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The start of the trip at
Lauterbrunnen Station
We left Geneva on the 0901 train
and arrived in Lauterbrunnen at 1230. It had started raining and we
were booked into our Hotel in Murren for Sunday night, it is a
steep climb from Lauterbrunnen through thick forest and we decided to
take the cable car up to Grutschalp for the first section and then
walk to Murren from there.
Weather
Rain most of the day
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On the walk from Grutschalp to Murren the rain was quite heavy
and the mist came down |
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In the
evening the weather brightened up a little and we took a walk
through the village.
It had stopped raining and we
enjoyed some good mountain views |
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17/07/11- Distance walked 5 km -
1½ hours - Height gain 150m
Today's walk was short as we had
travelled by train from Geneva so after taking the cable car to
Grutschalp we walked along the path to Murren. The rain steadily
worsened and visibility was poor
Weather - Rain most of the day
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Monday 18/07/11 -
Murren to Griesalp |
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We
awoke to a better day with some good views and a touch of blue
sky This
was the view from our Hotel at breakfast time |
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Our Hotel in Murren |
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| As we set off the
cloud started to form |
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| Looking
down on Murren on our way up the mountainside |
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| The Rotstock Hut 2039m which we passed on the way to
the Hortuli Pass |
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| Heading up towards the Hortuli Pass |
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| The wild flowers are amazing |
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Looking up towards the Pass, the clouds lifted for a short while to
give us a good view of our route |
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On the
Sefinenfurke Pass 2612 metres |
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| The steps
leading down from the pass, very steep and slippy, care was needed.
As the
guidebook reminded us
" A fall here could have
serious consequences "
Needless to say we were very
careful here and took our time |
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| David Swainson descending the steps carefully |
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Looking back up at the pass we had just crossed The
track slants downhill and was quite slippy |
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| Heading downhill
towards Griesalp |
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| A
field full of Alpacas next to our Guesthouse |
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| Our
accommodation
for the night Restaurant Golderi |
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18/07/11- Murren to Griesalp
Distance walked 16 km -
7 hours - Height gain 965 metres - Height loss 1204 metres
Left Murren at 0930hrs in dry
weather but there were sunny periods and occasional spells of light
rain during the day. We took extreme care over the pass and arrived in
Griesalp without any accommodation booked. There are only about three
places to stay in the village and the Golderli was the best priced and
we were certainly made welcome |
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Tuesday 19/07/11 -
Griesalp to Kandersteg |
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Outside the Golderli
Ready for the off and its dry at
the moment |
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The way ahead branches off at
Steinenbergh to the
right at the bottom of the hill.
In the distance is the pass that
we came over the previous day |
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Heading across the pastures to join the main path from Griesalp to
Kandersteg |
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| The
rivers and streams are in full flow after all the rain |
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Looking back towards Griesalp |
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Looking back before ascending the Hortuli Pass |
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| Keep
moving, no hanging about |
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| The
steps leading up to the Hortuli Pass. Invaluable as the shale on the
left is slippy and unstable |
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| The
Blumlisalphutte above the Pass. Its still a 10 minute climb to it once
you reach the pass |
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| The
narrow Hortuli Pass. There was no-one selling Ice Cream when I climbed
up to the Hut. I didn't
really fancy one, it was cold and damp on the Pass with no views so it
was a case of get down into the valley as soon as possible |
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Looking down into the valley |
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| The
path followed the hillside above the Oeschinensee |
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| We
enquired here about a room and were made most welcome in this Hotel in
Kandersteg The Hotel Zur
Post is a nice place to stay |
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19/07/11 - Griesalp to
Kandersteg
Distance walked 15 km
- 9 hours - 16 km - Height gain 1370m - height loss 1602m
We started out from
Griesalp in fairly sunny weather but by 1100hrs it had clouded
over and by the time we reached the Hortuli Pass it was raining
with occasional flurries of snow. Care was needed on the steep
descent and by the time we reached Kandersteg it was raining
quite hard. We found a room at the Hotel Zur Post which was an
excellent place to stay |
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Wednesday 20/07/11- Kandersteg to Adelboden |
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| A few kms outside Adelboden we could
see where out route was taking us. It was up onto the ridge on the
right and then over the Bunderchrinde Pass. Snow had fallen last
night on the mountains and it looked a bit daunting. However we were
determined to climb up to the pass, if conditions were bad we could
always turn back. |
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| A bit closer now and the path climbs up
the steep hillside and then goes to the right along pastures at the
foot of the rocky and misty rock face
We were heading for the
small farm called Alpschele which was below the Pass |
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| Looking down from the pastures at the
valley below |
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Beautiful wild flowers growing
everywhere |
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Cattle grazing amidst the flurries of
snow |
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Alpschele
The small farmhouse near the milking sheds for
the herd of cattle.
