A Walk Above Wengen

This morning, the sun was shining as we welcomed another beautiful day in the mountains. We did have a bit of  late start, though. Also…the day did not go at all as planned.

It wasn’t a disaster by any means, but sometimes no amount of careful research can prepare you. The plan was to walk to the railway station in Lauterbrunnen and catch a train to Kleine Scheidegg, way up in the hills, at the foot of the North Face of the Eiger. We’d already checked prices online, and expected to pay roughly £44 each for a return ticket. Imagine our surprise then when we were told it would cost just short of £200. We walked out without buying tickets… It just seemed far too much for what we would be getting, particularly since we had yesterday’s adventure up to Piz Gloria to compare it with. That was with discounts… The train was offering no discount at all.

For a while we were a little struck as to what to do. I think we felt wrong-footed.

Time was getting on (we had a late start remember) and so we had to make a decision. Eventually we chose to buy a train ticket, but only as far as Wengen. It’s worth noting that Wengen Station is at 4180 feet above sea level, almost as high as Ben Nevis (4413ft). When you get off the train there you’re still surrounded by mountains that tower above you. The summit of Jungfrau is 13643 ft. The whole scale of things here is on a whole other level.

Our walk was a modest one, that kept being modified and redrawn as we went along. To be honest, all the walking we’d done yesterday had left us with less appetite or energy for anything too challenging, so this suited us. Modest the walk may have been, but there was no shortage of spectacular views along the way, and variety; the scenery changed from rolling, open meadows bursting with wild flowers, to forest roads and winding woodland footpaths.

Once back down at ground level we bought some food supplies from a Co-op and made our way back to the campsite. The town has been particularly busy today with day visitors and coaches. It’s nice to know that we’re here for six days, and get a chance to explore the area fully.

The showers on site are a bit on the fierce side – definitely not for pansies.