THE WARM UP - GRINDELWALD TO SCHYNIGE PLATTE

Today was our chance to put ourselves to the test and just see how we measured up against the expectations of the itinerary.  Each day our walk from Grindelwald to Gstaad is described in kilometres as well as hours of walking.  It is quite important to know that we walk at a similar pace to that expected in the itinerary otherwise we will never get to our destinations!  It is also a great opportunity to just check out our equipment and make sure we have everything we need.  Grindelwald is full of wonderful shops full of the latest high-tech walking and mountaineering gear so should our clothing fall short, we were definitely in the right place to put it right.

The day started well.  The Eiger, which had been reluctant to show her face to us yesterday afternoon, was less retiring this morning, and we were greeted with the wonderful sight of the summit drifting in and out of thin cloud and early morning sunshine from our hotel window.  The forecast was good - blue sky with some cloud, but thankfully no rain.  After breakfast we were quickly booted up and heading the short distance through the town to the gondola which would take us up the mountain to our starting point at the aptly named First.  The climb up was magical - the scenery almost painfully perfect - a complete Swiss postcard of green meadows, wooden chalets with snowy mountains behind, crowned with a near perfect blue sky.  Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I heard the most harmonious multi-toned tinkling of bells in the distance, a beguiling sound if ever there was one, and looking down saw herds of goats and cattle grazing below us, their bells ringing out in the morning air.  A real childhood fantasy was playing out in front of my eyes.

Good morning the Eiger!

Post card perfect Switzerland from the gondola

Disembarking at First, it was time to get down to business.  I have been using a fantastic app at home called Map My Hike which gave a fascinating insight into how far and how fast one actually walks, not to mention other interesting details like calories consumed!  We decided to put it into action just to give an indication of how we were doing, so that for future days we would be armed with correct statistical information to be able to properly predict our arrival times at various points of the route (the most important of course being the final destination ie., very hot bath and G&T!).

We were broken in gently with an easy ascent on a gravelly track which would take us up to our first landmark, Bachalpsee, an ice smooth mirror of a mountain lake.  En route, we saw our first marmots, queer little rabbit/guinea pig like creatures. Sadly my limited photographic skills weren't up to capturing them. From Bachalpsee, the easy option is to descend back down to Grindelwald, and the majority of the walkers who had disembarked with us at First dwindled away as we began the long, slow climb up from Bachalpsee towards our next landmark, Faulhorn, at 2,680 metres, and home to the highest hotel in Europe.  From the outside it looked rather like Colditz and I was very pleased to be staying in cheerful Grindelwald and not in the mist-covered mountain tops!  The going was now getting a bit tougher - the nice easy gravelly paths giving way to slippery mud and even snow, which had been made quite icy in places by the tramping of previous walkers.  I was very glad of my alpine walking sticks.  Having felt like I was walking with four very uncoordinated legs when I first started using them, they are now second nature and a real asset in walking on varied terrain, as well as having the added advantage of keeping the momentum going.

Bachalpsee

Nearly there - the long pull up from Bachalpsee

We followed a nice easy ridge from Faulhorn which started to gradually descend before climbing once more through some really rocky sections which required concentration.  I had already witnessed the summer version of the "Blood Wagon", a quad bike and driver, picking up a walker from just below Faulhorn.  It wouldn't take much to badly twist an ankle on these trickier parts.

The highest hotel in Europe - Faulhorn

Descending down from Faulhorn

By now we were getting into a good rhythm, the only alarming thing being that I had seriously underestimated how cold it would be.  My hands were now seriously cold, and I was kicking myself that I hadn't thought of packing gloves.  We were also the only walkers we had seen so far wearing shorts!  Not a surprise for those of you that know Anthony well, but for me, the knee caps were definitely tingling with cold and a very alarming shade of red!  I just kept telling myself that this is what today was all about - ironing out the omissions and problems, and it did make me feel better when Anthony admitted that his hands were also freezing.

Fortunately, we were keeping very much to the timetable, and by the time we completed the knee-crunching descent to the Manndleenen Hutten it was a very welcome sight indeed.  After a half hour in the cosseting warmth of this welcome haven, scoffing bread, smoked sausage and goulash, we felt completely restored and ready to tackle the final two hours to Schynige Platte.

A very welcome sight indeed - and home of the best goulash!

Another chapter of the geology manual was opened as we headed away from the Hutten and starting descending towards our final destination.  Vast slopes of scree may have been a less majestic sight than the soaring peaks we had left behind, but it did make for easier walking, and we make up for the slow progress we had been making prior to our stop at the hut.  Before too long, the tree line made an appearance, and this day of startling contrasts was coming to a close.  The final push descended through lush meadows, where once again the sound of cow bells accompanied our last few miles towards the train station at Schynige Platte.  Rather than "it's a dog's life", in reality it's a Swiss cow's life!  Resting on a bed of lush meadow, generously sprinkled with aromatic mountain herbs, with the musical background provided by one's herd mates, what more could one ask for!  Needless to say, they regarded me with deliberate disdain as only a cow can, but I couldn't help but smile to myself as I descended through these beautiful meadows accompanied by the polite applause of cow bells.

A stunning view of Interlaken from just before Schynige Platte

 One nasty last pull, with the Eiger, Monch and Yungfrau observing us hautily from above,  finally we were at our destination where the cog railway dating back to 1892 would take us back down 7.25 kms in 52 minutes to Winderswil from where we could catch a train back to Grindelwald.  With what the guide books describe as "the" classic high Alpine tour in Switzerland under our belt, we feel well prepared and confident that we will be able to cope with what lies ahead.

The station at Schynige Platte

Just out of interest, our stats for our last "pre-holiday" training hike around the Gibbet at Coombe stood us in at 14.97 kms in 3 hrs 02 minutes, averaging 12.13 minutes per km and burning 1654 calories.  Our first hike in Switzerland was a similar distance, 14.69 kms, but we took 5 hours 17 minutes, averaging only 21.37 minutes per km, but we burnt a staggering 2,873 calories.  What a difference a mountain makes!