and experienced walkers with limited time at their disposal could double-up some of these stages to make a shorter trek, although this is a route that deserves to be taken at a leisurely pace with time allowed to savour the whole experience and absorb the views.
Stage 1 Schynige Platte to Grosse Scheidegg – 6hr 15mins
Stage 2 Grosse Scheidegg to Kleine Scheidegg/Grindelwaldblick – 9hr
Stage 3 Kleine Scheidegg to Obersteinberg – 7–7½hr
Stage 4 Obersteinberg to Rotstock Hut – 4hr
Stage 5 Rotstock Hut to the Blumental – 4½–5hr
Stage 6 Blumental to Wilderswil – 7½–8hr
Stage 5 Kleine Scheidegg (Grindel-waldblick) to Stechelberg by way of Mettlenalp and the Trümmelbach Falls – 4½–5hr
Stage 6 Stechelberg to Obersteinberg via the Schmadri Falls and upper Lauterbrunnen Valley – 5–5½hr
Alternative Stage 6 Stechelberg to Obersteinberg direct route (with time to visit the Oberhornsee tarn at the head of the Lauterbrunnen Valley) – 2½hr+
Stage 7 Obersteinberg to the Rotstock Hut, via the Busengrat (with a diversion to the Tanzbödeli viewpoint) and the deep Sefinental – 4½–5hr+
Stage 8 Rotstock Hut to the Blumental via a traverse of the Schilthorn (strong walkers with a good head for heights only) – 4½–5hr
Alternative Stage 8 Rotstock Hut to the Blumental by way of the Wasenegg Ridge and Schiltalp – 2hr
Stage 9 Blumental to the Suls-Lobhorn Hut via the Soustal – 3½hr+
Stage 10 Suls-Lobhorn Hut to Wilderswil via Saxeten – 4hr 15mins
On most stages it’s possible to take an alternative route should the weather or conditions on the mountains suggest it would be unwise to follow the standard itinerary. These alternative options are described where they occur within the main route text.
The Wetterhorn, seen from the trail that leads to Alpiglen (Stage 3)
How to get there
By air
Air travel information is notoriously vulnerable to change. Apart from complex fare structures, schedules are often rearranged at short notice, new routes introduced and as quickly abandoned, and airlines go out of business with little advance warning. Readers are therefore advised to check the current situation either through a local travel agent, or by browsing the internet.
The major relevant airports in Switzerland are Geneva, Zürich and Basle, all of which have regular scheduled flights from UK airports, with British Airways and Swiss International Airlines (the country’s renamed national airline) dominating the market, along with low-cost EasyJet. Aer Lingus also has scheduled flights to Geneva and Zürich from Dublin in co-operation with Swiss International Airlines.
Onward from airport to start of trek Geneva and Zürich airports are merely an escalator ride away from the main Swiss rail network, while Basle airport (actually sited in France) is a short transfer journey to the town’s railway station.
Catch a train to Bern, and change there for Interlaken Ost. Now take a local train (destination either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen) for the short journey to Wilderswil. Depending on your time of arrival, it may be necessary to spend the first night here. At Wilderswil station buy a ticket for the spectacular 45–50mins cog railway ride to Schynige Platte where the TJR begins, some 1403m above Wilderswil. The trek actually starts from the station platform, but if you manage to arrive here on the day of travel from home, it’s advisable to spend the first night at Berghotel Schynige Platte, and begin the walk next morning.
USEFUL WEBSITES
British Airways – www.britishairways.com – currently flies to Switzerland from London (Heathrow & Gatwick), Birmingham and Manchester
EasyJet – www.easyjet.com – flies from Gatwick, Luton, East Midlands and Liverpool
Swiss International Airlines – www.swiss.com – has flights from London (Heathrow and City), Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh
Aer Lingus – www.aerlingus.ie – has daily non-stop flights from Dublin to Zürich, and a less-frequent service to Geneva
The following online booking agents have easy-to-use sites:
Cheapflights.com – www.cheapflights.com – feed your details into the search engine and wait for the response
Expedia – www.expedia.co.uk – for discount fares and daily deals
Flightbookers – www.ebookers.com – low fares on scheduled flights
Trailfinders – www.trailfinders.com – specialists for independent travellers
By train
With a combination of Eurostar from London’s St Pancras to Paris via the Channel Tunnel, followed by TGV to Lausanne, high-speed rail travel provides a viable (but possibly more expensive) alternative for those who prefer not to fly. Currently Eurostar operates at least 14 trains per day for the 3hr+ journey between St Pancras and the Gare du Nord in Paris, where you transfer to the Gare du Lyon for TGV departure to Lausanne – a journey of around 4½hr. Change at Lausanne for Bern, and again at Bern for Interlaken Ost. Then on to Wilderswil for the Schynige Platte cog railway, as outlined above.
On a day of storm, the Wetterhorn pierces the clouds as two walkers approach First (Stage 1)
For up-to-date rail information, contact Rail Europe www.raileurope.com. Note that the Switzerland Travel Centre can take reservations for Eurostar, TGV and Swiss rail travel (tel freephone 00800 100 200 30).
Under 26?
Consider purchasing a Billet International de Jeunesse (BIJ) for discounts of up to 50 per cent on international rail journeys. Contact Rail Europe, 179 Piccadilly, London W1 (for website details see above).
Internet train times
To work out your Swiss rail journey in advance, log on to www.sbb.ch, and feed in details of the journey’s start, destination and date of travel. You will receive all the information you require, including station platform numbers where a change of train is needed.
When to go
The season for high-level walking in the Alps is dictated by the amount and timing of the previous winter’s snowfall, restrictions imposed by the onset of cold, inclement weather in the autumn and, where a multi-day journey is involved, the availability of accommodation.
Working within these limitations, in a ‘normal’ summer the best time to tackle the Tour of the Jungfrau Region will be from late June to the end of September, but bear in mind that frequent thunderstorms are common until about mid-August. As the Bernese Oberland is the first of the major Alpine districts to collect weather patterns flowing across northwest Europe, it attracts more rain and low cloud than most of its neighbouring high mountain regions.
Handrails and metal rungs aid a