They serve refreshments and we bought 2 mugs of
tea 3 CHF each and ate our lunch on the bench against the wall Best
mug of tea since I left home..
The temperature here was 2 degrees |
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Higher up towards the Pass Nature
was giving us some glorious displays of colour |
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| My companion Dave Swainson heading up
towards the pass. I myself did not feel comfortable on this path. It
sloped steeply to the left and higher up there was a sheer drop on
the left. I proceeded very carefully as we got higher |
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On the Bunderchrinde Pass 2385m
Adelboden was down to the left and needless to
say we descended very slowly and carefully. Once down below the
snowline there was no problem.
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Looking down towards Adelboden |
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| Looking back up towards the pass. The
path can be seen slanting across from the right |
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| Lower down we could see how the cloud
has cleared from the pass |
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20/07/11 - Kandersteg to
Adelboden
Distance walked -16 km - 8½
hours - Height gain 1209 metres - Height loss 1029 metres
A great days walk with some
difficult snow covered paths on the Bunderchrinde Pass. On the pass
itself there were flurries of snow and drizzle for most of the day.
We arrived in Adelboden and went to the Tourist Information to
enquire about rooms, they sent us to Bernahof where we were lucky to
get a dormitory all to ourselves |
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Thursday 21/07/11 - Adelboden to Lenk |
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The
village square in Adelboden |
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Looking back at Bubnderchrinde Pass which we crossed yesterday |
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| Not
sure what these nets are for but I assume they are to prevent debris
being washed onto the road when the river is in flood. |
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Heading up the track |
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| A
dairy farm on the way up to the Hahnenmoospass |
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| This
is the Lunch Room on the Hahnenmoospass
I understand its always occupied
by the local Model Aero Club
Very interesting, its just a
case of trying to find a spare table and sit down and eat your
sandwiches surrounded by all these Model Aeroplanes
It was raining heavily
outside so it was definitely the best place to sit |
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Looking down on Lenk |
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The
village of Lenk |
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The
Church in Lenk |
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Hotel Garni Alpina in Lenk
We had a very enjoyable stay
here for one night
An excellent place to stay |
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21/07/11 - Adelboden to Lenk
Distance walked -13km - 5 hours
- Height gain 696m - Height loss 888m
Today was a short day from
Adelboden to Lenk over the Hahnenmoospass and the weather was
reasonably dry until we reached the pass where we had lunch, after
that the rain came down and became heavy during the afternoon. We
sought out the Hotel Garni Alpina which was recommended by the
Guide Book. This was an excellent place to stay and definitely the
best place we stayed on the walk. |
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Friday 22/07/11 - Lenk
to Gsteig |
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| As
today was a long day with two passes to cross we took the cable car
from Lenk to Leiterli. This was a wise decision and we enjoyed a
superb walk along the ridge to join up with the Truttlisberg Pass |
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| Looking back along the ridge |
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| Some
good views down the valley from the ridge |
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Cows
everywhere |
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Looking down into one of the mini craters which are along the ridge |
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Fours more UK walkers on the ridge who we were to meet again in
Montreux |
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| Its
a stunning ridge to walk along |
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| An
abundance of wild flowers |
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| The
Truttlisberg Pass in on the right |
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These white sheets are everywhere and I assume that they are used in
cheese making |
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| The
way ahead towards Lauenen |
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Lauenen |
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In
the village of Lauenen |
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There are some
beautiful villages in this region |
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Great views up the valley towards Gsteig |
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The
local Church in Gsteig |
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23/07/11 - Lenk to Gsteig
Distance walked - 20 km - 8
hours - Height gain 875m - height loss 1267m
As we had two passes to cross
today and a 22 km walk we took the cable car from Lenk to Leiterli.
