Location
As a base for a walking holiday, or as the starting point for an exploration of the Bernese Alps, the flat-bottomed, deeply cut Haslital has much to commend it. In its upper reaches near the Grimsel Pass, it has all the raw, semi-barren features of the high mountains, but at its lower, northern end where it curves to meet the gleaming expanse of the Mediterranean-like Brienzer See, it’s broad and open with low-lying meadows and chalets with flowers at their balconies. The Grimsel Pass is at 2165m, the Brienzer See a modest 564m. Between the two extremes the valley descends in a series of steps exhibiting a rich variety of landscapes with lush pastures, dazzling cascades, deep shadowed gorges and several tributary glens worth exploring.
The Haslital has been used as a major transit valley for centuries, and the old mule trail to the Grimsel Pass still exists in places. As early as 1211 the Bernese marched along it and crossed the Grimsel to invade the Valais, but in more peaceful times it became an important trade route to Italy. Today there are no fewer than four road passes feeding into the valley: the Brunig, Susten, Grimsel and Grosse Scheidegg – the last-named open only to local permit holders and buses travelling between Meiringen and Grindelwald. And walkers, of course.
The main peaks, whose glaciers carved valleys feeding into the Haslital, are located in a great arc to the south, east and northeast. Titlis (3238m) heads both the lovely Gental and the Gadmental. Then there’s the Sustenhorn (3503m) above the pass of the same name, and the big glacial mass of the Winterberg, Tieralplistock and the Gelmerhörner curving above the Furka and Grimsel passes. To the west of the Grimsel the Oberaar and Unteraargletschers sweep out of the arctic-like heartland of the Bernese Alps, while the western wall of the Haslital begins with the Bachlistock (3247m) and Ritzlihorn (3263m) before being sliced by the peaceful Urbachtal with the Hangendgletscherhorn (3292m) and the great east-facing slabs of the Engelhörner rising from it.
There’s enough in the Haslital to keep a mountaineer or mountain walker quietly content for many a long day.
General tourists based here will find enough to satisfy a holiday too. There are associations with Sherlock Holmes around Meiringen, for example, for Conan Doyle was sufficiently impressed with the area that he brought the fictitious Holmes to the town for a final battle with Professor Moriarty at the nearby Reichenbach Falls. There’s the Aareschlucht too, an imposing narrow limestone gorge with a walkway through it (fee charged for entry), midway between Meiringen and Innertkirchen. There are yet more cascades to be seen in the Gental which leads to the honeypot of the Engstlensee, and a cableway that carries visitors up to the Hasliberg terrace and beyond for gentle strolls with memorable views.
To restate the obvious, the Haslital makes a fine start to an exploration of the Bernese Oberland for visitors of all persuasions. But perhaps the very best is reserved for the walker, for there’s a rich vein of routes to be tapped in a surprisingly diverse set of landscapes.
Arriving at Grosse Scheidegg you gain a fine view back down the Rosenlaui valley
Main Bases
INNERTKIRCHEN (625m) lies in the bed of the valley about 6km southeast of Meiringen in an upper grassy plain. Reached by postbus, or by train from Interlaken via Brienz and Meiringen, the village has two campsites, five hotels and a variety of chalets and apartments for holiday let. It has limited shopping facilities, but there’s a PTT and tourist information office. To the east the Susten Pass road cuts into the Gadmental, which in turn forks soon after with one of its branches delving into the Gental. Innertkirchen, therefore, is conveniently situated to make the most of several very fine walking districts.
MEIRINGEN (595m) is the main tourist centre of the valley. Although old, little remains of the original town, for two serious fires destroyed much of it in 1879 and 1891. (A total of 293 houses were burned in the two fires.) Napoleon was here in 1810; other visitors have been Conan Doyle, Gertrude Bell, Hilaire Belloc and King Albert of the Belgians. Melchior Anderegg, one of the great mountain guides of the Golden Age, had a farm at nearby Zaun. The church, with its 14th-century Romanesque tower topped by a wooden spire, is worth a visit. Served by railway from Interlaken, Meiringen is very much a modern resort with no shortage of shops, restaurants, banks, PTT, sports facilities and a tourist information office. There are a dozen or so hotels ranging from small family-run establishments to the five-star Parkhotel du Sauvage where Conan Doyle used to stay. For lower-priced accommodation try Simons Herberge on Alpbacchstrasse (77 beds, 49 dorm places; Tel 033 971 17 15 www.simons-herberge.ch). The nearest campsite is 2km to the west; Camping Balmweid (Tel 033 971 51 15 www.camping-meiringen.ch), and there’s a cableway to Reuti on the Hasliberg terrace above the resort.
Other Bases
On a prosperous sunny terrace above Meiringen, HASLIBERG (1000–1100m) consists of a scattered collection of hamlets and hotels made accessible by cableway from the valley, with more cableways continuing up to the high bowl of Mägisalp, and from there to Planplatten – a ski area with splendid views, which also gives plenty of opportunities for the walker. Hasliberg has more than a dozen hotels, as well as holiday apartments and chalets. For detailed information contact Tourist Information Hasliberg, CH–6084 Hasliberg Wasserwendi (Tel 033 972 51 51 [email protected]www.alpenregion.ch).
Northeast of Innertkirchen, on the Susten Pass road, GADMEN (1205m) is a small village with several fine old wooden chalets, a campsite, and accommodation in Hotel Steingletscher (Tel 033 975 12 22 [email protected]www.sustenpass.ch), while 150 dormitory places are available at the Alpine Center, Chalet Ochsen at the Susten Pass (same contact details as Hotel Steingletscher).
Elsewhere, at the head of the Gental which feeds into the Gadmental above Innertkirchen, mention must be made of HOTEL ENGSTLENALP (1834m). With beds and dormitory places, it’s open from May to the end of October (Tel 033 975 11 61 [email protected]www.engstlenalp.ch). Reached by postbus from Meiringen, it makes a popular excursion with the lake of Engstlensee nearby, the Joch Pass above (accessible by chairlift or footpath), and several very fine walks leading from it.
The Lauteraar Rothorner directs the way to the Lauteraar Hut
In the upper Haslital, GUTTANNEN (1057m) has the family-run Hotel Bären (Tel 033 973 12 61 www.baeren-guttannen.ch); there’s also Hotel
