Mediterranean flair

The hiking route follows the well-known Way of St. James (Jakobs pilgrimage route), which leads to Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims travel year-round – often recognizable by a large, white scallop shell on their backpacks.

The forest trail leads with gentle ups and downs past the Beatenbucht and to the highest point of the hike at Balmholz. Below this, Kieselkalk is quarried; a hard, sharp-edged rock also used as railway ballast throughout Switzerland. A few minutes' walk later, the St. Beatus Caves are reached. After spring rains, particularly impressive volumes of water gush from the rocks. In the 6th century, the Irish monk St. Beatus is said to have driven out a dragon and lived in one of the caves. In the Middle Ages, his grave was visited by many pilgrims, although their numbers probably did not approach the current 100,000 annual visitors to the caves. As early as 1904, a first part of the eleven-kilometer-long St. Beatus caves was made accessible to tourists, who could admire stalactites, small underground lakes, and interesting rock formations there. The 320,000-year-old caves are still evolving today under the influence of rainwater and continuously changing. The trail continues with a splendid view and descends via steps into the small bay of Sundlauenen.

In March, an abundance of liverwort flowers bloom in the Sundlauenen delta. Holly trees in the forest and banana plants in individual gardens attest to the mild conditions. Near Neuhaus, the path leads into the Weissenau nature reserve and past reed beds, marsh meadows, and floodplain forest. In Weissenau, not only interesting plants grow, but it is also a paradise for birds and an important overwintering area. So far, more than 200 different bird species have been observed here. The last section of the hike follows the Aare river towards Interlaken.
Text: Sabine Joss