The fresh air and panoramic views from atop the alpine hills and mountains in Switzerland combined with some healthy exercise are all we need to get the hiking gear on and off into nature.
We had fantastic weather here in Europe. No excuse not to head out, so here are some pics the places in Central Switzerland we went hiking in June/July this year:
Glaubenberg: The Glaubenberg is offering numerous areas for hiking along the pass road. We took off from the Langis Hotel for an easy 2-hour circuit to the Schwendi Kaltbad.
Marbachegg: There is a gondola from Marbach which takes you to the top and back. A short walk along the top to enjoy the panoramic view, including of the Schrattenflue which we later hiked to the top (see below).
Heiligkreuz: There are quite a few places called ‘Heiligkreuz’ (Holy Cross). This one is in the state of Lucerne and is still a pilgrimage place with a famous church and now defunct Cloister being now turned into commercial buildings. We walked up to the ‘First’ (or top) and enjoyed the view. There is a restaurant that provides refreshments after the hike up there.
Napf: The Napf is a region between the cantons Bern & Lucerne. The peak is at 1,408 metres with a 360 degree panoramic view. 5 years ago we tried to make our way there, but the snow was too deep and we had to abort. This time in summer there were no obstacles in the way except a few goats…
Schwesteregg: We did no hiking here, just enjoying the perfect view from here and a simple dinner in the ‘Rose-Beizli’ restaurant. There is now a road, but until a few years ago a small gondola was the only way to get anywhere including school or to the shops, or a long walk…
Musenalp: From Dallenwil/Niederrickenbach a gondola will take you to Maria-Rickenbach, a small place with a cloister and a few houses. As it was a sunny Sunday and lots of others had the same plan, we did have to wait for an hour to get our turn to get up with the small 4-5 people carrying gondola to the Musenalp. On the way back we walked down to Maria-Rickenbach.
Schrattenflue: Climbing the Schrattenfluh on the steep mountain path, mostly over rocks, is strenuous, but the view atop from the ridge by the ‘Hengst’ is just stunning. There are still some patches of snow on the way. The terrain is much more roughed and demanding. The walk to the top of the ‘Hengst’ and back (including picnic lunch, rest and photo taking) took us almost 6 hours. A great day of exercise in fresh air.
That’s it from our hiking in fresh alpine air in the middle of the beautiful nature of Central Switzerland.
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