Section Fischingen-Steg

10.5 km (walking time around 3 hrs)
 Mountain section with medium difficulty: Fischingen 613 m.a.s.l., Hörnli 1033 m, Steg 699 m

At the south-western corner of the monastery, we cross the Toggenburgstrasse and the Murg, and turn off from the Tösstalstrasse to the left. We cross the Aubach (brook), and ascending across meadows and along the edge of the wood, we come to the farmstead “Neuschüür”. The route takes us southwards through the wood and along the Aubach to the main road, on which we reach the village Au.

Parish church St. Ann

The parish church St. Ann was first mentioned in 1275. The right-hand side altar of the baroque church shows a picture of Idda. Opposite the church, we see the old inn “Au”. While the road curves to the right between church and inn, our route follows a narrow road straight-on, and after 100 m, we take the alpine herder’s road to the left, leading into the wood. We pass a wayside shrine, and southwards over the alpine pastures, we come to the steep “Eggholz”, and after the mountain forest across the clearing to the hamlet “Alewinde” (914m). The inn “Gasthaus zum Kreuz auf Allewinden” is an old pilgrim’s hostel in the “Tannenzapfenland” (fir cone country). We enjoy the warmth of the cosy tiled stove. We follow the road for about 300 m southwards to the farm “Chaltebrune”.

Landscape Allenwinden

Here, we leave the pass road towards the left, passing “Silberbüel” (cantonal boundary), over mountain paths, forest paths and meadows to the “Dreiländerstein”, the boundary stone of the cantons of St.Gallen, Thurgau and Zürich. Through the mountain forest that gradually gets steeper, we come to the mountain inn on the Hörnli (1133m). From the summit, we enjoy a magnificent view to the Säntis (mountain peak), the Toggenburg (valley), to Central Switzerland, and Zürich’s Oberland. Pilgrims wanting to stop overnight can use the cosy dormitory and enjoy the spectacular sunset and sunrise.We are walking in a southern direction, partly on the mountain road, and partly on shortcutting mountain paths along the grassy mountain shoulder, then along the edge of the wood down to “Tanzplatz” (968m), and further down over mountain meadows and through woods to Steg in the Töss valley (699m).

Steg doctor house

On the side of the road, we come to the former pilgrim’s hostel ”Zum Steg”, documented for the first time in 1599. After it had been destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt in 1688. A good place to rest, either in the cosy guestroom or the shade of the garden. Behind the building, we find the “Doktorhaus”, built in 1690, and serving as pharmacy and medical practice until 1890.

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