This proved to be an excellent idea as we were able to enjoy an
excellent walk along the ridge with fine views into the surrounding
valleys. After the Truttlisberg Pass 2038m we descended to the
village of Lauenen where we stopped for lunch. We then climbed up
over the Krinnen Pass 1659m and then down into Gsteig where we
booked into the Hotel Sanetsch.
There were showers in the afternoon |
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Saturday 23/07/11 -
Gsteig to Col des Mosses |
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We
stayed at the Hotel Sanetsch last night |
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Still raining as we set of from Gsteig |
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On the
Blattipass 1900m |
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| My
companion Dave Swainson having his lunch.
Dave carried a small stove and
enjoyed hot tea, pasta and soups on the walk. |
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Looking down on the Arnensee |
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| All
the paths were extremely muddy wherever there were cattle
It made progress difficult and
our walking times were frequently in excess of the times stated on
the signposts |
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Looking across the Valley |
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Looking north from our route |
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Heading down the track |
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Heading down the hillside
You can see our route on the far
side of the valley rising slowly across the mountain side |
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| The
large cowbells are prizes from some of the local shows
This was a dairy farm at
Chersaule |
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Looking across the Valley |
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Flowers
everywhere |
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Heading down to Col Des Mosses |
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| We
stayed at the Hotel Le Relais Alpin
This is the only Hotel open in
the village at the moment.
Other hotels are several kms
down the road and after a 23km walk we did not feel like going any
further. |
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23/07/11 - Gsteig to Col Des
Mosses Distance
walked 23km - 8½ hours - Height gained 1050m - height loss 780m
Today was a long walk and we
arrived in Col des Mosses to discover there was only one Hotel open
in the village. It had rained for most of the morning but brightened
up a little in the afternoon. It was a long day made more difficult
by the muddy paths which had been churned up by cows grazing on the
hillsides |
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Sunday 24/07/11 - Col
Des Mosses to Montreux |
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| When
we awoke in the morning it had snowed on the mountains during the
night |
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Looking back from La Lecherette |
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Looking down into one the gorges that feed into the Lac de L'Hongrin |
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Lac
de L'Hongrin |
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Hongrin Valley
A simple and charming valley |
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| Our
way led up the valley side which would eventually lead us to Alpe
Chaude |
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Descending to the Alpe Chaude
They seemed to be having some
sort of festival here, hence all the cars |
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| On
the Col de Chaude, the final pass of the walk
Its all downhill from here but
Montreux is still 3 hours and 40 mins away and the rain is easing
off |
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Looking down from just below the Col de Chaude |
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Looking back up at the Col de Chaude which we had just crossed. |
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Montreux |
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Looking over Montreux |
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Looking back
up the Steps
These are
called the "Sentier du Telegraphe"
There are
hundreds of these steps which lead down the steep hillside and take
you into the heart of Montreux
What a
beautiful way to enter a city |
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The rear of
our Hotel in Montreux
An excellent
place to stay
Clean,
comfortable and ideally placed, close to the station and lake shore.
and very reasonably priced.
I would
definitely stay here again |
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Sunset over Lake Geneva |
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Looking across Lake Geneva from Montreux
Looks like plenty of good
walking on the far shore |
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walkers at the end of the walk
Dave Swainson who completed this
walk with me is second from the right
The others are Dave, Graham
Peter and Dave who we met on the walk. |
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That's it, the end of our walk
I am finally down on the Lake shore and no more uphill for the time
being.
136km of excellent walking |
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Summary
Another excellent walking
holiday in Switzerland, the weather was not quite as good as
previous years but nevertheless we had great time. The Hotels in
Geneva, Murren and Montreux were prebooked but all the other
accommodation was arranged when we arrived in each village. At the
Col Des Mosses the Hotel we stayed at was the only one for several
kms so I would advise any doing the trip to be aware of this and
prebook this in advance. The maps and directions in the Guidebook
were sufficient for our walk although in the case of bad weather and
poor visibility a compass and appropriate maps would be necessary.
