Don’t have money to buy Vancouver real estate on your home?
Is it possible to buy homes with others?
Is it beneficial to enter into real estate joint ventures?
Are you finding the Vancouver real estate market too expensive? You’ve probably heard of others getting into the market by partnering up with others, haven’t you? Is it risky? What’s involved? How does it work?
The first thing when considering that option is that everything MUST BE IN WRITING! I can’t stress it enough. When I say writing, I don’t mean an email. I mean, using a real estate lawyer that knows how to draft up real estate joint venture agreements.
But it’s my family, surely I can trust them?
Get It In Writing
Regardless of the other part(ies) are, the contract is there for when things go sideways. Everyone’s smiling when there’s agreement, but when there’s a disagreement, in order to be fair and just, the contract is what’s guaranteed and promised. No need to say “he said that” or “she said this” or rely on someone’s memory. Having a proper Joint Venture agreement in place also prevents disagreements when 1 of the parties wants out of the deal.
Epitome of Modern Elegance
The Grey is situated at the north end of Dunbar Village on West 16th Avenue, The homes in the neighbourhood are predominantly single-family. With this in mind, homes are designed to appeal to the luxuries and comforts of single-family living. Designed by acclaimed IBI, the four-storey building complements the historic neighbourhood with a composite of natural stone, metal panel, glass and concrete. The Grey is a timeless illustration of contemporary elegance.
The Grey will have a selection of two-bedroom to three-bedroom plus den homes, also included in the plans are penthouse level homes, and ground-level commercial space. Penthouses will have their own private rooftop balconies and many homes will benefit from large outdoor terraces.The Grey is located on the crest of Dunbar, north-facing homes will have amazing views of the water, North Shore mountains and Downtown Vancouver. All large homes will carry the Westland pedigree that can only be offered from an ultra luxury single-family builder.
Pricing for The Grey
Details have not yet been released
Floor Plans for The Grey
All residences will consist of two or more bedrooms, including two 1,087 sq ft 2-bedroom suites, 18 2-bedroom + den homes from 1,132-1,353 sq ft, two 1,400 sq ft 3-bedroom condos, and seven penthouses from 911-3,500 sq ft.
Superior Interiors
Two finely-crafted, custom colour palettes by Guo Interiors coordinate with your personal style
9’ ceilings in living and bedroom areas visually expand the scope of each room
Wide-plank engineered hardwood flooring flows throughout the living and bedroom areas
Side-by-side washer and dryer laundry closets
Solid core doors in each room create additional privacy and security
Custom-designed built-in closets allow for plenty of room for organization of your possessions
Automated smart-home technology by Creston controls temperature and lighting through a sleek wall-mount keypad
Additional smart-home technology available through the Westland Design Centre
Tailor your home with our pre-selected options for customization and personalization at the Westland Design Centre
Connoisseur Kitchens
Italian-imported, custom-stained oak veneer cabinets designed for the needs of the at-home chef
Oversized kitchens with islands
Renowned, state-of-the-art Gaggeneau appliances:
Multi-language options
36” 5-burner gas cooktop with stainless steel high CFM hood fan
Stand-alone 24” integrated refrigerator column
Stand-alone 18” integrated freezer column
Built-in microwave
Built-in, ultra-quiet speed dishwasher
24” handleless, automatic door-opening wall oven
Each home includes the option for a one-of-a kind culinary entertainment centre with an integrated pantry that features:
Gaggeneau coffee maker
Gaggeneau refrigerated wine column
Pull-out storage
Custom bar with mirrored wall and lit display shelving for your finest cognac
Custom-designed drawer and door organizers keep kitchen essentials in their place
Integrated soft-touch, self-close doors and drawers maintain a visually clean kitchen and minimize noise
Kitchens offer convenient under-cabinet task LED lighting for precision work
Easy-to-maintain solid quartz countertops with full-height quartz backsplash and marble-top island make a statement
European-designed, arched chrome Hans Grohe faucet
Show-Stopper Bathrooms
Italian-imported, wood veneer cabinets hover over exquisite tile floor
Master bathroom features:
Opulent free-standing tub enclosed within a stunning frameless glass bathing room
Flush-mount, custom-stained oak, mirrored medicine cabinets with built-in lighting and electrical outlets
Nu-heat flooring for year-round comfort
Pristine white countertops are paired with Hans Grohe wall-mount or free-standing faucets and fixtures
Oversized 5’-wide porcelain marble slab creates a spectacular bathing experience
Powder room features:
Exceptional oversized, three-sided vessel sink
Duravit wall-mounted lavatory
Sparking chrome Hans Grohe faucet
Developer Team for The Grey
Westland, a family company, was established in 2008. Since then, Westland has designed and built over 40 ultra-luxury custom homes in some of Vancouver’s most prestige neighbourhoods – Shaughnessy and Kerrisdale. Completely original, each of these custom homes have been meticulously designed to express the unique personality of the homeowner.
