salzbug depending what route you take. But you are best booking
early for the cheap deals. It can be done in one day if you set
off very early from London (6am). The limitation is that the last
train to Bad Aussee arrives 21:43. You can get to Stainach-Irdning
or Attnang-Puchheim (either end of the branch line through Bad
Aussee), Stainach is half-an hour drive away to collect, so is not
too bad. Attnang-Puchheim is 1hr 10m so best reserved for
emergencies. It's more civilised to set off at comfy time one day,
spend a night in a city en-route and arrive the next day, or use the
night-train to Vienna.</p>
<p>If part of the train journey has a bus replacement service (as in 2018), it can be easier to simply
get the bus all the way from Salzburg (bus station is at the train station) to Bad Aussee, with a change at Bad Ischl.
See <a href="#salz">below</a>.</p>
<p>Use bahn.de for timetabling, and Seat61.com for good advice,
especially if you are not familiar with long-distance rail
travel. Loco2 is good for buying tickets. Bahn.de is amazing for
routing, but online can only sell you German train tickets. They
can sell all tickets via their UK phone number, or you can buy
online at Loco2.com or at Omio.</p>
<ol>
<li><b>Seat61.com</b> <a href="https://www.seat61.com/Austria.htm">http://seat61.com</a></li>
<li><b>German Railway planner(in English)</b> <a href="https://www.bahn.de/en/view/index.shtml">http://bahn.de/</a></li>
<li><b>Loco2</b> <a href="https://loco2.com/">https://loco2.com/</a></li>
<li><b>Autrian Railways</b> <a href="https://oebb.at/en/">http://oebb.at/</a></li>
</ol>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/europe/saver-fare-europe.shtml">Euro-Spezial ticket</a>
is usually the cheapest way to get to Austria. It covers travel from London to anywhere in Germany
(which includes Salzburg), starting from &euro;40. Breaking your trip at Salzburg can save &pound;100 easily,
even if you don't actually get off the train there, just change ticket! Book early, though (3 months in advance for best prices).</p>
<p>There are lots of possible routes. That above seat61 page has details for the most sensible options.</p>
<em><p>It's worth repeating the details of the crazy "DB Euro Sparpreis" fares between London St Pancras and anywhere in Germany.
Salzburg has been annexed by DB and counts as Germany for train purposes.
These are only available via Brussels so you need to add a stop of around an hour when searching for tickets.</p>
<p>Paul Fox just paid (2018) &euro;70 all the way from Salzburg to London, including the Eurostar, booked only 3 days in advance.
In comparison Eurostar want &pound; for a seat on the same train from Brussels to London, so the journey across all of Germany was cheaper than free.</p>
<p>The only catch is that you need to check in with a human at Brussels / London as the Eurostar gates can't read DB ticket barcodes.</p>
</em>
<h3 id="salz">Salzburg to Bad Aussee - train</h3>
<p>From the main railway station (Salzburg Hbf) take a train to
<b>Attnang-Puchheim</b>. The train will probably be bound for
Wein (Vienna). Change at Attnang-Puchheim and get on a local
train to <b>Bad Aussee</b>. This train will probably be bound
for Stainach-Irdning. A Salzburg->Bad Aussee ticket should be about &euro;20/&pound;14.</p>
<p>Train changes can be tight (only a couple of minutes); the platform numbers
are given on the timetables on the station platforms.</p>
<h3 id="lastbit">The Last Bit</h3>
<p>Once on the train for Bad Aussee, you've got a couple of hours until
you arrive. The journey is very pleasant, and the scenery improves as
the journey goes on. Half an hour before Bad Aussee, the train skirts
the edge of the large lake adjacent to the village of <b>Hallstatt</b>,
visible across the water. The flanks of the Dachstein range can be
seen from here. A short while later, whilst passing through a wooded
valley after <b>Obertraun</b> station, you can catch a glimpse of the huge
amount of water which pours from <b>Koppenbr&uuml;hleh&ouml;hle</b> on the
right-hand side. The train continues for a few minutes to arrive at Bad
Aussee.</p>
<p>The last stop before Bad Aussee is Obertraun (from
Attnang-Puchheim direction), or Kainisch (from Stainach-Irdning
direction). Don't get off one stop early like someone did in 2015,
and then decide to walk the extra 10km uphill with all your gear. Nor set off from the
station building the wrong way and spend a few hours in the middle
of the night wandering backroads</p>
<p>If part of the train journey has a bus replacement service (as in 2018), it can be easier to simply
get the bus all the way from Salzburg (bus station is at the train station) to Bad Aussee, with a change at Bad Ischl.
