Travel: Cycling tour of Austria

I was taking deep breaths of fresh Austrian air when I was overtaken in quick succession by a cyclist with bulging calves, a lady doing her errands and a small boy on an even smaller bike laden with fishing tackle. As they disappeared into the distance I considered increasing my speed but with so much to take in as I cycled along the Danube, there seemed no need for haste.

My short Austrian cycling tour began with a landing in the Blue Danube – not quite as exciting as it sounds – the Blue Danube being the Sunday name of Linz Airport. We had just an evening to spend in the city and so climbed up to Linz Castle to take in the view. Linz lies on both sides of the Danube, overlooked by Pöstlingberg hill and church. From our castle viewpoint we could see the bridge spanning the river, which from the end of the Second World War until 1955 marked the boundary between Russian and American occupation. Now the Arts Electronica Centre and the Lentos Art Museum stand on opposing banks, each building's glass walls periodically lighting up in blues and pinks.

Adolf Hitler spent much of his youth in Linz and envisioned it as the cultural and industrial centre of the Third Reich. The industry lasts to this day, but Hitler's dream of revamping the city centre was unfulfilled and the charming old town remains. As we strolled past St Mary's Cathedral our eyes were drawn upwards to the spire. As part of Linz's role as European City of Culture, each week a citizen becomes a volunteer hermit, climbing the 395 steps to quiet contemplation. The people of Linz must have been in need of such a project as our guide told us the places were quickly filled and the waiting list so long they may extend the project into next year. As we peered into the sky, trying to imagine what it would be like up there without a mobile phone or a computer that week's "Turmeremit" (tower hermit) emerged onto the parapet and waved cheerily at our up-turned faces – at least I think she was waving.

Next morning we picked up our bikes at Grein and set off along the banks of the Danube. The rhythm of cycling quickly became mesmeric, and I found it oddly relaxing and invigorating. By the time we reached our lunch stop at Persenbeug, the fresh air and exercise had worked its magic and we all agreed cycling was the perfect way to take in the beauty of the area.

We ended our first day with a cruise through the Wachau Valley from Melk to Krems. The boats are well-equipped for cyclists, and we wheeled our bikes down the gang plank and made for the upper deck to rest our legs. The cliff-top castles that line the river competed for attention with the bathing habits of some of the locals – most of whom took a minimalist approach to swimwear. Was it stubbornness, I wondered, that made the naturists hold their ground despite the river traffic (our vessel was laden with Japanese tourists all wielding cameras with very long lenses) or were they exhibitionists who had chosen these river-banks for that very reason?

After a day of cycling I felt a little sore, but was keen to get back on the road the next day. Sadly, this was not to be, as I was struck down by a migraine which confined me to bed for the evening and the next morning. If not for Walter, my day would have been a wash-out. Walter, a driver for Donau Touristik, arrived at my hotel in the afternoon, rotund and beaming, inquired about my health and spent the rest of the day personifying Austrian hospitality.

He first took me to nearby Dürnstein, through which my companions would have cycled earlier. This fairytale village is one of the most famous of the Wachau Valley, with crumbling Castle Dürnstein towering high above the village's winding streets. Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in the castle by Duke Leopold V after a falling-out during the crusades. The English king's whereabouts were a mystery until his faithful troubadour, Blondel, found him after a long stretch singing outside various castles in search of his master. Dürnstein was picture postcard pretty and thronged with tourists. Walter, who I believe knows at least one person wherever he finds himself, grumbled a little at the volume of the multinational crowds and guided me to a quiet café with a view down the Danube, where he drank coffee and regaled me with tales of his time spent in the UK as a young man.

Walter then spirited me on to Spitz for lunch in a sunshine-filled courtyard. Still a little shaky from my headache, I ordered water with my fish but the appalled faces of both waiter and Walter suggested a major faux pas. Spitz is one of the most renowned wine producing towns in Austria with the hill behind us producing an average of one thousand buckets of wine per year. I was duly presented with a glass of Grüner Veltliner – a deliciously dry white. With the wine and lively conversation between Walter and a couple from Salzburg flowing, my regret at missing out on the day's cycling slipped away. Later, when reunited with the group who were glowing with exertion and raving about vineyards laden with grapes and eating apples from orchards, I felt only the smallest pang of jealousy.

We handed in our bicycles and returned to pedestrian sight-seeing in Vienna. The city's pristine streets and well-heeled citizens were a contrast to the green heartiness of the Wachau. Trams glided and cyclists whizzed, politely dinging their bells at the little groups of tourists constantly spilling on to their cycle paths. Pretty horses clip-clopped visitors along cobbled streets with well-positioned bags ensuring no droppings sullied the scene.

The many parks were full of students enjoying the last of the summer sunshine. When it got too chilly to lounge on the grass I went to one of the city's numerous coffee shops. Prices are steep but it is the custom to nurse your coffee, and the outlay is well worth it to hire a little corner of this genteel city for an afternoon. Over my Apfelstrudel it struck me that bad luck, such as an ill-timed migraine attack, can often result in the happiest of travel memories.

The facts Inghams (0208 780 4454 or visit www.inghams.co.uk) offers cycle tours along the Danube from £753 per person for a seven-night tour on half board basis including flights from London Gatwick to Salzburg. Flights are also available from Glasgow (+£65). Ryanair (www.bookryanair.com) offers return flights from London Stansted to Linz from £91. Donau Touristik organises Danube cycle tours from Passau to Vienna (0043 070 2080, [e-mail], www.donautouristik.com). Hotels include, in Linz, Austria Trend Hotel Schillerpark (0043 732 6950, [e-mail]); in Krems, Hotel Arte (0043 273 271123, [e-mail]); in Vienna, NH Danube City (0043 126 0200, [e-mail])

• This article was first published in The Scotsman Magazine on 07/11/2009