Between lake and canyons, under eternal snow

 

DIDIER HEUMANN, ANDREAS PAPASAVVAS

 

 

We divided the course into several sections to make it easier to see. For each section, the maps show the course, the slopes found on the course, and the state of the roads. The courses were drawn on the “Wikilocs” platform. Today, it is no longer necessary to walk around with detailed maps in your pocket or bag. If you have a mobile phone or tablet, you can easily follow routes live.

For this stage, here is the link:

https://fr.wikiloc.com/itineraires-randonnee/du-col-du-brunig-a-ringgenberg-par-la-via-jacobi-4-32154799

It is obviously not the case for all pilgrims to be comfortable with reading GPS and routes on a laptop, and there are still many places in France without an Internet connection. Therefore, you can find a book on Amazon that deals with this course.

If you only want to consult lodging of the stage, go directly to the bottom of the page.

Today, the route plunges from the Brünig Pass into the Bernese Oberland, where the blue and limpid lakes of Brienz and Interlaken rub shoulders with the majestic mountains, the Finsteraarhorn, the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau which are the pride of the region. It is a beautiful stage, sometimes wild in the canyons. Beyond Brienz, the route climbs three times from the villages on the edge of the lake to the heights and then descends immediately. It crosses villages, where old wooden buildings with often sculpted walls compete in grandeur and majesty. It also crosses the small town of Brienz with its wooden sculptures. It is the local speciality, and a school, unique in Switzerland, teaches the trade there. Further on, the route crosses forests, wild canyons and countryside. It offers continuous glorious glimpses of Brienz Lake below, with its waters changing color with the changing moods of the weather. In this country, the churches are not legion. In fact, they are temples, because the canton of Bern is a Protestant canton.

It bears repeating here. Crossing the Camino de Santiago in German-speaking Switzerland is an enchantment renewed every day. Even if you tirelessly cross meadows and small groves, the peasant heritage is present everywhere, but varies from one valley to another. There is virtually no culture in the region. And in this country of livestock and milk, the wealth of the Bernese peasants has further magnified and brought to excellence the beauty of farms and houses.

Difficulty of the course : Slope variations are significant today (+645 meters /-1050 meters) and it is a leg-breaking stage, quite demanding. The pathway climbs again above the Brünig pass to dive (and the word is not strong: more than 400 meters) on Brienzwiler. Afterwards, light ups and downs await you up to Brienz. Beyond Brienz, the routeh only slopes up and down from one canyon to another, from one village to another until finally reaching the lake at the end of the stage, in Ringgenberg. In this stage, you will cross an incredible number of small canyons, without a drop of water, which are in fact only large screes descending from the mountain or avalanche corridors in winter.

In this stage, courses on pathways or paved roads are equivalent:

• Paved roads: 12.5 km
• Dirt roads: 11.5 km

Sometimes, for reasons of logistics or housing possibilities, these stages mix routes operated on different days, having passed several times on Via Podiensis. From then on, the skies, the rain, or the seasons can vary. But, generally this is not the case, and in fact this does not change the description of the course.

It is very difficult to specify with certainty the incline of the slopes, whatever the system you use.

For “real slopes”, reread the mileage manual on the home page.

 

We have divided the route into several sections, to facilitate visibility. For each section, the maps give the route, the slopes found on the route and the state of Via Jacobi.

Section 1: A long and demanding descent to Brienzwiler.

 

General overview of the difficulties of the route: tough descent, even in good weather. In places, the slopes easily exceed 25%. Nearly 500 meters of negative sloping.

 

Via Jacobi descends from the Brünig Pass on the road just below Hotel Kulm. There, it runs above the road to avoid traffic, which is often heavy during the day.

Today is rainy weather, at least at the start of the stage. This will prevent you from having a panoramic view of the valley. The majestic mountains of the Bernese Alps, such as the Eiger, Mönch or Jungfrau, you will hardly see them even in good weather, because the valley is steep-sided. A small pathway then runs along the road.

A little further on, you leave the axis of the valley and a small road then climbs to the small Herweg hamlet.

Further on, a pathway climbs through the undergrowth to reach a clearing with the small barns of Brääch. In Switzerland, in general, the beech is exploited at all costs and the logs are carefully scattered along the tracks where the tractors pass..

Shortly after, the pathway heads towards the large forest of Uochwald which it will cross to Brienzwiler. It climbs a little further in the middle of the beeches, with more rare conifers, especially spruces. Here, it breathes strongly the mountain pastures.

Then begins a very long descent into the forest, very difficult in places, often with slopes of more than 25%. This descent is one of the steepest on the Camino de Santiago in Switzerland, on a par with the descent to 4 Cantons lake, at Beckenried or the steep slopes that arrive at Wattwil or Schwyz. Towards the bottom of the descent, the view opens up over the Brienz Valley and Interlaken.