If done as two tickets this is &euro;10:80 to Bad Ischl and then
&euro;6.40 from Bad Ischl to Bad Aussee (in 2018). There is often a long wait at Bad Ischl.
<h3 id="lastbit">Bad Aussee Railway station to Bad Aussee centre and to expo campsite</h3>
<p>There is a
<a href="http://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en?revia=yes&existOptimizePrice=1&country=overseas&initialAvail=ON&S=Bad%20Aussee%20Postamt&Z=Bad%20Aussee%20Staudnwirt&start=1">
bus, 956</a> from Bad Ausee Bahnhof (Station) to 'Grundlesee', timed to meet train arrivals.
It should be there about 15 mins after you get off the train.
It goes straight past the campsite and you can see the times of all the buses posted at the bus stop
(a sign with a big green "H" on a yellow background). Cost is &euro;2.40 (2018). Get off at stop named 'Staudnwirt Gallhof',
about 100m slightly downhill from, and before the bus reaches,
the <a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=47.61616&mlon=13.81218#map=19/47.61616/13.81218">Gasthof/campsite</a>.</p>
<p><b>2024 Timetable from station (bahnhof) to Studnwirt</b> weekdays
<p>06:35 08:00 10:22 11:20 12:22 14:45 15:46 16:22 18:22 (last bus)
<p>To walk to the centre of town, turn right out of the
station and just follow your nose up the road (past playing
fields on the left, keeping left at the only junction, then
past a petrol station). After about 20 minutes you'll reach
the main 3-way "roundabout" junction in the centre of town
mentioned above. You are now at the Post Office ("Postampt")
which is on your left as you have walked from the station..
<p>If you walk this far and now want to get the bus, you can also catch the 956 bus from here.
The bus stop you want is on the opposite side of the road from the Post Office building.
Take the 956 which is the only bus that goes to Grundlesee.
This <em>may be replaced by an anonymous
white minibus</em> with a taxi company logo. Don't get caught out by not getting onto it.
The jouney takes 6 minutes and 'Staudnwirt Gallhof' is the 4th stop.
However there are only 8 buses a day in July and August (outside school term).
They leave the Post Office (2018) at
06:38,
08:00,
10:25,
11:20,
12:25,
14:25,
15:20,
16:25,
and the last one is at 18:24. To get an up to date timetable, look online at
<a href="http://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en?ld=19&L=vs_postbus&seqnr=3&ident=md.06573180.1532462020&REQ0HafasScrollDir=2">
http://fahrplan.oebb.at</a>.
<p>It's a little over 3km (2 miles) from the Post Office to Base Camp; to walk, take the exit
of the roundabout to the right, following signs to G&ouml;ssl. Now follow
the route description <a href="#roadbit">given below</a> for this section of road.
<b>On foot or by bike </b> ou can avoid walking along the bit of the road without footpaths by taking the path labelled "Waldruhe" on the left just over the river bridge as you leave the town.
This path is on the other side of the river and is shady and cool in hot weather. The path rejoins the road about 250m from Staudnwirt.</p>
<p>There was a 'Narzissenjet' taxi service</a>
for the Bad Aussee region with standard stopping places including the train staton and the Staudnwirt Gasthof.
It cost &euro;12 one-way in 2017. It seems to have died and we should ask the Gasthof whether there is an alternative.
Here is
<a href="https://ausseerland.salzkammergut.at/fileadmin/_processed_/a/2/csm_Narzissenjetfolder_180410_Karte_620196b749.jpg">
a map</a> of the stopping points: the Gasthof is #14 and the train station is #27.</p>
<p>For more local bus times, e.g. to get to and from the toll road or from Grundlesee, see <a href="/handbook/baseops.html">Base Ops</a>.
