poles) in the porch or boot room, and select a pair of special hut shoes or clogs found there – alternatively wear your own trainers.
Locate the hut warden and book bedspace for the night, plus meals.
When convenient go to the dormitory and make your bed in the space allocated; leave a torch handy as the room may not be lit when you need to go there after dark.
Snacks and drinks are available during the day, but meals are served at set times.
It is customary to pay for all services (cash only) the night before you leave.
Before departing, enter your name in the hut book, together with a note of your planned destination.
Traditional dormitory at the Rotstock Hut
Stage 1 Schynige Platte to First (assuming Schynige Platte is reached on the day of travel from home; otherwise see Alternative Stage 1) – 5½hr
Alternative Stage 1 If you miss the last train to Schynige Platte on the day of travel, stay overnight in Wilderswil, then trek Schynige Platte to Berghotel Faulhorn – 4hr
Stage 2 First (or Berghotel Faulhorn) to Hotel Wetterhorn via Grosse Scheidegg (this gives time to visit Grindelwald after booking a bed at the hotel) – 3hr (or 4–4½hr+)
Alternative Stage 2 A highly recommended diversion starts about 2hr from First and climbs to the Gleckstein Hut set high on the slopes of the Wetterhorn (strong walkers only) – 5hr
Alternative Stage 2a Gleckstein Hut to Hotel Wetterhorn (a short but steep descent which gives time to visit Grindelwald) – 2½hr+
Stage 3 Hotel Wetterhorn to Alpiglen – 5hr
Alternative Stage 3 Hotel Wetterhorn to Berghaus Bäregg – 2½–3hr (this option could be combined with Alt. Stage 2a to make a splendid 5–5½hr trek)
Alternative Stage 3a Berghaus Bäregg to Alpiglen – 4–4½hr
Stage 4 Alpiglen to Kleine Scheidegg (Grindelwaldblick) via the Eiger Trail (after checking in at the Grindelwaldblick there should be sufficient time to visit the Männlichen summit viewpoint, or take the train to the Jungfraujoch) – 3½–4hr+
A FASTER ITINERARY?
Fit 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
