IMAGES: ENGELBERG-TITLIS TOURISM
eyewitness
higher & higher
In Switzerland’s Engelberg Valley, farmers’ cableways give access to Alpine trails and farmsteads that would otherwise remain out of reach. Words: Gabriella Le Breton
As the dusky ‘alpenglow’ blushes the peaks above, Ronnie the cat curls tighter into my lap and we share a contented sigh. Beyond the trickling sound of the trough in the gardens of Berghof Brändlen, the mountain farmstead I’m spending the night at, I can hear the soothing tinkle of cowbells. Suddenly, between timber barns housing hay and scythes, two rows of lights twinkle to life on the ground. They flank a path that slopes down the mountainside to a cable-car, the sole means of transport to the village of Wolfenschiessen, some 2,952ft below. Brändlen is one of 26 mountain farms without
Cows on a summer
pasture in Engelberg Clockwise from left: Josef Durrer, a farmer
who operates one of the region’s cableways; view along the Walenpfad
road access around Engelberg. The valley is set in Switzerland’s German-speaking heart, between the cantons of Nidwalden and Obwalden, where much of the landscape is covered by forest, mountains or glaciers. This inaccessibility qualifies places like Brändlen to operate farmers’ cableways, known as Buiräbähnli, which transport people, supplies, equipment and the occasional cow up and down sheer slopes. The density of Buiräbähnli in Engelberg is
unparalleled, lending it the moniker of ‘valley of the cable-cars’. And despite their number having more than halved in 15 years — as roads replace them and new generations choose not to invest in maintaining them — these lifts remain a lifeline for many. The farmsteads at their top, in the folds of pastures or atop lofty ridges, are rarely glimpsed by Swiss residents, let alone non- natives. But a 29-mile circular route, the Buiräbähnli Safari, enables walkers to hike to nine such lodges. It’s part of this trail I’m exploring as I set off from
the historic town of Engelberg to Brändlen. For the first seven or so miles, the path follows the Walenpfad, one of Switzerland’s most scenic high-altitude routes. It meanders through wildflower pastures, zigzags up grassy peaks and hugs precipitous cliffs, the narrow stone path washed away at times by small waterfalls. Dotting the route are eight gondolas, some dating
to the early 1960s and designated as cultural assets. “Caring for the lifts is part of life,” says Ueli Schmitter, a third-generation farmer with a shrug. He works with local Buiräbähnli owners to ensure the lifts pass annual inspections and a complete safety assessment each five years. “I whisper sweet nothings to mine each night.” I meet him and his wife Isabelle at Chrüzhütte, where
they serve brotkas (home-baked bread and cheese) and Älplermagronen (macaroni cheese). As I plunge a sprig of mountain mint into an elderflower cordial, chickens peck at my feet and Isabelle hums, kneading dough for the next loaf to be baked in her centuries-old oven.
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