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The Oberland's great ridge walk: a vintage cog railway to an alpine garden, then a day along the crest above Lake Brienz, over the Faulhorn and its 1830s summit inn, down past the Bachalpsee to the gondola at First. Both lakes, all three peaks and the whole chain of the Bernese Alps.
If you do one big walk in the Bernese Oberland, make it this one. It is long but never technical, it starts and ends on public transport, and the view never stops changing.
The day begins at Wilderswil, near Interlaken, where a cog railway opened in 1893 climbs in about 50 minutes to Schynige Platte at 1,967 metres, with its alpine botanical garden of hundreds of mountain plants. From there the trail heads east along the long ridge that separates Lake Brienz from the Lütschine valleys, through limestone landscapes of pinnacles, sinkholes and hidden lakes, to the Faulhorn at 2,681 metres. One of the oldest mountain inns in the Alps sits on its summit, open since the 1830s. The final leg descends past the Bachalpsee to the gondola at First and down to Grindelwald.
The scale is the thing: Lake Brienz shining far below on one side, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau across the valley on the other, and in clear weather a horizon from the Titlis to the Wildstrubel.
About 1,000 metres of ascent spread over a long day, on good mountain paths with a few rocky sections. Fitness matters more than technique. There is no water between Schynige Platte and the huts near the Faulhorn, and it is a long way to turn back.
Signed "Faulhorn" and then "First" from Schynige Platte. Take the first train up; the last gondola from First sets your deadline.
Approximate profile.
Step off the old train beside the alpine garden, worth half an hour at the start or end of the season's flowering, and the Berghotel's terrace looking straight at the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz lie below to the north.
The path winds east round the Oberberghorn and under the Loucherhorn, through a karst landscape of pinnacles, sinkholes and pastures, with Lake Brienz appearing in gaps on the left. It drops to the small Sägistalsee in a hidden basin, a good rest stop. Ibex are often seen on the crags around here.
The steepest climb of the day leads up through a rocky gap to Männdlenen, where the small Berghaus Männdlenen, the Weber hut, wedged in a notch at about 2,340 metres, serves soup and cake. It is the first refreshment since the start.
A final climb along the ridge reaches the Faulhorn, with its hotel, open since the 1830s, perched just below the top. The summit view is one of the widest in the Alps: both lakes, the Jura on the horizon, and the whole Bernese chain from the Wetterhorn round to the Blüemlisalp.
Descend on a well-made path to the Bachalpsee, then follow the broad path to the First gondola station and ride down to Grindelwald. Check the last gondola time before you leave the summit.
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Take the train from Interlaken Ost to Wilderswil, a few minutes, then the Schynige Platte railway, about 50 minutes, which runs from late June to late October. At the end, the First gondola takes you down to Grindelwald, where trains run back to Interlaken. The Berner Oberland Pass and Jungfrau Travel Pass cover the lot.
Walk just Schynige Platte to the Sägistalsee and back, or start at First and climb only to the Faulhorn via the Bachalpsee, about 3 hours return. Either way you get a share of the views without the full day.
The easy finale of this walk, on its own from the gondola.
Under 1,800 metres of rock and ice, from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen.
Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, with the Eiger growing ahead.
Funicular up for sunset over the lakes, forest path down to Interlaken.
The Northface Trail and the old mule path down to the valley.
The turquoise lake under the Blüemlisalp, and the Heuberg view.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their Creative Commons licences. Click a title for the original, its author and licence.
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