Expected Completion for The Grey
Sales start Fall/Winter 2016. Completion date is yet to be determined.
Canada is not just home to some fantastic mountains, great music and a cool Prime Minister, also Arc’teryx hails from the largest North American country. Last December I flew to Vancouver to cover the unveiling of the Voltair Avalanche Airbag and the Procline Carbon Lite Ski Boot. While there my colleagues and me were also treated to a tour of the Arc’teryx design studio and the factory, where iconic Arc’teryx garments like the Alpha SV Jacket are made.
What goes into designing a jacket like the Arc’teryx Alpha SV Jacket? How is it made? Who makes it? Where is it made? After my visit to the Arc’teryx factory in North Vancouver - one of four factories Arc’teryx operates in Canada - these are questions I feel I have the answers to. If you’re a gear nerd like me then visiting a factory - an Arc’teryx factory! - is like entering the holy halls of outdoor gear making. There’s so much skill and knowledge going into making these garments which we take out to the mountains and forests on our adventures that it’s inspiring to see it happen in front of your eyes, ask questions and of course take photos. The good lad that I am, well-knowing fellow gear nerds would also love to read about a Arc’teryx factory visit, I am here sharing my visit in photos and words with you. After that you’ll see your Arc’teryx hardshell with new eyes, realizing what amount of work went into it!
Every garment that is made in North Vancouver starts at the receiving area. Rolls of Gore-Tex, Polartec and many more fine materials arrive here in dozens of colours, and if you’re a MYOG enthusiast this probably is heaven already for you. As the 300 employees at this factory are super-efficient, though, those rolls of fabric don’t stay long there. Soon they end up on one of the long cutting tables.
There many, many sheets of fabric are layered carefully on top of each other, with a final paper layer which has all the patterns printed on it. These are designed in the most-efficient way so that as little material is wasted as possible. Then the gentlemen above - who does this since many years, and yes, still has all his fingers! - takes a super-sharp cutter machine to cut them up into the pieces of fabric which later make up the garments.
Speaking of garments, made in this factory are besides some iconic jackets like the Alpha SV Jacket which you’re likely most-familiar with also Arc’teryx Veilance garments, those awesome blazers and raincoats which are made of the same high-quality materials as the outdoor garments but with tons more style. You could wear a Veilance Blazer to a meeting with Justin Trudeau and wouldn’t look out of place, so classy are these garments. But the alpine mountain nerd I am we concentrated on checking out how the Alpha SV is made (and yes, I’d love to own a Veilance coat & go back to see how it is made!).
Making the jacket takes around 280 minutes over 197 work steps. The jacket travels over 30 workstations until it is labelled and ready, and has been worked on by 13 people. Arc’teryx inspires to make the fastest and best apparel factory plant, and where do you go to learn about efficient manufacturing? To Japan and Toyota with their lean manufacturing methodology. This resulted in the employees in Vancouver learning new skills so they can do more work steps in one go, which minimizes the travel & waiting time between work steps. Now one worker can for example sew a seam, then tapes it and then applies some Arc’teryx magic to it (Sorry, I can’t say what that magic is as I signed an NDA!) and can pass it on to the next worker along the line, instead of three workers doing each step individually.
Making the Alpha SV jacket takes 280 minutes over 197 work steps by 13 people.
Speaking of the workers, they learn in a 12 week sewing training programme all the skills they need to work at the Arc’teryx factory - from sewing over taping and learning about the Lean programme. They have a 94% graduate rate of this programme, and the employees made a happy & proud impression on me. Arc’teryx cares well for their employees, with regular breaks, being able to switch up stations, good pay - and many were also sporting Arc’teryx garments, some even garments which they sewed just for themselves! The trainees of the sewing programme also do good, as they make from excess material Ponchos for the homeless of Vancouver and give these away for free to those in need.
