Day 4 - Wed. 17/08/2011

Campsite: Steinibachried, Horw, Switzerland (N 47.01211 E 8.31114)

Distance: 0 miles/0 km (today) 673 miles/1084 km (total)

Woke up early and packed cereal bars and water ready for our walk up Mount Pilatus. The plan was for Simon, Ellie, Matthew, James and me to walk up, and for Ali and Zoe to travel up by cable car and gondolas. We donned walking shoes, rucksacks, and hiking sticks and had left the campsite by 09:30 to find our way to a car park near the gondola departure point at Kriens. We left Ali and Zoe there to arrange their own ascent, and the rest of us went off to try and find the walking route up. We weren't able to lay our hands on any maps of the route, so we relied on guesswork. It was a hard slog up, as (so we discovered later) we had deviated from the established walking route.

We found a cafe a little below Frakmuntegg and stopped of for some very expensive drinks, and to refill our water bladders. At 7 euros a litre for bottled water, we decided to fill them up from a water tap in the toilets.

The walking group made it up so far as Frakmuntegg, where we heard that the rest of the route to the summit was a pretty difficult one and that mist was now starting to descend, so we decided to finish the journey by cable car. We had managed to reach 1,469 m of the total 2,128 m. Frakmuntegg is where the 4 person gondolas terminate and the 40 person cable cars take over to carry passengers to the summit.

During their trip to the top, Ali and Zoe stopped off for a while at Frakmuntegg for something to eat and drink. Zoe also had a ride on the Fräkigaudi, which is Switzerland’s longest summer toboggan run, with a steel track for fast runs on wheels through the mountain glen.

Simon had been to the summit before, so James, Ellie, Matthew and I took the cable car up to join Alison and Zoe at the peak. On arrival, we found a hotel with some expensive shops (Zoe bought a cowbell for 20 euros!) and some stunning scenery. We stayed up there for an hour or two taking photographs and then returned to Frakmuntegg by cable car to rejoin Simon. Back at Frakmuntegg, Ellie, Matthew, and James had a go on the Fräkigaudi. The 7 of us walked down the rest of the way together.

The Smiths went straight back to the campsite to cook an evening meal, whereas the Seniors decided to go into Luzern for a McDonald's. Simon left the restaurant about 50 euros down! Switzerland is certainly expensive.

This was a day that I think we will all remember. It was disappointing that we did not manage the climb all the way to the summit, but an achievement nonetheless.