Oeschinensee: storms and a swim

We had a very disturbed night last night. To start with, I was too hot and couldn’t get comfortable, tossing and turning until I finally fell asleep. The trains seemed to be going all night, and there were several loud beeps before each set off… very strange as we hadn’t noticed the noise on the first two nights. Next, we were woken at about 1.30 by torrential rain and thunder. This continued until 5.00 in the morning, with the sheet lightning getting brighter and the thunderclaps getting louder as the storm grew nearer and settled overhead. Some of the thunderclaps made me jump, sounding like gunshots!

This all meant we had a later start than usual this morning. Because more thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon, we decided to shorten the walk we’d planned around Oeschinensee. This is a stunning little lake, nestled in high mountains with numerous waterfalls tumbling down the steep cliffs.

We walked out of the town centre at around 10.30 and took the cable car up to 1638 metres. From there, we followed a wide road down to the shore of the turquoise lake (1594 metres), grateful to have got to the lift before a coach load of tourists. (Yes, I know, we’re tourists too!)

We followed an indistinct path, along the edge of the lake, taking a couple of detours to pretty waterfalls. However, they were fairly insignificant compared to the amazing waterfall we could see at the far end of the lake. To get to it, at one point we had to take our shoes and socks off and paddle across a wide stream running down into the lake. (On the way back we took a riskier route, jumping across three logs in the stream!)

After about an hour, we reached the waterfall and were pleased to have it to ourselves. It was hot, so we changed into our swimming costumes and slipped into the beautiful blue water, the cold making us gasp.

Once we’d got used to the water temperature, we swam past the waterfall, enjoying the wonderful views. It didn’t seem so cold now, except where each flume of water plunged into the lake, straight from the glaciers, melting in the heat on the mountains above!

Once we’d had enough of swimming, we dried in the sunshine, while we ate our sandwiches. Then John noticed a large and noisy group of boisterous lads coming towards us, so we decided to get our clothes on and head back to the lift. We were really lucky to have the place to ourselves for a while (with just one other lady, taking selfies in all sorts of poses by the waterfall).

By now it was 1.00 and, as forecast, the clouds were building. I was surprised to see people were still walking to the lake as we were leaving, especially as some didn’t seem to have bags with waterproofs. Large spots of rain began to fall as we climbed the hill and boarded the cable car. Then, just after we arrived back in Kandersteg, the heavens opened.

I’m glad we beat the rush back to the lift, and got back to our apartment before the thunderstorm really got going. From our balcony, we noticed the lift kept stopping for a while because of the thunder and lightning, and we thought how unpleasant it would be for all those people stuck on the mountain… Much more fun watching the storm from our balcony, warm and dry with a cup of tea and a snack!