Isenfluh - Schynige Platte

Early in the morning, we share the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen with lots of day-trippers. Still a bit sleepy, we board the small PostBus in Lauterbrunnen. All the seats are taken, so some passengers have to stand during the 20-minute journey. ‘Why don’t they use a bigger PostBus?’ I wonder. But I soon realise why. The road up to Isenfluh is narrow and winding – there’s hardly any room to let oncoming traffic pass. Much of the route runs through a tunnel. We get off at the terminus and marvel at the view, whilst all the other passengers make their way along the short path to the cable car heading towards Sulwald. Instead of going up, we’re heading down – steeply down – on foot. No sooner are we in the forest than we encounter our first surprise. We hear a rustling sound and, moments later, a chamois leaps through the bushes close to the edge of the path. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too quick for our still-sleepy reflexes to get our cameras out. After about an hour, we reach Zweilütschinen and enjoy the first – and last – few metres of flat ground on the way to Gündlischwand. From here on, it’s a steady climb. We have to tackle a full 1,300 metres of elevation gain, without a single flat section. We’re not quite aware of this as we tackle the first few metres of the climb. Our pace is brisk, partly because we’re trying to escape the swarms of flies and horseflies. After the first few metres of climbing – and, unfortunately, the first few bites – we’ve made it and slow our pace slightly.