A Scharte is a notch in a ridge, and the Schiestelscharte, at about 2,024 metres, is one of the notches the Nockalm Road threads through on its way across the Nockberge. It sits only a little lower than the Eisentalhöhe, a few kilometres away, and the two are often grouped together, but the character is different: the Schiestelscharte feels more exposed, with the hillside opening out suddenly and the road swinging round the shoulder of a ridge.
Riding it is a pleasure in the same way that a good stretch of coastline is a pleasure, because the road keeps offering something new without requiring anything demanding. The bends are wide and well banked, the surface is smooth, and the gradient is moderate, so you can concentrate on the views. In the early morning the light comes in low from the east and the slopes are striped with shadow, and in the late afternoon the grass turns a warm gold. There is very little traffic at either end of the day.
The area is protected as part of the Nockberge biosphere park, and the pastures are still worked by farmers who bring their cattle up each summer. You might see a herd wandering across a slope, hear bells in the distance and, if you stop, catch the faint smell of dung and hay that belongs to every Alpine pasture. The soil here is mostly crystalline rock, which gives the landscape its soft contours, quite unlike the sharp limestone of the Dolomites or the Salzkammergut.
Keep an eye on the weather. At this altitude the clouds can sit down on the ridge and the temperature falls fast when they do. The road is a toll road and closes for the winter, normally from the first heavy snow until late spring, so check before you travel.
Radenthein, about twelve kilometres away, is the closest town of any size, and Döbriach on the Millstätter See has a few services. For anything larger, Spittal an der Drau is the destination. Mountain huts along the road serve coffee, soup and cake, and a quick stop at one of them is the best way to warm up before the descent, when the road drops through the forest and the air gets noticeably warmer.