Take time to appreciate everyday life and clear your mind on the Sebaldusweg (Sebaldus Way) trail, which passes through the hilly landscape of the Ennstal National Park. This 89-kilometre (55 mi) loop takes you over hills and through valleys in the Upper Austrian Limestone Alps, where magnificent panoramic views and moments of reflection await. The theme of appreciation accompanies you on this four-day adventure – you’ll be grateful for wonderful nature and good health.

St Sebaldus (also Sebald) is the patron saint of pilgrims and the patron saint of Nuremberg, in southern Germany. After a pilgrimage lasting several years, he settled as a hermit in the area of today's Nuremberg Reichswald forest, in southern Germany. He’s said to have healed many ailments and also provided help and advice to those seeking help.

After Sebaldus' death in the 8th century, legend has it that his body was placed on an ox cart. The hermit, who was later canonised, was buried where the cart came to a halt and a church was erected in his memory. Subsequently, several miraculous healings took place at his grave and it became a well-known pilgrimage site.

St Sebaldus is often depicted in front of a hermitage, with the Nuremberg city skyline in the background, in pilgrim costume or with two oxen. On the fourth stage, you pass the Church of St Sebaldus on the Heiligenstein near Weyer, a truly magical place. On his journey from Rome to Nuremberg, St Sebaldus is said to have lived here for a long time in a small cave. The earlier trade relations between the iron forging town of Weyer and Nuremberg, where Sebaldus is buried, may have been decisive for the emergence of the cult of Sebaldus on the Heiligenstein.

The start and finish point of the loop is the municipality of Großraming in Upper Austria. The first stage takes you to Schöffthaler Höhe near Laussa, where there’s only the Gasthof Brückler for overnight accommodation. Alternatively, you can look for accommodation in the village of Losenheim or split the first stage into two days. For the following two nights in Maria Neustift and Gaflenz, the selection of accommodation is small, so it’s essential to book in good time.

As the stages are relatively long at 21 to 24 kilometres (13 - 15 km), and there are few opportunities to stop for refreshments along the Sebaldusweg, I recommend that you take enough food and water to sustain you for each hike. You’ll mainly be travelling on forest and field paths, easy hiking trails and side roads, so you don’t need any technical skills for this route.

You can reach Großraming railway station in 90 minutes directly from Linz on the S1 or from Steyr in 40 minutes. You’ll find the Sebaldusweg stamping points at the churches in the stage towns. Whether you’re a believer or not, the Sebaldusweg is a great opportunity to learn to appreciate yourself and your environment more.