Circular Tour from Heiligkreuz via Mt.Farnere in the Entlebuch near Luzern

Sunday October 29, 2023 -- Having traveled through the Entlebuch region of Canton Luzern the day before, we chose to return there for Sunday's excursion, as it is really not very far from home. We had read about a hiking suggestion for a circular tour to the summit of a mountain from where you got a good view south toward the Bernese Alps, and the hike would take under three hours. So this was the pick for the day.

A small bus took us from Schüpfheim on the Kleine Emme River up to the mountain village of Heiligkreuz, which is a popular pilgrimage site since 1344 (and also a popular church for weddings), from where we basically ascended a steep 500 meters (suggested time was 90 minutes, but it only took us 70!) to the summit. At this time of year, the whole mountainside was in shadow, which is usually preferable for steep ascents, but it was quite cold! And by the time we got to the top, once again the sky became overcast, and even though we could see far and wide over this UNESCO Biosphere Region, I would again have preferred the sunshine to light up the countryside!

The return to Heiligkreuz was via a less-steep route along the crest, with a view toward Mount Pilatus from its west side. After a quick look into the church, we were back on the bus and on our way home again by 2:15 p.m.! 

We got to the Heiligkreuz church by 10:40 but didn't want to look inside the church yet, as it seemed like a special church service (many people in traditional costumes) was just letting out. 

A large stone between the church and restaurant indicates that this location has been a pilgrimage site since 1344. 

A view over the Entlebuch Region of Canton Luzern

The circular path from Heiligkreuz to Mt. Farnere takes about three hours to walk. We started at 10:50 and were back at the church at 14:05.

Heading up the mountainside through a large clearing and past one single farmhouse before the steep ascent through the forest. 

We passed one lone farmhouse before the steep ascent. 

We took a 10-minute break sitting on the bench at the farmhouse, with this view down to the village of Heiligkreuz and across the Entlebuch

A walk on a forestry road just before the steep ascent. The colours now make hikes like this more interesting. 

As we ascended on the steep trail, we had one or two glimpses through clearings of the trees. This view is down to the entrance of the valley that leads to the popular resort village of Sörenberg. (Mariental)

As we emerged from the forest onto the crest, we got views of mountains in all directions. This here is a very close-up look of the peaks to the East, possibly in the Melchtal or Engelberg Region. 

Directly southeast from this ridge is a long range called a "Flue" (in this case the Abnistetteflue), and the highest point on the right is called "Schafmatt". We haven't done any hikes at all in this region before, and this gave us ideas for later, maybe in spring when it's warmer?

This is the view up the Marien Valley (Mariental) toward Sörenberg and the Bernese Alps past that, from the summit at Farnere, where we did stop for our picnic lunch, but left soon afterwards because there were too many people here. 

A close-up view of the north face of mount Eiger. You can also see the peak of Mount Mönch behind it, but Mount Jungfrau and the popular Jungfraujoch are hidden in low clouds. 

Heading northeastward now along the crest. Ahead of us all the time is the Pilatus Massif. 

To the south is the Abnistetteflue, and far beyond that is a second "Flue" range called the Schwändiliflue. (Side Note: Almost exactly one year earlier, on Oct.27, 2022, we did a wonderful hike on the other side of the Schwändiliflue. Those photos are HERE)

The colours are not bad at this time of year! An alternative to the loop tour we did would have been to hike down this valley to the southwest. 

As we head down the crest, we get a couple of looks into the Entlebuch on the north side. 

Once again, we have the Pilatus Massif ahead of us. The closest peak on the left is called Mittaggüpfi. Beyond that is the peak called Widderfeld, which we had planned to walk to four weeks earlier. And furthest at the back is the Matthorn which I walked up to by myself in August. (Those photos are HERE)

What's really interesting about seeing the Pilatus Massif from this side is that we now get a look at the other side of the Widderfeld Peak which we had planned to hike to four weeks earlier, when we cut the hike short at the arrow, and returned to Pilatus Kulm. (Those photos are HERE). The trail would have continued along that dotted line. 

