Soboth sits on a high wooded pass in the south-west corner of Styria, close to the Carinthian border, where the long ridge of the Koralpe sinks into a broad saddle and the road crosses from one province to another. It is a spread-out settlement more than a village, with farms, a church and a lake, the Sobother Stausee, a reservoir held by a dam in the forest, whose dark water reflects the spruce on its banks. The road tops out at well over a thousand metres, and the air is cool and smells of resin, with mist hanging in the hollows on summer mornings.
The surrounding country is a landscape of forest and pasture, wide and thinly populated, with timber and farming the main livelihood. Close by, on the Slovenian side, the little towns of Dravograd and Ravne na Koroškem lie in the Drava and Meža valleys, and the border has been open to riders since Slovenia joined the Schengen area, so the roads form natural loops between the two countries. In the Drava valley, Lavamünd is the small town where the Lavant river joins the Drau, with an old stone bridge and a castle above.
For riders, the Soboth road is the reward. The B69 from Eibiswald on the Styrian side climbs in a series of broad curves through spruce woods, with a smooth surface and fine visibility, and drops on the Carinthian side toward Lavamünd in tighter bends with views of the Drau valley opening up. It is a relaxed, flowing road, well suited to a long day in the saddle, and traffic is light, apart from some timber trucks and holiday traffic in August. Rain and fog come quickly, and in winter there can be ice and snow, though it is usually cleared.
A rest at the reservoir, with a view of the water, is a pleasant stop, and the inns around the pass serve simple Styrian and Carinthian dishes such as Käsnudeln, pasta filled with cheese, and dumplings with sauerkraut. The best months are May to October.