<h2>By Car</h2>
<h3>Getting to the other side of the Sea</h3>
<p>This can be the most expensive bit, but with a bit of perseverence and ingenuity, the cost can be minimised. The Ferry is usually quite a lot cheaper than Eurotunnel, and you can get a useful 1hr kip.</p>
<h4>Some useful links:</h4>
<pre>
<b>P&amp;O Stena Line</b> <a href="http://www.posl.com">http://www.posl.com</a>
Dover-Calais
<b>P&amp;O North Sea Ferries</b> <a href="http://www.poferries.com/en/dover-calais">http://www.poferries.com/en/dover-calais</a>
Daver-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam, Hull-Zeebrugge
<b>Euro Tunnel</b> <a href="http://www.eurotunnel.co.uk">http://www.eurotunnel.co.uk</a>
Folkestone-Calais/Coquelles
<b>FerryBooker</b> <a href="http://www.ferrybooker.com">http://www.ferrybooker.com</a>
Various Routes
<b>Ferry Savers</b> <a href="https://www.ferrysavers.com">https://www.ferrysavers.com</a>
Various Routes
</pre>
<h3>Driving across Europe</h3>
<p>This is the tiring bit. There are essentially two routes to choose between, either using the A3 autobahn (let's call this the <b>Northern Route</b>) or the A8 (the <b>Southern Route</b>), although numerous variations are possible. The first part of either route will vary depending upon the port used.</p>
<h4>From Calais</h4>
<p>Drive to <b>Dunkerque</b> (Dunkirk) along the <b>E40</b>. To use the <b>Southern Route</b>, head south along the <b>E42</b> to <b>Lille</b>, <b>Mons</b> and then <b>Namur</b>. To use the <b>Northern Route</b>, carry on along the <b>E40</b> towards <b>Oostende</b> (Ostend). Then continue as for the route from <b>Oostende</b>. (Ostend)</p>
<h4>From Zeebrugge</h4>
<p>Drive past <b>Brugge</b> (Bruges) on the <b>31</b> until the <b>E40</b> is met. Then continue as for the route from <b>Oostende</b> (Ostend).</p>
<h4>From Oostende (Ostend)</h4>
<p>Drive to <b>Brussel/Bruxelles</b> (Brussels) along the <b>E40</b>. The motorway skirts round the north side of the city. To use the <b>Southern Route</b>, take the <b>E411</b> towards <b>Namur</b>. To use the <b>Northern Route</b>, continue along the <b>E40</b> to <b>Liege</b>, <b>Aachen</b> and <b>K&ouml;ln</b>.</p>
<h4>From Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland)</h4>
<p>Get onto the <b>E25</b>, and head for <b>Rotterdam</b>. Then continue as for the route from <b>Rotterdam</b>.</p>
<h4>From Rotterdam</h4>
<p><i>Either</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Head towards <b>Dordercht</b> and get on the <b>E31</b>. Head towards <b>Gorinchen</b>, <b>Tiel</b>, and then <b>Arnhem</b>.</p>
<p><i>Or</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Follow the <b>E25</b> towards <b>Gouda</b>, and then the <b>E25/E30</b> Past <b>Utrecht</b> and on to <b>Arnhem</b>.</p>
<p><i>Then</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Follow the <b>E35</b> from <b>Arnhem</b> via <b>Gelsenkchn</b>, <b>Duisberg</b> and <b>D&uuml;sseldorf</b> to <b>K&ouml;ln</b>.</p>
<h4>The Southern Route (From Namur)</h4>
<p>Head south on the <b>E41</b> towards <b>Neufchateu</b>, <b>Arlon</b> and
<b>Luxembourg</b> (Luxemburg). Then there is a selection of possible routes
past <b>Saarbrucken</b>, then <b>Pirmasens</b> and off the motorway to
<b>Landau</b> and on to <b>Karlsruhe</b>. After that follow the A8 all the
way across Germany - <b>Stuttgart</b> (stop off to see ARGE members here if you like),
<b>Ulm</b>, <b>Augsberg</b><b>M&uuml;nchen</b>, <b>Salzburg</b>. If you want to stick
with the motor rules then get off just before the border and drive through Salzburg
- this is actually quite easy and not usually too busy outside the rush hour. Otherwise
follow the A1 to <b>Mondsee</b>, the 154 to <b>St. Gilgen</b>, the 158 to
<b>Bad Ischl</b>, the 145 to <b>Bad Ausee</b> over the P&ouml;tschen Pa&szlig;.</p>
