The border ridge road at Ratsch

Ratsch an der Weinstraße is a hamlet on the ridge south of Gamlitz, part of the municipality of Ehrenhausen an der Weinstraße since 2015, and the road through it runs along the frontier: the vineyards on one side are Austrian, and those a field to the south are Slovenian. Nothing marks the line but the odd stone and a change in the shape of the huts.

The lane is high and open, and on a clear day you see over layered ridges in both directions. It is quieter than Gamlitz, with fewer cars and fewer terraces, which makes it the better choice for a slow session that needs room. A few minutes over the crossing, on the Slovenian side, is the heart-shaped vineyard lane at Spičnik that appears on half the postcards of the region.

Late afternoon suits it best, with the sun going down the length of the border and the ridges turning blue in layers behind. Sunrise gives mist below and a hard, clean line along the top.

The road is narrow with passing bays; park in a marked spot and walk. The crossing into Slovenia is open, but it is a border — carry ID if you intend to step across, and check anything current about it before building a route around it.