Refreshments on the Alps around Lake Thun

Lake Thun Blog

Refreshments on the Alps around Lake Thun

Published on

12 July 2021

It is slowly becoming mountain summer everywhere, the cows are standing in knee-deep grass - they can hardly get enough of it. Over the next three months, the alpine pastures will offer the four-legged friends a great variety of flowers and herbs. From now on, the monotonous hum of the milking machine interrupts the silence in the mornings and evenings. Already a few days after the ascent to the alp, the cows trot purposefully from their night's stay outdoors to their place in the barn. The animals' bodies are steaming, the air in the stable is warm and humid. The alpine herdsmen tie the cows' tails and clean their full udders before they extract the valuable alpine milk from them. Kettle by kettle, it is carried into the cheese kitchen.

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Centuries of tradition

Alpine farming has changed little over the centuries, it is ancient. Without it, the Alps would not look the way they do today and would not be inviting places to hike. From the Saanenland to the Oberhasli - life comes to several hundred alpine huts. Smoke comes out of the chimneys, the white cloths in which the young cheeses are wrapped for the day dry in the sun.

The crackling fire under the cheese vat starts the cheese-making process. The cheese-making process is like a ritual, every move is perfect and has been tried and tested a thousand times. Depending on the size of the alp and its livestock, the cheese vat can hold between 500 and 1000 litres of milk. Precise controls of the temperature, clean work and exact hand movements lead to the extraction of the cheese mass, the filling into the round mould and the pressing of the young loaves. A day later, they are put into the salt bath for a few hours and then into the cheese cellar. Here they are stored free of mice and cared for daily. Berner Alpkäse AOC matures from the inside out and gets its golden yellow colour from daily smearing.

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Elaborate alpine life

On the alps, people fence, milk, cheese, butter and shovel manure. From early in the morning until late in the evening. Life on the alp means working in heat, cold, wet and windy conditions. And yet, the alpine staff uses every opportunity to add colourful accents to the simple life in the mountains.

An alpine summer offers spring, summer, autumn and a touch of winter - all within three months. The day's work is exhausting, and the work outside can be inhospitable in bad weather at an altitude of between 1100 and 1800 metres above sea level. The alpine dairymen are compensated for this with the nightly tinkling of the grazing herd, fascinating plays of light in the mountains and unforgettable sunsets.

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Alpine inns offer refreshment

On alps over which a hiking trail leads or which are otherwise well frequented, busy alpine farmers offer refreshment stops - also on alps near Lake Thun. What could be better after a hike than to take a break and fortify yourself in a beautiful alpine or mountain inn? Enjoying the sun on a terrace and feasting on authentic products? With Hobelkäse and white wine, a dried meat plate, a cheese slice with egg or even a golden Älplerrösti fried in alpine butter. And on top a meringue with liquid "Alpnidle", accompanied by an Älplerkafi, with or without Güx. The view goes down into the valley, you feel sublime, like "God in France". And the good thing about it is that the visitors help the alpine farmers to earn a welcome additional income, since most of the cheese produced can only be converted into cash in autumn.

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With a view of the lake and Niesen

Such moments are also possible with a view of Thun and its lake. For example, in the Justistal, known far and wide for its Chästeilet, which can be reached on foot from Merligen, Sigriswil or Beatenberg. If you want to include the crossing of the "Sichle" in your hike, start in Innereriz and hike through the Justistal towards the lake, with a view of the pyramid of the Niesen. In the Bernese Oberland guide to alpine inns, two of the nine alps in the valley are mentioned as places to stop. At Oberhofnerberg, situated directly below the Sichel where the Grönbach rises, there is an opportunity to look over the cheesemaker's shoulder and enjoy an alpine breakfast by appointment. A little further down the valley is Alp Gross Mittelberg. At weekends and during the summer holidays also during the week, there is an alpine restaurant in and especially in front of the old alpine hut. In addition to the usual alpine offerings, Älplermakkaroni are also available on request.

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Morning sun on the face

There are also alps on the opposite side of the lake, where tired and thirsty hikers are gladly served food and drink. If you climb from the Stockental towards the Stockhorn, you will inevitably pass the Bachalp. The alp has two huts; depending on the grass, people move from the lower to the upper Bach and vice versa. Wherever the cows are, there are Älplerz mornings, Hobelkäse plates or, on request, Älpler macaroni. Wonderful flora and fauna await the hiker between the two stacks.

If you are not so good on foot, you can buy a ticket at the ticket machine in Reutigen for the Gütterstrasse, which requires a permit, via Heiti to Alp Mattenberg. The ascent to the Stockhorn via Steinig Nacki-Furgge-Lasenberg is also possible from here. On Alp Mattenberg, with its fantastic view of the upper Lake Thun basin and Lake Brienz, raclette in a frying pan is a popular speciality. In fine weather, a meringues with nidle rounds off the feast on the terrace. The alp is also a popular starting point for wildlife watching on the Stockhorn range. Anyone descending from the Stockhorn into the Simmental passes a very well-known alpine inn, the Oberstockenalp, which offers a wide range of regional dishes. Lovers of fresh cheese with herbs or cheese slices will get their money's worth here.

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At the foot of the Morgenberghorn

Alp Brunni is the last stage on the way to Morgenberghorn. The place to stop for refreshments with a far-reaching view all the way to the Mittelland lies in a saddle position between Lake Thun and the Sultal. The most pleasant route runs along the ridge from Aeschiallmend via Greberegg to Brunni. At weekends, the Leissigen Ski Club runs the mountain hut, and the Sennhütte offers daily catering with mainly its own products. As a speciality, a Brunni plate with cheese and dry sausage awaits hungry people.

The Bernese Oberland Alpine Inn Guide describes a total of 60 alpine inns spread across the whole of the Oberland, including places to stop for refreshments. Various popular alpine inns in the Diemtigtal are close to Lake Thun. Rinderalp, Tschuggen, Menigwald, Seeberg, Stierenberg, Schwarzenberg and Grimmi all produce Bernese alpine cheese. This forms the basic offer on the menu of the local alpine taverns.

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