This farm along the way is called "Oberer Hasler-Howald"

Another good look down at the village of Heiligkreuz. It looks like we might have some sunshine after all, about the time we have completed our hike!

And another look to the southeast to the Schwändliflue and Mount Schafmatt in the center. 

Along the way is a restaurant called First, which is probably popular in winter as there is a small ski lift from the Heiligkreuz side to the crest here. 

Final descent along the crest as the trail doubles back toward the village at the far left. 

It actually turned out to be a pleasant afternoon for a hike, even without the great view of the Bernese Alps. 

Last descent back to Heiligkreuz. Another interesting note: Back in 2016 (end of November) we walked along the crest in the very center range, starting in Schüpfheim and ending in the town of Entlebuch. Those photos are HERE. 

We come across many Fly Amanitas at this time of year, but never any this HUGE!

A small section of forest featured some cute carvings out of cut-down trees. Looked like a king's army!

Back in Heiligkreuz, this is the "Hotel Kurhaus Heiligkreuz"

Now we have some nice sunshine illuminating the trees, making them look like gold. 

The stone monument with the metal plate celebrating the 650-year anniversary of Heiligkreuz as a pilgrim destination. This time the sun is shining on it!

A pretty house across from the church. 

It's now just after 2 p.m. and we had 10 minutes till the bus came, so this is when we had a look inside the church.

And now, as we wait for the bus, a look at the summit of Mt. Farnere where we first ascended to, and the crest we then crossed, before returning here on this 7½-kilometer toop hike    

What the hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

Heading back down to the town of Schüpfheim to catch a train back home. From here it's just 1¼ hours to get back home.  

Location of Heiligkreuz in Switzerland. 

All the hikes we have done in the Entlebuch region (Biosphere and Luzern Back-Country)

Schwarzwasser-Sense Gorge Trail in the Gantrisch Nature Park

Saturday October 28, 2023 -- We headed back to the Gantrisch Nature Park in Canton Bern (very Western section near the border of Canton Fribourg) to walk one half of the "Schwarzwasser-Sense Gorge Trail" (Schwarzwasser and Sense are two major rivers in this region).

This is one of the options we had considered when looking for alternatives to our "failed" plan from the Sunday before, but we decided to do this as a day trip from home as it takes us less than three hours to travel to Schwarzenburg, where we started the hike. 

The day started out perfectly with a cloudless sky and we had a fantastic view to the now snow-covered Bernese Alps as we crossed the pastoral landscape heading north toward the gorge through which the Schwarzwasser River Flows. Starting in this direction meant the mountains weren't very clear due to the position of the morning sun, but we worried that we would have had too much shade in the gorge in the morning. We also had less uphill to walk in this direction! As it turned out, even though the sky became overcast only two hours after starting on our hike (not at all in the weather forecast), we would have seen more details in the mountains had we walked southward.

Nevertheless, it was a very nice hike, not too strenuous, lots of nice old typical buildings of the region to admire, two lovely wooden covered bridges to cross, another 16th-Century chapel (although we apparently missed a really cool one by not walking around the town of Schwarzenburg first), and an ideally-set-up place for us to have our picnic lunch at some picnic tables on a farm's property, complete with little farm-shop where we could buy refreshments. 

We finished this 3½-hour hike quickly, having started at 10:40 and gotten back on the train at 3 p.m. On the way home we stopped at our favourite cookie factory (Kambly in Trubschachen) to stock up on way too many cookies...

This is a pretty neighbourhood which we always see out of the train window as the train enters the station in Bern from the north. It's on the west side of the Aar River. The fall colours are now making the landscape look more interesting than in the summer. 

From the train window on the way from Bern to Schwarzenburg (the start of our hike), we get a look at the Wahlern Chapel, which is the first point of interest we passed on this hike. Even though it's already 10:40 a.m., the shadows are very long. 

We started on our 12-km walk in the town of Schwarzenburg at 10:45 (having only traveled 2½ hours to get here), and got back on the bus at the Schwarzwasser Bridge at 14:55. So we did this hike in just over four hours. If we'd had more sunshine, we might have dallied a bit.... Even though the border with Canton Fribourg is close by (through the Sense River Gorge), our hike was still all in Canton Bern. 

