The trail continues on the other side of the village of Soboth (to the East), past the lift support structure and over a meadow to the edge of the wood. Here, the route follows the “Wohlfühlweg” (feel-good trail) for a short while, which offers various games for the senses. Then it continues to the right down to a stream and afterwards up again to the road for Laaken, keeping to the left-hand side. Follow the road for only a short distance until the signpost for “Untersoboth”. You will first of all reach the Popernegg farmstead and continue to the next sharp right turn, where you must leave the road along the embankment to the left (careful attention must be paid here to the signposting). Climb far down to the romantic Krummbach ravine, where a little bridge leads across the water. Immediately afterwards, the route again takes an uphill course, following the signpost in the direction of “Rotwein” that indicates the short-cut to the forest road. In Rotwein, follow the road to St. Lorenzen. Here, an approx. 2½km stretch of the asphalt road must be walked before coming back onto the 03 Südalpenweg (south Alpine way) (Bad Radkersburg – Sillian), leading to the Radlpass. After about 45min, you will arrive at the former Gasthaus Puschnig inn, where the trail branches off into the meadows and later into the woods. After going up and down two hills and crossing the little stream twice, the route again comes onto the road and goes into St. Lorenzen. About 500m along the road, turn right into the fields just before the road continues into a left bend. The trail goes gently downhill until the Slovenian border. The trail stays right at the border area for quite a while until finally arriving at the Radlpass (approx. 4h). A road via the Radlpass border crossing leads to Slovenia. Follow it for a while downhill on the left-hand side (while the 03 hiking trail continues in a straight line), veering round to the right further along the road onto the 05 North-South long distance trail (Nebelstein – Eibiswald) or Römerweg trail in the direction of Eibiswald. From here, the 05 leads downwards through the woodland, across meadows and through little hamlets switching between forest paths and roads until reaching Eibiswald.
At the Radlpass, Via Alpina changes from the 05 trail to the 03 heading westwards.
(Christina Schwann, OeAV)

On 25 May 1981, the Styrian provincial government decreed the creation of the Soboth-Radlpass countryside reserve. The aim of the reserve is the preservation of the extraordinary landscape beauty and uniqueness, rare character and leisure value that this type of landscape offers in the area of Soboth and the Radl pass – in the communities of Soboth, Aibl, Großradl and St. Oswald ob Eibiswald. The Radl pass divides the southeastern foothills of the Koralpe from the Poßruck and has always been an important trade crossing into the south, thus contributing to the prosperity of the communities in the Sumltal valley. Via Alpina changes from long-distance hiking trail 03 to trail 05 on the Radl pass. When in 1970 the sculptor Carl Hermann, an Eibiswalder by birth and now living in Gmünd, created the "Südweg-Hermann" trail, i.e. north-south long-distance trail 05, no one would have believed that Eibiswald would develop into one of the most important hiking centres in Austria. Three Austrian long-distance trails, one of which is a European long-distance trail (E6: Baltic Sea, Wachau, Adria), cross each other in Eibiswald. Via Alpina also stops off in Eibiswald, adding to the great hiking offer with another international trail. The Museum of the Austrian Alpine Club in Eibiswald is also interesting, as is the Kloepferhaus building. Dr. Hans Kloepfer lived from 1867-1944. He was a doctor and a popular West Styrian dialect poet. The Kloepfer museum housed in Hans Kloepfer’s birthplace covers three floors with its three focal points: "The Life and Work of Dr. Hans Kloepfer", "The Custom and History of the Region " and "old glass from the Koralpe". Nor should it be forgotten that Eibiswald is the starting point for the so-called Schilcherstraße (Schilcher wine route). It is thanks to Archduke Johann that the "Blaue Wiedbachrebe" vine, thus named for the shimmering colour of the Shilcher wine pressed from it, has been planted in Western Styria for approximately the last 150 years. In the Schilcher cellar in Eibiswald, which incidentally is located in the town’s oldest house (16th century), it is possible to sample the special wine bearing the "Weißes Pferd" (white horse) trademark.
(Christina Schwann, OeAV)