Back to the Alpha SV. There’s 48 jackets made per day in Vancouver, and each jacket is controlled during different stages of the manufacturing process. Some jackets get into the water pressure test to see if the material is good, and at the end the jacket gets its label and is ready to go on adventures with you. As you can imagine, it was inspiring to see this jacket being made - from the fabric over the cutting to the different steps, slowly the jacket started to take shape.
After our visit to the factory we went to the design studio. If you thought it couldn’t get better after a visit to the Arc’teryx factory - I was in awe about what I just saw! - you’re in for a treat. Because what gets made at the factory is imagined & designed in the studio. Here you find a small factory floor itself, where Greg & his colleagues can create a jacket (or one-offs for athletes! What we saw there was AMAZING!) in a few hours and then pass it on to one of their athletes for testing.
The designers are usually working on garments that comes out three years down the line, so right now they will be designing & testing garments which hit the stores in Fall 2019. I imagine it gets quite hard to make sure you’re not spilling secrets at meetings and trade shows if you’re working so far in advance!
Finally we also got to take a peek into the Arc’teryx workshop, where they build machines and things they can not get anywhere else. They got all the fancy machines which you can imagine, and it is in part thanks to that workshop and the people there that Arc’teryx can come up with new innovations for manufacturing and in apparel technology.
After this fantastic tour of the factory, workshop and design studio we were treated to the brand-new, never-before seen Procline Carbon Lite Ski Boot and Voltair Avalanche Airbag presentation, which we’d be testing a day later out in the backyard of Arc’teryx in British Columbia. But that’s a story for another day!
Even if you’re not able to go visit the Arc’teryx design studio - with the Hive North Shore Climbing Gym and Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers they have a great bouldering gym and craft beer brewery in the same building which means you sort of can visit Arc’teryx - and you might even run into Arc’teryx employees & athletes there!
Disclaimer: I was invited by Arc’teryx to Vancouver for the launch of the Voltair and Procline. This did not influence the article as I maintain full editorial control of the content published on this site. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.
Concord Pacific, have come together with GBL Architects, They have designed a stunning 17-storey residential building in booming Southeast False Creek. This very attractive location is overlooking Hinge Park, Habitat Island, and the waters of False Creek. Avenue One highlights the enjoyment of the outdoors with open north-facing balconies, water features and green roofs. If you enjoy an active lifestyle, Avenue One is the one.
Becoming a home owner at Avenue One, you join a master-planned community designed to conveniently meet your everyday needs. Located close-by are various professional services and shops such as Urban Fare, London Drugs pharmacy and Terra Breads bakery cafe. For an evening out there is a selection of breweries, cafes, pubs, restaurants, and taphouses all within walking distance of you own neighbourhood. This area also offers the stunning seawall for jogging, cycling, False Creek for watersports and the facilities at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre. Follow the avenue to livability at Avenue One.
Developer Team for Avenue One
Concord Pacific is a residential and commercial real estate investment and development firm formed in 1987 to develop Concord Pacific Place on the former Expo Lands in downtown Vancouver. Since then, Concord has completed over 100 residential and mixed use buildings with more than 50 in various stages of planning and development. Over the past 25 years, the Concord Group of companies has also grown into other industry sectors, including software and information technology, telecommunications, as well as green energy projects in solar, wind, and hydroelectric power generation.
Townline has announced their newest WestSide community, The Parker is a stunning 6-storey building coming soon to Vancouver’s very popular Oakridge neighbourhood. This boutique development consists of 49 luxury residences which will include air-conditioning. There will be a selection of one,two,and three-bedroom homes featuring thoughtfully-planned gourmet kitchens, spa-inspired bathrooms, high-end interior finishes, and appealing outdoor living spaces.
The Parker is going to be situated on the corner of West 41st Avenue and Elizabeth Street, The Parker is conveniently tucked back from the bustle of the Cambie Corridor while still providing immediate access to nearby amenities. Oakridge Centre will be nearby providing shopping and stores for groceries at Kin’s Farmers Market and Safeway. Just across the street you will be able to find the ideal wines for entertaining at Vancouver’s largest Signature BC Liquor Store. Queen Elizabeth Park’s beautiful manicured gardens are located just a few minutes away. Also the very accessible Canada Line will bring you downtown to enjoy its endless entertainment offerings. It’s all yours at The Parker.
