Eiger Trail

DATE 30.08.2019 | DISTANCE approx 13KM approx | HIGHEST POINT 2151M

Posted by Matt | Filed under OTHER LOCATIONS

 

 

I'm a mountain geek and I also love the book, The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer, so whilst in Switzerland, walking the Eiger Trail was a must do. We were staying just outside of Lauterbrunnen so we took the train up to Kleine Scheidegg. The trail starts just a short walk beyond the hotel and traverses the foot of the Eiger. the most common route is to follow the path down to alpiglen and get the train back but we chose instead to continue the traverse and make our way down to Grindelwald. Take a look at my roughly drawn route above in Purple. The trail was well marked with swiss flags so we were fairly confident we wouldn't get lost. The trail continued through woodland and then switched back and down to grindelwald. It was then just a case of getting the train back to Lauterbrunnen.

 

Kleine scheidegg

A Jungfrau Railway train returning from it's journey inside the eiger and the jungfraujoch. Tickets booked for tomorrow!!

THE NORTH FACE OF THE EIGER FROM OUR HIGHEST POINT OF THE DAY

THE ROUTE AHEAD, A GENTLE DESCENT DOWN TO GRINDELWALD

WETTERHORN

ME AND THE NORTH FACE

HEADING DOWN THE TRAIL

THE VIEW NORTH FROM THE TRAIL. COULDN'T ASK FOR BETTER WEATHER

SOME FORM OF CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING HIGH ON THE JUNGFRAU

TRAIL MARKER ON THE EIGER TRAIL. I'VE SEEN SIMILAR IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. YEAH A CAIRN IS GOOD BUT A CAIRN CAN POP UP ANYWHERE.

FOUND SOMEWHERE OUT OF THE SUN FOR A SNACK

OFF THE MAIN TRAIL NOW AND FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT TRAIL DOWN TO GRINDELWALD. WE MADE A FUNNY MISTAKE WITH A SIGNPOST BY THINKING 'HOUR' MEANT 'STATION'. DONT ASK!!

CONTINUING ALONG THE MARKED ROUTE AND WONDERING WHY WEREN'T DESCENDING.

OUT OF THE WOODLAND BEFORE HEADING BACK IN

CLINGING TO THE EDGE OF THE MOUNTAIN . THIS TRAIL DIDN'T SEEM TO BE PARTICULARLY POPULAR. WE DIDN'T SEE A SOUL ON IT.

STILL FEELING LIKE WE MAY HAVE GONE WRONG AND STILL NOT DECENDING WE LET THIS LOCAL FLOCK LEAD THE WAY.

OK SOME STAIRS, PROMISING THAT WE ARE STARTING TO DESCEND AND I HAD JUST SEEN A SIGN FOR GRINDELWALD... PHEW!

BETWEEN THE EIGER AND MATTENBERG

KLEINE FIESCHERHORN

APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER MILE OF WOODLAND AND WE REACHED GRINDELWALD FEELING PARTICULARLY WEARY

GRINDELWALD FIRE STATION

LOOKING BACK AT THE EIGER.

NOTE: GRINDELWALD HAS TWO TRAIN STATIONS. MAKE SURE YOUR TICKET IS A RETURN FROM THE CORRECT STATION BECAUSE IF YOU MAKE THAT MISTAKE THE TICKET CONDUCTOR MAY KICK YOU OFF AT THE NEXT STOP, EXPECT YOU TO GO BACK TO GRINDELWALD AND WALK TO THE OTHER STATION :)