Egg is the sort of village where the first thing you notice is the wood. Houses, barns, bus shelters and cafes are all clad in timber, in an elegant, modern way that has made the Bregenzerwald one of the most admired regions in Europe for contemporary country architecture. The older farmhouses have shingled facades that have weathered to silver, and the newer ones echo the style so faithfully that you can hardly tell where one era stops.
The village lies on the Bregenzerach river in a broad, green valley in the westernmost part of Austria, within sight of Lake Constance on a clear day but a world away from its holiday crowds. Egg is the main centre of the lower valley, with a fair-sized church, a few hotels and a high street with shops, bakeries and a bank. The region is famous for its cheese, which the locals take very seriously. The Käsestraße, the cheese road, links dairies, farms and mountain huts, and the valley's Alpkäse and Bergkäse are protected products, made in copper vats over wood fires in summer pastures.
The riding here is relaxed and rewarding. The road through the valley rises and falls over gentle hills, with long, open bends that suit an easy pace. Surfaces are generally good, and traffic is moderate except on summer weekends. You might come across cows being driven down from the mountain pastures in September, in the old Alpabtrieb custom, with garlands of flowers on their horns and bells that can be heard from a kilometre away. It is a wonderful sight, and a good reason to be flexible with your timing.
Practically, Egg is a good stop. It is a real village with real shops, and fuel is available in or close to the village. If you need a larger town, Wolfurt, about twelve kilometres away, is close to the motorway, and Dornbirn is a short ride beyond. Cafes in Egg serve Kässpätzle, the cheese noodles topped with fried onions, which is the valley's comfort food and perfectly judged after a day in the saddle. Local apple juice, pressed from the valley's orchards, is a good non-alcoholic companion.
Spend a little time walking the village, and you will see why people who come to ride often end up staying longer.