This October, middle and high school music students will be performing in Music Festival Week under the guidance of our international visiting conductors-in-residence Travis J. Cross (band), Sandra Peter (choir), and William W. Wiedrich (strings). All concerts are free and all are welcome!
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Small, rugged, ultralight 71 g, waterproof out of the box, can be controlled with your phone and is pretty affordable - with the HERO4 Session GoPro has created a great little action camera for active outdoor enthusiasts!
I met GoPro at the ISPO earlier this year and had a nice chat with them, and when they asked if I’d be interested in testing their HERO4 Session I said yes. While my experience with the GoPro Hero 2 was more like Meh and also the Garmin Virb was something I seldom would take along, I have had the HERO4 Session a lot outdoors in the last months. As a Photographer video is usually just a side-consideration for me, but as I am pondering videos more seriously it is nice to have a small, light and good video camera.
Time
As usually I put my HERO4 Session through a serious testing period to see how it performs in many different situations. The HERO4 Session arrived in February at Hiking in Finland HQ and has been along ski-touring in Norway, hiking, paddling and caving in Macedonia, bouldering and sea kayaking on Åland and climbing, hiking and watching the sun set in Greece, and comes with me when I am going to South Tyrol next month and most likely also to Mexico in November. As the Session 5 was just announced last week I felt it is about time to review this wee camera cube (though GoPro wished I’d done it ages ago =).
Function
The GoPro HERO4 Session’s function is summed up pretty easily: Document your adventures, be they skiing in Lyngen, climbing in Greece, hiking in Finland or enjoying the beach with your family. It takes crisp 1080 HD Videos, makes pretty Timelapses and photos from your activities, and lets you easily share them.
Features
One Button Video Recording - and push it once more to stop recording and turn the camera off
One Button Timelapse out of the box, easy to adjust via the camera or the GoPro app on your phone
Wifi and Bluetooth allows you to control the Session via your tablet or smartphone
Waterproof to 10 m without a housing
Dozens and dozens of mounts to attach it to almost anything imaginable
Technical Innovations
The Session is one of the smallest action cameras on the market. It’s a tiny cube which is why I found it so useful to take along on my trips. The “Press one button and it records” feature is also great, gone the times of where you’re wearing a GoPro and first push it on and then hit the record button, often not sure if it actually is now recording or not. That same button you can push a wee bit longer and it records a Timelapse, and this I found pretty cool as video and timelapse with one push of a button is a great step forward in user friendliness.
Quality
The camera itself is high-quality and bumps into the rock wall, dropping it into my pack and letting it go dive in the salty Baltic and fresh water lakes didn’t bother it at all. The front lens glass protector has been kept scratch-free during all this time, one just needs to be careful to not touch it with greasy fingers as that can get messy (but easy enough to clean). I believe this camera can survive several years of use and abuse without problems.
Weight
The Session weighs a mere 71 g. Add in a case (16 g) and a mount like an adhesive mount (11 g) or the Tripod/ Selfie Stick (215 g) and it’s a bit more, but especially with the latter you can take pretty ace photos and videos of yourself in action or fold the legs out and take a time-lapse of the sunset, all for a combined weight of 303 g (That’s the 3-Way Arm, a cage for the camera and the Session itself).
Sustainability & Recyclability
You can buy refurbished cameras from GoPro directly, which is a cool move and puts less GoPros into the waste streams of the world. Also on their website they have a lengthy website dedicated to social and environmental matters, while GoPro Cause lets you get involved or donate with social projects around the world.
How to get rid of an old GoPro, though? If you life in Europe you should be aware of the WEEE Directive which means electronic waste does not belong into your normal household waste. It gives you ideas where you can get rid of your old camera (and other electronic garbage, like that TV, the old Playstation and the broken cellphone from 2003).
In use
I have used the HERO4 Session more as I thought I would. Unlike some of my blogger friends (Hey there Jackie!) who often only use a GoPro and their smartphone my main tool is a camera as I earn money with my photography. Now while the Session does take photos they’re usually not something a magazine is looking for, hence I carry my Sony RX 100 IV wherever I go. But the HERO4 Session is so small, light and intuitive that it’s a great addition to a small camera, especially for activities like climbing, skiing and cycling where it’s nice to attach the camera to yourself or your equipment and film your adventure.
