Bernese Oberland Archive

Welcome to my personal diary of the trip to the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland in September 2003

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Day 8: Engstligenalp to Lenk

Today's our last walking day and we're definitely going to visit an Alpine summit .. the Ammertenspitze at 2613m or around 8,600ft.  The thick clag of yesterday afternoon and evening has thankfully gone, and the early prospects for the day seem good.

Original itinerary | Map

After the usual alpine breakfast, we pack up and say our goodbyes to the Berghaus Bartschi .. let's hope that thong with the pink ribbon side-ties spotted on the washing line in the room won't be causing its wearer any discomfort on today's route!  The crisp, clear morning prompts a rash of photo sessions, then we head off across the plain to begin our ascent to the Ammertenpass.

We leave behind the friendly herd of bell-ringing cows and the clutch of "cheese for sale" houses and start the climb.  The pass is at 2443m, and the plain at 1952m, so it's a fairly reasonable 500m ascent (give or take a centimetre or two).  Once at the pass, Arlene and Brandon decide not to go for the Ammertenspitze, and start the descent to Lenk.  The rest of us kit up, then dump the sacs at the pass signpost.  The light snow is much more manageable than yesterday, but the old faithful clag is beginning to roll in, and the short climb up the zigzags to the summit is done in thick mist.  Will we get a view from the top??

Incredible .. but on the other side of the ridge it's completely clear and we can see well down the valley towards Lenk.  Much photography takes place, as this is the 'high' point of the tour .. it's all downhill from here!  As we start the descent, the clag begins to break up and we even get a view back to Engstligenalp.  The Wildstrubel unfortunately remains stubbornly covered.

The initial descent from the Ammertenpass is quite demanding and takes a little time on the steeper sections .. thank goodness there's no snow on this side!  After a short break at the first high pasture, we continue ever downwards and the sun eventually breaks through.  The group is now fairly well strung out, and further down the valley, the front markers of Andy, Miriam, Diane, Bob and Allan spot a sign saying "Restaurant 10 min".  It's a bit off the route, but what's 10 minutes?  Richard decides to continue the descent, and twenty minutes later we find the Restaurant Siebenbrannen below the Simmenfalle and enjoy a pleasant lunch, including the biggest meringues you've ever seen.  Aye .. is it a strawberry tart or a meringue?  No, you're quite right it IS a meringue!

The rest of the group arrive just as the first lot are leaving ... and we arrive down at the valley road-end just as the 1610 Postbus is about to leave.  Too good an opportunity to miss .. and it stops at Kuspo, our home for tonight.

Arlene and Brandon arrived some time ago, and Richard has sussed the place out.  It's a residential sports centre, with tremendous facilities and budding athletes of all disciplines in residence.  Catering at Kuspo is institutional, so we queue up with our trays and take all 3 courses back to our reserved table in the dining room .. and it's pretty good.

An evening walk into the town with the prospect of a beer in a nice pub comes to nothing as we discover Lenk is closed on Tuesdays.  I check the train times at the station and discover that there's one at 0752, with a Postbus connection at Kuspo at 0725 .. and we decide to opt for the early start.  We eventually take a chilly seat outside one of the small hotels, but soon finish up and return to Kuspo for a nightcap.  Because we're now leaving before breakfast, the staff arrange for us to take all the breakfast bits, including flasks of coffee and water for tea, up to the rooms before we retire.  Imagine that in Scotland??  The alarms are duly set for 6.30am!

Quote of the day involves big meringues and perhaps shouldn't be broadcast to the world.

Andy McGowan