Hooray! This morning the rain had stopped and the sun came out and it was time to head up, up, up to the nearest peak and make my way back down quite a bit of it on foot.

It’s a 15 minute walk to the Lift station to the Alpen Tower. We crowded into the Meiringen-Hasliberg cable car to begin our ascent. The few hikers were way outnumbered by skiers. At the Reuti station you are truly in Hasliberg high above the valley. The next lift is smaller and definitely more comfortable. The Gondelbahn takes just 6 people and you can sit down for the journey. Skiers may leave the lift at the Mägisalp but we walkers/sightseers stayed on to the next station – Bidmi. A further lift took us up to the snowy heights and the Alpen Tower.

View down to Meiringen and Lake Brienz in the valley

From now on the photos are just a whiteout. Snow, snow everywhere. From the Alpen Tower you can take a short walk and view the surrounding majestic mountains.

The Alpen Tower Restaurants

From the Alpen Tower the only way down is by ski or snowboard or back in the lift to Mägisalp. From Mägisalp I began my walk down to Hohfluh. As far as Bidmi the paths are of prepared, compacted snow only for walkers, sledges, snow shoes, dogs and I did see a couple of cross-country skiers.

The path crosses the ski slope so watch out!

I’m afraid the scenery was just too photogenic to resist

The Bidmi Ski School and Lift Station comes into view

At Bidmi there’s a small car park and the next section of the walk was on cleared tarmac road as far as Twing/Wasserwendi which was a familiar resort to me from my summer on Hasliberg in 1977. From Wasserwendi I joined the Panorama Way to Hohfluh.

Arriving at Wasserwendi

It’s a snowy path down to Hohfluh

Hohfluh Village comes into view

The Hotel Alpenruhe has long gone. It was one of those stately traditional Victorian Alpine hotels which probably owed their existence to British travellers. Some have been converted for other uses like clinics, sanatoria, hostels, others may be stuck in a time warp and others, like the Alpenruhe, have been razed to the ground. It’s surprising that nothing has been built in its place.

Here I am with my Dutch friend, Monique, at the Hotel entrance

I caught the Post Bus back to Reuti and squashed back into the cable car with all those tired skiers and was soon swinging back down to Meiringen on the valley bottom in time for warming fruity tea and cake in the hotel foyer.