We took maps sourced from the Internet for some of the passes where
we thought there may be difficulties but all the paths are well
marked with the usual two white stripes and one red one. Signposting
on the route was excellent and generally speaking if you know the
name of the next pass or village you will have no trouble. |
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Monday 25/07/11
As we were flying home today
from Geneva we spent a few hours in the morning having look round
Montreux and then caught the train in the afternoon to Geneva
airport in time to catch our late afternoon flight back to
Manchester |
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Kit List 2011 |
Grams |
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Grams |
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Lowe Alpine Walkabout 35
litre Rucksac |
1750 |
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Smart Trainers for evening |
700 |
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Fleece |
625 |
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Phone charger |
100 |
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Peter Storm Waterproof
Jacket |
400 |
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Large drybag |
100 |
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Berghaus Paclite Trousers |
250 |
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Meindl Boots |
1600 |
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3 pairs U/pants |
150 |
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Camera & case - Canon A1200 |
250 |
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3 pairs light socks for
evening |
150 |
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Survival bag |
150 |
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3 T shirts @ 200 gm each |
600 |
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First Aid |
100 |
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Trek shorts |
300 |
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Compass 50g, Petzl
headtorch 50g |
100 |
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Long sleeve shirt |
250 |
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Walking pole |
300 |
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M&S short sleeve shirt |
175 |
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Guidebook |
300 |
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M&S lightweight chinos |
350 |
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Maps & docs &passport |
200 |
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Rab Black Microfleece |
300 |
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Phone |
125 |
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North Face Zip off
trousers |
350 |
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Sunglasses |
75 |
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Medium towel |
150 |
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Spare glasses |
75 |
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Silk liner for sleeping |
150 |
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Baseball hat |
100 |
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Pillow case |
100 |
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Suncream 3x50g |
150 |
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Travel plug |
50 |
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Toiletries, face soap 50g,
toothbrush & paste 50g |
100 |
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Spare Walking socks |
100 |
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Belt |
125 |
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Bridgedale walking socks |
100 |
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Notebook & pen |
75 |
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Light gloves, buff |
100 |
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Costs - Exchange rate 1.26
CHF to the pound |
CHF |
£ |
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CHF |
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Return flight Easyjet
Manchester to Geneva |
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£93.00 |
Geneva Hotel - Twin room -
B+B - Twin room - |
67.50 |
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Hotel Sport Chalet ,
Murren -½ board Twin room |
70.00 |
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Berghaus Golderli,
Griesalp - Twin room - ½ board |
98.00 |
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Hotel zur Post, Kandersteg
B+B - Twin room |
62.00 |
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Bernahof, Adelboden B+B
(Dormitory) |
47.10 |
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Hotel Garnia Alpina B+B -
Twin room |
60.00 |
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Hotel Sanetsch, Gsteig B+B
Twin room |
65.00 |
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Hote Les Relais Alpina B+B-
Twin room |
75.00 |
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Hotel Wilheim, Geneva B+B
Twin room |
57.50 |
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Cable car - Lauterbrunnen
to Grutschalpe |
8.40 |
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Cable car - Lenk to
Leiterli |
25.00 |
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Train ticket Geneva to
Lauterbrunne |
76.20 |
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Train Ticket Montreux to
Geneva Airport |
33.00 |
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BMC Trek Insurance |
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£53.25 |
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My Trek Insurance has risen in two years from £26.50 to
£53.25. I am 68 and thought it might go up a bit but
that is a considerable rise. |
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All the above prices for rooms
and tickets are per person |
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Prices for evening meals varied from place to place
but we paid between 16CHF and 26 CHF for a main meal such as
Pizza, Pasta, Chicken or Rosti Beer was around 5 or 6 CHF for
a ½ litre but could be dearer depending on whether they sold
draft beer or not |
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It was quite expensive in Switzerland but this was due to the
poor exchange rate that we got to the pound. two years ago we
were getting 1.66
CHF to the pound. I used cash and credit/debit cards during
the trip but withdrawing money from an ATM looked to be the
most cost effective way.
All banks are different
but I got a better exchange rate when withdrawing money
from a Swiss ATM than when I changed my money at home. |
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Useful Links |
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SBB: Home |
SBB
- Swiss Railway Information |
|
Switzerland
|
Switzerland Information and maps |
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This is my account of the trip I made
with David Swainson of the second part of the Alpine Pass Route - If I can be
of any help in answering any questions please e-mail me at
davidpreston@mywalkingworld.com
The Guidebook we used was The
Alpine Pass Route by Kev Reynolds and published by
Cicerone
Many thanks to David Swainson for
his company on this trip
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Return to main page |
To see the Alpine Pass Route - part one - 2009
click here |
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