Wheels Around Europe . . . . . . . : Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen

Sunday 13 May 2018

Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen

Today we set off from our little piece of idyllic Swiss scenery and headed for Interlaken. After two glorious days by the lake, the weather forecast is not looking favourable for the next few days and to appreciate Switzerland at it`s best, we really need more clear skies.

Arriving in Interlaken it was dry, but the clouds were low over the hills, they may have been low over the mountains as we were unable to see the tops, so we couldn`t tell !

We wandered around for a while, there was a Sunday market on which kept us entertained for a hour or so. However the town itself didn`t really do it for us. I`m sure if holidaying in the area it`s a great base with lots activities nearby but the town itself is rather un-inspiring. Lots of jewellers selling expensive watches and tourist shops.

I had a site for the night near Interlaken earmarked called Camping Wang, but it is high up on the Harder with spectacular views over the twin lakes of Thunersee and Brienzersee, but going high doesn`t seem like a good idea today, so that has been dismissed.

So we decided to head south for Lauterbrunnen which is only 20 or so minutes away.

The village sits in a most beautiful gorge with near vertical sides along it`s full length and in the distance can be seen the peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Sadly we didn`t see them due to the low cloud !

But tomorrow`s another day and we`ll hope for clear skies.

We parked up by the Staubbach Falls which are in the centre of the village, they are quite a spectacle with the water cascading 297 metres down the vertical cliff face and if you walk further along the lane there are a number of other smaller falls.

We decided to park for the night at Camping Jungfrau opposite the Staubbach Falls. Not cheap but a stunning location.

Despite the forecast it did brighten up this afternoon and was quite pleasant in the sunshine.

I walked along the lane to the Trummelbach Falls which are am amazing sight from the inside but almost impossible to see from outside even when standing below them.
The glacial meltwater from the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau has, over the centuries carved a waterfall inside the mountain and clever 20^st centuary engineers have constructed a series of viewing platforms overlooking the falls with connecting pathways. There is also a lift to about two thirds of the way up (walk the remainder) and steps back down. The falls carry 20,000 litres of water per second and carry 20,200 tons of boulder detritus per year down the valley. They are the only glacial waterfalls inside a mountain and still accessible in Europe. Well worth a visit if in the area.

This evening it has started to rain and the forecast doesn`t look good.

I don`t really want to hang around here and wait for the weather to improve as the sites are expensive to be sitting waiting for the rain to stop, so tomorrow we will decide where to go next…….

PS no UK tv signal here, but were watching Swiss TV !