Namlos is a village at the head of a long, quiet side valley in the Lechtal Alps of Tyrol, and the road that leads to it is the reason to come. It is one of the smallest places on the map, a handful of farms and houses at an altitude of more than a thousand metres, with steep forested slopes and limestone peaks around. There is no through traffic, because the valley ends in a cul-de-sac of mountains, apart from the road across to Berwang, which makes it a ride that few visitors know about.
The road, which leaves the Lech valley near Stanzach, follows the Namlos stream up a narrow gorge. It is a twisting, single-lane road in places, with passing places, steep slopes, and a surface that is mostly good but can be patched and broken in the spring. The corners are tight, and you need to take them slowly, because you never know what lies around them, whether it is a tractor, a herd of cows or a cyclist. The reward is the quiet, the trees, the sound of water, and the sense of a place that has been left alone.
The Lechtal Alps are part of a nature park, one of the largest in Austria, which protects the wild upper Lech river, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Alps. The gravel banks and braided channels are a rare habitat, supporting birds such as the little ringed plover and plants that depend on the shifting riverbed. The meadows in the side valleys are full of wildflowers in June and July, and the forests hold deer, chamois and, in the high crags, ibex.
Farming here is traditional, with hay cut by hand on the steepest slopes, and cows driven up to the alpine pastures in summer. The cheese made on these alps is excellent, and a mountain inn may offer a plate of cheese and bacon with dark bread.
Services are minimal in the village itself, and fuel is not available. Reutte, a town of about seven thousand to the north, and Imst, to the south, have proper stations, and it is wise to fill up before you climb. Carry water, a rain jacket and a little cash. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times, and snow can close the road in winter.