Grindelwald - Wengen

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Apart from some cloud settling around the mountains at a middle level, the day was fine so we walked down to Grund and got the cable car to Mannlichen. This is a longest cable way in Europe (not sure about the world). It takes 30 minutes to reach the top gliding over pastures, steep hills, forests and then high mountain pastures with many marmots. At the top is a 360 degree view of mountains towards Interlaken, to the east to Titless, then the mountains surrounding Grindelwald and the Lauterbrunnen valleys. It is spectacular and made all the more eerietoday by cloud swirling and lifting giving keyhole views over the valleys.

From Mannlichen we walked the Panorama Trail to Kleine Scheidegg. This trail takes you face on to the Eiger with Grindelwald far in the distance below. It is an easy trail and another “must do”. We have done this trail a number of times and you can never tire of the scenery. We had some lunch at Kleine Scheidegg and then headed down the path over towards the Jungfrau Glacier and Wengernalp. Once above the glacier valley we headed down a rough ridge which unfortunately for me ended on a path down a cliff face. It wasn’t too high but I wasn’t happy clinging to branches on a narrow steep trail. We seem to remember taking this path a few years back when we should have headed down into the valley. The Jungfrau Glacier is a long way back from where it used to be. This ridge is a fantastic place to walk as there are other hanging glaciers with chunks breaking off. We saw two avalanches while walking there. One was quite large and set off with a giant “boom” followed by a shower of snow then falling chunks of ice and snow falling like a water fall.

We cut back onto the trail back down to Wengen, which while it is easy enough, it is continuously downhill with no letup. It is tough on the knees acting as a shock absorber. While on the trail we met a couple of elderly ladies at least 2km from Wengen up the hill. We constantly see elderly people(70’s+) in the alps on trails that are not that cruisey. They take on the “Swiss Plod” and keep going. The hills and mountains are part of their lives and not something to be avoided.

Wengen sits up on the glacial platform high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley like Murren. Like Murren it is carless so is lovely and quiet. It has had the World Downhill Skiing Champs a number of times. The course looks scary and the speeds they get to must be amazing to watch. We got the train back down to Lauterbrunnen (steep and windy) and then the usual connections back to Grindelwald.

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Photos

The Eiger from Mannlichen
The Eiger from the Mannlichen to Kleine Sheidegg Trail

Below the Jungfrau
The ridge below the Jungfrau and glaciers