<h4>The Northern Route (From K&ouml;ln)</h4>
<p>The <b>A3</b> autobahn runs from <b>K&ouml;ln</b> all the way to the border with Austria, passing <b>Siegburg</b>, <b>Limburg</b>, <b>Frankfurt</b>, <b>Aschaffenburg</b>, <b>W&uuml;rzburg</b>, <b>N&uuml;rnberg</b>, <b>Regensburg</b>, <b>Deggendorf</b> and <b>Passau</b>. In Austria, the autobahn continues as the Austrian <b>A8</b>. About 20 miles into Austria, turn off to <b>Ried</b>. From this point, the rest of the route is on much smaller roads, a welcome relief after endless motorways, and the scenery starts to become distinctly alpine. Follow the <b>143</b> via <b>Eberschwang</b>, <b>Ampfelwang</b>, <b>V&ouml;cklabruck</b> and <b>Gmunden</b>, where the <b>145</b> is picked up. Follow the <b>145</b> via <b>Altmunster</b>, <b>Traunkirchen</b>, <b>Ebensee</b> and <b>Weissenbach</b> to <b>Bad Ischl</b>. You're nearly there now - only <b>The Last Bit</b> left to go.</p>
<h4>From Bad Ischl to Bad Aussee centre</h4> <p>Follow the <b>145</b>
via <b>Bad Goisern</b> and over the <b>P&ouml;tschen Pass</b>. On
descending from the pass, there are two turnings for <b>Bad Aussee</b>.
The first turning, on the left, descends a very steep hill, and then
crosses a bridge over a river. Carry on straight ahead after the
bridge to reach the town centre. The second turning for <b>Bad
Aussee</b> is to the right. At the bottom of the sliproad, turn right
again to pass back under the <b>145</b> and follow the road into the
town centre. Both routes meet up in the town centre at a peculiar three-way junction. There seem to be no obvious
rules here, except not to bump into anything.
<h4 id="roadbit">Bad Aussee centre to Base Camp</h4>
From the three-way junction, which is just by the Post Office ("Postampt"), follow the sign to
<b>G&ouml;ssl</b>, passing immediately through a very narrow section of road
with traffic lights to control the flow of traffic. The road crosses a
river, and shortly after swings left and then right, around a blind
corner, before leaving the town. After about 2 miles of pleasant
meandering through woods and meadows, look out for <b>Gasthof
Staudnwirt</b> on the left. <b>Base Camp</b> is
<a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=47.61616&mlon=13.81218#map=19/47.61616/13.81218">just behind the car-park on the
right</a>, opposite the Gasthof.</p>
<h2>By Bus</h2>
<p>Bus can be the cheapest way to get to expo (and is likely to be the
lowest carbon). Not as nice as the train, but
practical, especially if nobody is travelling at the same time as you. It takes about 30 hours. International buses to
Linz (on the route to 'Vienna'/'Wien') exist, otherwise Munich (&pound;50)
or Zurich (&pound;75). Then get either train or National bus onwards. Bus
London - Zurich, then night train to Steinach-Irdning
(&pound;40) is a reasonable option. Not all of these buses go every
day. If booking at short notice bus can be excellent value.</p>
http://www.europebus.co.uk/austria/ (To Linz)
https://www.flixbus.com/ (To Munich and Zurich)
http://www.checkmybus.co.uk
<h2>By Bicycle</h2>
<p>This has been done twice, first by Dave Fearon in 1992, who took 9
days (return to UK only), and more recently by Brian Outram in a more
leisurely 16 days (I think).</p>
<hr />
<h2>By Air </h2>
<p>The worst choice. This is the highest carbon-emitting option and transport is the largest compononent of Expedition carbon emissions. There are many, better options (see above). In addition, flying to Expo relies on other people transporting your share of Expo gear (and often your own personal gear) to Austria, and we need enough cars out there to ensure a free flow of cavers up and down the toll road and to do the shopping.</p>
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