Innerthal

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After a more relaxed morning without leaving early, we caught a train to Zurich and Sebenen then bus to Innerthal. The bus journey took us initially up a dammed narrow valley which then opened up into the valley of Vorderthal which was very typically Swiss - rolling green hills dotted with farm houses and barns with the small town set in the lower part of the valley. At this time of the year all the animals were indoors so there was a lack of animal life and bells ringing. A very peaceful scene.

The road continued up a narrow, winding gorge with solid rock walls. There had obviously been problems with slips into the river taking out the road. The new road was superb. The steep sides were well shored up with huge rocks and thick concrete panel construction bolted into the rock with huge bolts. The new roading was made to last into the future. I couldn't help but think about our pathetic patching up of roads instead of doing the job properly to start with. The construction used would have been perfect for the Takaka Hill. At the end of the road was a tunnel opening out to the lake at Innerthal. Once again I wondered how a small rural road in a sparsely populated area could have all this money spent on it whilst Nelson has spasms over the thought of doing something permanent and substantial on it's roads. The taxes are low here but there must be a big pot of money somewhere.

The lake of Wagitalersee is actually a dammed valley and is extremely beautiful. The mist was down, it was cold and the water was absolutely calm reflecting everything around the shores. The cloud sat low but not so low that the trees, bridges and the shoreline would not be reflected. Just complete calm and peace. We walked for 2 hours around the lake where we lunched and then walked back again since the cloud came right down and finally obliterated the whole view. We walked back to the village of Innerthal which seems to exist for fish farming on the lake and hiking. From what we could see on the signs it is a hikers paradise with paths around the lake, on the hills, into the forest and high up into the mountains which we couldn't see. It is a superb spot and worth the visit despite the cloud cover. It was an area we had not known about before and probably not known that well by tourists.

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Photos

Wagitalersee
Beautiful calm scene on the lake

Bridge on Wagitalersee
Another serene scene on the lake with the low cloud