Then, much down, the pathway comes out of the forest and crosses the Dorfbach, a dry river, but where the floods must be significant, given the concrete of the protective dike.

Shortly after, a road takes you to the heights of Brienzwiler.

Brienzwiler is just a beautiful village. There is money in the canton of Bern, even among the peasants!

Via Jacobi crosses the village and its magnificent wooden houses of the village, real living museums in themselves. Here, these are not farms, but opulent houses, with brown facades, worn by time. The windows almost touch each other and the curtains are often embroidered. Sometimes, the houses sport small galleries under hipped roofs, decorated with geraniums, the flower symbol of the balconies of the small countries of German-speaking Switzerland.

At the exit of the village, the road that leads to Hostetten runs into an undergrowth. Until Brienz, the Camino de Santiago smoothens, even flattens. The road soon heads to a large riding school.

Section 2: False flats descending towards Brienz Lake.

 

General overview of the difficulties of the route: course without any difficulty.

 

Section 3 :The beautiful crossing of Brienz.

 

 

General overview of the difficulties of the route: course without any difficulty.

 

But, the pathway does not stay on the axis of the village, passing along an undergrowth where the Lammbach brook flows. Then, it crosses the Schwandenbach brook, shortly after the merger of the two streams, to find itself on the road to Brienz.

The road that runs through Brienz is a secondary road. The Brünig axis passes on the other side of the lake. Via Jacobi then follows the road to Brienz, then takes a smaller road to pass under the railway line and reach the lake.

Further on, the road crosses the Glyssibach River, laid out between dykes. All the rivers that descend from the mountain, in fact canyons, carry large stones and have little or no water. But, the floods must be violent here, considering the extent of the protections put in place.

You then arrive on the “strandweg” (path to the beach) which follows the bank. The city center is within walking distance.

Here begins the permanent exhibition of wood carvings of which Brienz holds an international reputation. It’s just beautiful, an art that has left tradition for contemporary modern art. You are far from the eternal and traditional sculpted fountains, so present in the country.

The “strandweg” then arrives at Brienz station. You find the Lucerne-Interlaken Express, which you left at the Brünig Pass and which made a small jump towards Meiringen at the other end of the canton, near the large passes.

If you want to take a day off here, enjoy taking the steam train up the Rothorn mountain on incredible inclines. The view up there on the lakes and the Alps is exceptional. In good weather, of course.

Beyond the station, Via Jacobi continues its stroll along the edge of the lake, in the middle of wooden statues, sculpted between fear, sweetness and tenderness.

Near the port and the beautiful wooden houses, flows the Trachtbach brook which crosses the city.

Via Jacobi then arrives at the center of the borough (3,000 inhabitants). You can follow the riverbank or walk up to the main street. The houses are all more charming than each other. It is really difficult to understand why tourists flock to Interlaken, in a frantic city where there is not much to see, and largely desert Brienz, a real open-air museum, calm and serene.

A store offers a host of sculpted objects, including small wooden cows made at the Hofstetten factory.

A few more statues (including one in metal, curious, isn’t it?) to put under the pupil, and Via Jacobi leaves Brienz on the side of the church.

It must be said clearly here. For people prone to vertigo, do not follow Via Jacobi from here. On the way, there is a rather vertiginous suspension bridge, shaking moreover. It’s not dangerous at all, but the void is important. If you belong to this category, take the train from Brienz to Oberried, where you will join the track back. For others, Via Jacobi climbs the road behind the church near the school of woodcarvers.

There are still some nice houses here. What soul and what poetry in these Bernese houses!

The road crosses the Müllibach stream, and climbs to Chilchacher hamlet. The slope is quite steep here.

The lake looks very small below. Here, the slope calms down and Via Jacobi goes into the undergrowth on a wide dirt road. Here, beech and maple still dominate, with sometimes also spruce.

Further on, the dirt road crosses the undergrowth to reach Ried, near the Hellgraben. Here, the mountain is severe and draws real canyons (in German, graben means ditch). This is aptly named. Hell means hell. You are almost there!

Section 4 :A real gymkhana above Brienz Lake.

 

 

General overview of the difficulties of the course: leg-breaking course until you reach the suspension bridge over the canyon, then a steady descent.

 

Section 5: The track descends to Oberried, then climbs again.

 

 

General overview of the difficulties of the route: still difficult, with sometimes steep slopes.

 

Section 6: The track rejoins the lake at the end of the stage.

 

 

General overview of the difficulties of the route: ups and downs, with sometimes very steep slopes.

 

Feel free to add comments. This is often how you move up the Google hierarchy, and how more pilgrims will have access to the site.

 

Next stage: Stage 10: From Rinnggenberg to Spiez

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