A NINE year old boy from Kingskerswell has bagged himself a prestigous medal for traversing some of the mountains and meadows of the Wilder Kaiser.

Emir Fazzani, who attends Kingskerswell Church of England Primary School, hiked extensively through the Wilder Kaiser region of Austria in late July and early August.

The region is renowed for its picturesque landscape and its abundance of hiking routes.

It was along these routes that Emir, with family in tow, hiked here, there and everywhere, earning himself a Wilder Kaiser hiking medallion in the process.

Emir’s ‘WanderMedaille’ was awarded him as he had surpassed the 1,500 point milestone for his age category, set out by the Wilder Kaiser tourist board.

In actual fact Emir accured 1,750 points: points are awarded to travellers for reaching the various ‘Stamp Stations’ scattered across the region.

A stamp station, such as the Riedlhütte hut, award the visitor either 50, 100 or 150 points.

‘When you get to one of the huts there is a little old fashioned post-box and inside you can stamp your booklet and that proves you’ve been there’ Emir said.

‘The lower class ones were very easy but the higher class ones, 100, 150 points, they were quite a lot harder, it really did depend where it was.’

Emir has been to Austria twice before, once at four years old and then for a second time when he was six.

‘It is completely different from the UK, the architectural in particular, the architecture is completely different and they rely on wood for houses, hotels, shops, decorations, everything uses wood.

‘My favourite part of walking in Austria is definitely the scenery.’

Emir and company have set their sights on reaching the Gruttenhütte hut: a rustic refuge in the heart of the Wilder Kaiser and, of course, a stamp station, upon their next trip to the Republic of Austria.