What I like most about the HERO4 Session - and I might repeat myself here - is that it is so easy to use. Push the button and it records - push again and it’s finished. Push the button 3 seconds and it starts to record a timelapse. Push again and it stops. Accessing the settings is easy on the device as the User Interface is really smartly designed, and you can change the camera angle (from wide to medium), timelapse settings - from 0,5 seconds to 60 seconds - and a bunch more, all via the two buttons on the camera
All you need to start is a MicroSDXC Card and you’re ready to head out. The GoPro 3-Way Grip & Tripod aka a fancy Selfie Stick with tripod legs that hide away has been something that I was very sceptical of (who wouldn’t be sceptical of Selfie Sticks?) but after using it a couple of times and seeing what great footage one can shot with it I was a convert. Now my Session is usually connected to the 3-Way Grip, as it allows for cool angles on the go, a more stable flow when hiking (though I’d like a gimbal for it) and the Tripod legs make it great for filming a timelapse.
The camera is also really durable - bumps against the rock when climbing didn’t bother it, it dived in and out of salt and fresh water without problems, and also took the daily abuse of being carried in a sidepocket or backpack without problems.
What I found really great is that you can connect the Session to your smartphone, grab a photo or video, edit it on your phone and share it on Instagram. Put the camera down and control the Session from your phone - hit record, adjust settings, whatever. It is so easy, you’ll love this feature if you use Social Media and previously just sat on a ton of footage but never did anything with it. There’s even the possibility to find your GoPro in case you’ve lost it under a bunch of papers!
Speaking of editing, GoPro has its own Apps - for free! - which help you make a movie out of that footage. On the phone and desktop you even can let the App do all the work and you just sit back and see what it comes up with!
As for the footage coming out of it, I found it very nice indeed - for online publication. The photos (see the kayaking photo above) are of good quality for blogs and Social Media and probably could be used in a pinch in a magazine. The videos in 1080 HD are crisp with nice colours & good sound, and the file size is wonderfully small in comparison what my other cameras throw out (as I already own four HD External Hard Drives storage is always a concern!). The HERO4 Session is a big step forward from my older action cameras, as adjusting from dark to bright is now quick & good, and it even works great when spelunking in dark caves with bats.
Finally, while I got the HERO4 Session for free without obligations you can find the action camera for as little as 200€ (GoPro themselves ask for 230€ on their webstore). That’s a pretty good price for such a well-designed camera, although there are action cameras out there which cost just half or less of that. If you’d like to support a company which in those cases rips off GoPro is up to you, I wouldn’t.
Could be better
It is hard to pin-point things that I think could be better with the HERO4 Session, but as the HERO5 Session was just launched I’d say GoPro addressed at least some of my concerns: Better video quality (now with 4K!) and Image stabilization. It now also has 10 Megapixel Photos but remains just as simple & easy to use out of the box as the HERO4 Session I review here. But these were just tiny complaints from my side and I have been more than happy with the HERO4 Session.
Competing Products
There’s a range of Action Cameras which try to grab some of GoPros market share, most notably Garmin with the VIRB and Sony with its action cameras. Also DJI has tried to enter the market with the Osmo, though it serves a slightly different niche. And then there’s the low-cost but still impressive action cameras which cost even less than the Session - I linked to some of these in recent The Week In Reviews so browse them to read about these.
Bottomline
In the end the question you should ask yourself is: Do I need a one-click action camera? Are you out enough hiking, climbing, skiing, swimming, paddling, mountaineering, surfing & cycling and wishing you had a small video camera along which films you & your adventurous activities? Do you have the time afterwards to edit your footage and share it with your friends (or will you use the GoPro Quick Desktop or smartphone app to do so)? Are you ready to drop around 300€ on the HERO4 Session, a MicroSDXC Card and some mounts?
If the answer is yes to all of these questions then I think you will find the GoPro Session a great little action camera. While I was sceptical if I’d use the Session at all - after all I hadn’t used the previous two action cameras I own in many years - it quickly has become something I take along on assignments & when I head out for fun. Because it is so easy to use I am way more likely to actually take it out of my pack and push that button - knowing it will record crisp, cool videos of my friends & me doing what we like most - being outside and having fun! Add in that it does so in an almost unobtrusive way, and that viewing, editing and sharing the footage I have recorded has never been easier and you have a winning package that fits in the palm of your hand.