There were still plenty of cows in the meadows to stare at us as we walked past! (There is still so much grass, and this is good for the farmers as they save on hay, and the animals can stay out in the pastures longer). 

Heading to the Wahlern Chapel. Even though it was already almost 11 a.m., the lighting felt like a very early summer morning (6 or 7 a.m.!)

The church in Wahlern is apparently one of the favourite wedding chapels in the Bern region. Although the existence of the church has been documented from the year 1228, it was totally rebuilt in the 16th Century.

We didn't stay long as it was a very plain interior, and there was a small choir of children practicing for some performance. Interesting side note: Apparently there was a ban on organs at the time of the Reformation, and this was the first church in Canton Bern to have received an organ in 1758 after the ban was lifted.  

To the west is the town of Heitenried (in Canton Fribourg! The canton border is the Sense River Gorge in the center of the photo), which looks like it might have another interesting church as well as a castle! An idea for another excursion. We have a view from here all the way to the Jura mountains near the border of France.  

To the south, a look over the city of Schwarzenburg where we started (In retrospect, we should have checked out the chapel there before starting on our hike. It is apparently quite an interesting one. Also, there is a castle. We'll go visit these when we do the other half of the Gorge Trail). 

This is the view of the Bernese Alps which we had for the first half of our hike. The position of the morning sun means we don't see a lot of detail, and unfortunately a couple of hours later the sky became overcast. 

Urs says this kind of cloud is an indication of the effect of Föhn winds in the mountains, which is a reason we can see the mountains so clearly, and make them look closer than they are. 

We had a nice variety of trails and not a lot of paved roads. It is always nice to walk through pastoral lanscapes, especially when the higher elevations have received snow. 

A zoomed view to the fabulous Mt. Schrekhorn on the left, and the north wall of the Eiger on the right. 

This structure is called a Spycher and is common in the Bernese landscape. Most farms have these; they were originally built to store hay and contain a residence as well, where an elder farming couple might live once their children take over the operation of the family farm. 

The structure on the right would have been used to carry heavy items. 

This is the farm that the Spycher belongs to

Another close-up view across the lovely rolling landscape of the Emmental region of Switzerland to the Bernese Alps, specifically Mount Schrekhorn. 

Now we are heading down into the Schwarzwasser Gorge. Our trail passes below this lovely farmhouse. 

One of many very pretty and well-kept farmhouses in the region. 

That house below looked unusual tucked away at the edge of the forest. It's not typical to see half-timbered structures like this here. 

Heading down into the Schwarzwasser Gorge. I'm not sure what that danger sign might indicate. Perhaps "Beware of High Waters"?

Crossing the Schwarzwasser River on a lovely wooden covered bridge. 

The covered wooden bridge over the Schwarzwasser River. 

At this point our trail was only for a short piece in the gorge. We had to ascend out of the gorge after only a few meters. 

Heading back out of the Schwarzwasser Gorge. It was interesting that at several places the trail was created by carving steps out of the stone surface. 

Lots of interesting fungi in the forests in autumn. 

Our view as we emerged out of the gorge

Another closer view of the Bernese Alps. This time its the trio of Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau which take the center stage. 

A close-up view of Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau

In every field in Switzerland there is at least one cat, and sometimes they accompany us on our walks!

We had been looking for a bench or a suitable place to stop for our picnic lunch when we got to the Krommen Farm at 1 p.m. It was absolutely ideal for us, as they had two picnic tables set up next to the road, and a convenient little farm shop. 

What a quaint and lovely set-up for passersby to stop for a picnic!

We've never seen this before, a refrigerator with cakes, and not just any cakes, but Black Forest Cherry Cakes, FIVE of them and all untouched, and made with real Kirsch (you could smell it). The price list did mention "Dessert = 5 Fr." and it would have been cool to eat a piece of the cake, but we were confused as to whether it meant we had to cut a piece of our choice? No plates or knives in sight (in retrospect, probably in those drawers).... so we settled for our favourite lemon Radler drink. (I suppose we could have inquired at the farmhouse...)

