Wednesday 26th August: Warm with clear skies all day: 19°C to 12°C to 19ºC.
Meiringen to Tannalp: 9K: 9.30am to 1.15pm: 3hrs 45mins, including 30 mins cable car to Tower Alpen
Leaving Hotel Meiringen
A STUNNING SPECTACULAR DAY IN THE ALPS! Say no more. But I will. Perfect warm sunny weather at about 19ºC for most of the day, clear blue skies, 360º panoramic view of the snow capped alps and an almost level ridge walk of about 9k on gravel track. We're not alone. Today there's hundreds of day walkers out - they clearly knew something we didn't about this area.
The day begins with a lavish leisurely breakfast at the Meiringen Hotel, followed by 1 15 minute shop at the Migros supermarket over the road to buy enough bread and cheese for the next two days. There's no shops and only a Guesthouse at Tannalp where we're headed.
Stunning blue sky, snow capped alps day above Meiringen
Last view of the Eiger
Top of Eagle Express, Planplatten 2240m, start of days hike.
Wetterhorn with its 3 peaks
Meiringen at 595m in valley
Jan stopping to stare at the alps
Graham and Jenny powering along
Stunning views all day long
A warm day on the track
Coffee at Balmeregghorn 2250m
First of lakes - Lake Melchsee
Ian is can't stop taking photos
And more photos
Trout fishing in Tannalpsee
Caught one
Lunch over Tannalpsee
a Beer to celebrate at Tannalp Berggesthaus
Cows, meadows and alps
We load up Graham with food, as we think he's been dodging the food carrying for a few days. Then its just 15 minutes up the road to the start of the gondolas. We've already decided to take the 4 stages to Plan Platten at the top at a height of 2245 metres, a climb of 1600 metres. Each stage to first Reuti, then Bidmi, Magislap and then in the Eagle Express to Planplatten is a gain of about 400metres. At 10am we're at the top and the 360º views are stunning. It's the start of an amazing day in the alps. Behind us is the last we'll see of the Eiger and ahead is the continuous wall of the Bernese Oberland with their craggy snow capped peaks, dominated by the Wetterhorn, one of the most celebrated and easily recognised mountains in all the Alps, although it is by no means one of the highest. There are three main peaks: the Rosenhorn (3689m), Mittelhorn (3704m) and the true Wetterhorn, the Hasli Jungfrau (3701m). It's peaks are often likened to a giant meringue topped cake. Further ahead over hanging Jochpass is the Titlis (3238m).
Todays walk at an average height of 2,000 metres along the ridge put us right up there in touch with these fabulous mountains of the alps. Interspersed with this are the broad open pasturelands dotted with farm buildings, and a myriad of mechanical intrusions of chair lifts, gondolas and cable cars. There's a small rise to the Balmeregghorn at 2255m, the perfect spot for coffee after just an hour of walking. More photos to take. The track is busy with hundreds of walkers hiking in both directions.
Another hour and the first of the several high lakes appears - Melchsee, with a large Hotel Fruttle at lakeside. Over another rise and down to Tannalp, a collection of a dozen farm house, chalets and our home for the night the Berggasthaus Tannalp, just 100 metres from the Tannalpsee where there's a few trout fishermen. The Berggasthaus is a busy place with more than a hundred people crammed around its verandahs having lunch after a mornings hike. Lunch for us is on a seat overlooking the Tannalpsee, with our butter cheese, tomatoes and Grahams avocado and onion mixed with chicken salt which he managed to acquire.
After a beer on the verandah, it's time to book in. We're in a 4 person room with a toilet and shower up the corridor. It's nice and cosy. At the time of booking, we thought the Berggasthaus was some little unbusy hotel in the middle of nowhere. Yes, it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's full to overflowing with guests who have come to this area for the hiking. This area of the alps was considered in 1866 by Professor John Tyndall, vice-president of the Alpine Club, to be ‘one of the most charming spots in the Alps’. And we're here on this picture perfect day.
Dinner is at 7pm. It's really nice. Salad, followed by pork stew, vegetables and mashed potato, then icecream and apple streudel. Wasked down with a Tocino Cab sav - none of the Swiss wines compare to the Aussie Siraz's and at AUD35 per bottle, it's expensive vinegar. With 4 of us crammed into a 4 person dorm, Jenny and Graham move next door to the six person dorm where no one is staying and the beds haven't been made up yet from the night before. Another example of Booking.com being allocated the worst rooms in the place when there are clearly better rooms available that we would have been willing to pay for.
The night is so quiet, there's only 9 people in the Berggasthaus Tannalp, there's no cars and only the occasional sound of a cow bell in the distance.