Where to buy it
As the Session 5 will come out in a few weeks the HERO4 Session - the one reviewed here - is available for good discounts already. REI has a great package and you also find it at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de for a good price.
Disclaimer: The Session was sent for free to me by and GoPro asked me to have fun with it. This did not influence the article as I maintain full editorial control of the content published on this site. There are affiliate links in this article. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.
“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” — Mark Twain
250 The Week In Reviews! The first outdoor-themed, curated week review hits 250 issues! If you enjoyed this post and the many before it and would like more in the future, why not support me with a coffee or two? I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. Any help is appreciated and allows me to create more epic content for you!
Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this article to help finance the website. You either can avoid them like hell or click them and buy gear and apparel via them to support me. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.
The PTA store will be closed starting with the elementary school parent-teacher conferencesThursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7 and will continue throughout the week of fall break. Regular store hours will resume starting Monday, October 17. Store hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and correspond with regular school days.
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Navigating a new home can be tricky. How do you find a good doctor? What's that holiday they're celebrating? Where are the best places for family leisure and sport? All of these questions and more can leave your head spinning. Luckily for you, the American Association of Singapore will host the Living in Singapore talk on Wednesday, September 28 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Tanglin Club, located at 5 Stevens Road, 257814 to help answer these questions and more. Click title to register
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Please save the date! The PTA welcome committee invites new families for an SAS communications overview on Wednesday, October 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Please look for more details in the weekly SAS eNews.
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The PTA is pleased to announce the return of our family photo day. We have partnered with Pret-a-Portrait, our school photographers, to offer individual, sibling, and family portrait sessions on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in room I311 in the elementary school. Click title to sign up
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On Saturday, October 1 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. please bring your picnic blanket and plan to have fun meeting new and old friends. Free coupons for one meal portion, one drink, and one dessert are available for students who attend SAS and their parents/guardians. Additional food and drinks will be available for purchase. Only cash will be accepted. Don't miss the fun, games, and inflatables! This event will take place on the north field behind the high school stadium. Click title to RSVP
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Naturally Beautiful
Introducing Belpark, the newest addition to Intracorp’s prestigious West Side Collection. Set along the lush, tree-lined neighbourhood of West 59th Avenue, this intimate enclave of thoughtfully-designed residences offers spacious floor plans and “Westside” luxury finishes. With extended views of the surrounding 133 acres of green space, be it Langara Golf Course to the north or Winona Park to the south, you’ll appreciate Belpark’s urban tranquility.
The world’s tallest timber frame hybrid building is coming to the exclusive Coal Harbour area! At 19 stories high, it will undoubtedly be a new Vancouver landmark of luxury and art! Featuring only 20 residential units, this famous Japanese architect (Shigeru Ban) designed building will allow each home will have its own outdoor space. First 12 floors will be constructed of concrete, while the triangular top portion will be constructed by locally sourced timber. The future of luxury living has arrived!
The family adventure-mountain-holiday saga from the Bregenzerwald continues with a lot of hikes and some fine views!
A Panorama Hike in the Brandnertal
Where did I leave off? Ah yeah, that I just came back to our apartment after my Sunrise hike up the Kanisfluh, ready for a day full of family adventures. With such a good weather forecast - the first really sunny day during our stay - we decided to head to the neighbouring Brandnertal and hike on the family-friendly Natursprünge-Weg Brandnertal. After a drive of a bit over an hour we arrived in Studa and took the Dorfbahn up the mountain. There we switched into the Panoramabahn which brought us over to the start of the nature experience trail, which has been created in cooperation with the inatura museum.
But first it was already again lunch time, and so we sat down at Frööd and ate to strengthen us for the stroll through the mountains. The food was tasty, as were their home-made lemonades, and the playground keeps kids active for a long time! Add in great views and you might just be inclined to sit on the terrace and sip cold drinks!
But we weren’t there to sit out a sunny day on a terrace and so we soon started to hike on the interactive Natursprünge Weg. In regular distances you find information stations which explain a certain topic - from the views over geology to respect for nature, it’s a wide array of topics which you can find out about.
It was a wide, hard path which was OK to walk - the views were spectacular, though on a sunny day the lack of shadow could be causing trouble when on the trail with little kids, so always bring enough water, a longsleeved shirt and pants and a sun hat to protect the little hikers. Also the relative long distance (it’s around 90 minutes walking time with kids, so maybe close to 6 km) could be a problem, as there’s no shortcut. However, you can loan a handcart from the second station which would allow you to pull your kids down the trail, making it easier!
At the end we passed another Restaurant and the start of a Barefoot Trail which looked pretty nice, but we just went straight for the cable car as our little one was getting pretty tired and needed to get into bed soon! All in all the Natursprünge Trail was a good experience, but we did like the Panorama Trail in Bezau (read about it underneath) more as it was a lot prettier.
A Barefoot Hike in Bizau
The Barfußweg Bizauer Moos is a great little hike for friends of barefoot walking! It was also very close to our apartment in Mellau - a short bus ride from Mellau to Bizau and we could start! We followed the trail markers over narrow paths and wider streets to the start of the barefoot trail, which runs all the time along the short (or through) the little Ulve creek which finds its way through the highmoor.
Once we reached it we told our four year old son that we will now continue without shoes. He was highly sceptical and needed some serious convincing, but after he saw that mom and dad were walking through the muddy puddles he was all in favour of barefoot hiking! The barefoot trail runs mostly on grassy trails, with a few crossings of the ice-cold creek.
Our son really liked the ice-cold crossings, and loved it even more if he could make dad cross the creek twice =) The highmoor is beautiful, with colourful wildflowers all around and great views on the surrounding mountains.
At the end the trail runs in tight curves there and back, but always along the little creek, sometimes now also on duckboards (which can be very slippery with wet, muddy feet!) but mostly on grassy trails. Once you see the yellow-green bench you know that you’ve made it to the end of the trail! Now it’s time to wash your feet a final time in the cold creek - hopefully you brought a towel! - and get back into your shoes (unless you’re a monkey like me and have your Luna Sandals along!) and continue - for example towards Jagdgasthaus Egender in Schönenbach, where you can taste the best Kässpätzle of the whole region!
Hiking on the Panaoramaweg Bezau
The Panaoramaweg Bezau was our absolute highlight of the trip to the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg. It was again very close to where we stayed in Mellau - a mere 10 minute Bus ride! - and the scenery, the lovely little path, the great Restaurant and the amazing views really made this hike stand out.
It started with a cable car ride up into the clouds for us four, and we took the pram along - which we then left at the Restaurant as the trail didn’t accommodate a pram (it was very washed out and there were some gates where you would have to lift it over it). We had a quick lunch - tasty soups and bread - while the clouds were racing around us. As the weather cleared up we made our first start at hiking the Panorama Trail.
But then the clouds and rain came back, and so we turned around to sit it out. Good thing the restaurant has a very nice playing corner where the kids could entertain themselves =)
Then the weather cleared up again and we made our second try. With rain jackets on we left the Restaurant and hiked up the narrow, washed-out trail while a little creek was flowing down. Blue sky started to gain the upper hand and the grey rain clouds moved on to other places.
The views on the trail are simply outstanding: Even on this cloudy day you could see the Alps in Switzerland, the commanding Kanisfluh which is the landmark peak of the Bregenzerwald, to the north over the low, lovely foothills of the Alps, the Allgäu and Lake Constance, and then to imposing mountains to the south.
The trail was great for kids, always interesting - from Paragliders that were taking off to sheep - and kept our son in high spirits throughout the hike.
We had a look into the pretty Alpe Niedere chapel which was relatively new before we made the climb back towards the Restaurant and the cable car station. After an ice cream and Germknödel walked over to the cable car station and made the last cable car back to Bezau. This is a great and easy afternoon or morning out for a family with kids, even in moody weather. We felt it had all you need for a family with small kids: Easy access, good food for kids, a spacious changing room, an interesting trail which isn’t too long and stunning scenery.
One more!
Yes, there was even more on this holiday and I hope to have the final instalment about food and accommodation out next week. In the meanwhile you can take a sneak peek at the Vorarlberg Flickr Album where you can see a lot more photos from these adventures. And if you enjoyed this post and would like more, why not support me with a coffee or two? I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. You also could subscribe to the rarer-than-ever Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Youtube for more outdoorsy updates!
Disclaimer: I thank Tourism Vorarlberg for the invitation to their region. They helped with getting there, accommodation and activities, but as always this does not influence the article as I maintain full editorial control of the content published on this site. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.