The little shops that the farmers set up are really quite practical if we want to purchase refreshments!

From the location of the farm, we got a view of Mount Stockhorn, where we did one of our memorable hikes to its summit about four weeks ago (those photos are HERE)

More cows observing us very closely. It turns out that there are very large calves in this field as well, and the mothers are very protective. 

I was very surprised to see such large nursing calves in the fields here, this is something I had never seen before. Usually, the calves are removed soon after they are born so that the farmers can continue to "harvest" the milk. In this case, there is less work for the farmers as they don't have to do the twice-daily milking!

Cute cows!

These ones are bidding us adieu!

Another look now to the south to the Krommen farm where we had our picnic lunch. It is so unfortunate that the sky has already become overcast (it happened quite quickly) and that we no longer see the mountains against a blue backdrop

A close-up look past the Krommen farm to the Gantrisch mountains at the very south side of the Gantrisch Nature Park. It is via that pass (the Leiterli Pass) where we crossed on that fabulous hike we did four weeks earlier. 

Even the sections of the trail along the paved roads were enjoyable, as there is little traffic here, and a lot to see!

Another lovely farmhouse just before our final descent back into the Schwarzwasser Gorge. This farm is called Moos

All of these farms are so clean and pretty with so many lovely details!

Next to the new farmhouse at Moos is the old farmhouse with attached barn

Just before reaching the Schwarzwasser River again, we cross the lovely covered wooden bridge over one of the tributaries, the Bütschelbach stream. 

It's so pretty here in the forest next to the stream. 

We crossed the Bütschelbach stream at 2 p.m. We wanted to catch the 14:55 train from the Schwarzwasser Bridge.... so we had less than an hour to get there! We did some quick walking through the gorge after this, and made it with still 10 minutes to spare. 

There was a fun little section here as we reached the Schwarzwasser River. There was a sign which said the trail was not passable at high-water, which seemed kind of obvious....

In the Schwarzwasser gorge.... As we reached the gorge, the sun appeared again, which made for some nice lighting. 

Schwarzwasser River. 

We had a bit of sunshine while in the gorge, but at this time of day there was quite a bit of shadow from the cliffs on the south side anyway. 

So this is the view of the Schwarzwasser motor vehicle bridge, the new one. We still have to head up there, the train station is just to the left of that bridge (the railway bridge is behind it). 

This is the old Schwarzwasser bridge. To get a photo, I had to sneak through someone's yard, through two gates to water's edge!

Those deep ridges carved into the stone by the water are pretty cool! This view is from the old bridge, which I photographed from the riverfront next to that house. (Luckily no one was home!)

VIDEO:

Looking down at the Schwarzwasser River from the old bridge.

Amazing how the water has carved out the channels in the rock here.

We walked so quickly, we still managed to get up to the bridge at 14:45, with 10 minutes to spare until the train came! There's Urs on the train bridge, photographing the motor-vehicle bridge!

The two bridges across the Schwarzwasser River. From here we caught the 14:55 train back to Berne. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

Location of Schwarzenburg in Switzerland

One of my favourite views as we enter and leave the train station in Bern. The mountains are now looking larger and closer due to the Föhn wind effect. 

We took a different train heading back home (in order to go via the cookie factory), a route we don't often take. Even with the overcast skies, the mountains were looking quite lovely. 

Heading through the Emmental region of Canton Bern, there are so many pretty houses to admire. This farmhouse also features one of those small buildings called a Spycher. 

Another beautiful Emmental farmhouse

We got to Trubschachen at 4:15 p.m. The factory shop closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and the next train is at 4:45 p.m. So we just had enough time to race around the shop looking for our favourite cookies to purchase, and eat our fill of free samples, before just making it back to the station! The shop and café were PACKED, we could not even have taken the time for a cup of coffee if we had wanted to! The "Kambly Train" is the one we rode from Bern. It's a great advertising tool for the brand!

This is what the shop looks like, from a trip there 10 years ago! Except since COVID, they now have lids on the cookie tins, so it is more work now to sample them!

The village of Trubschachen, where the factory is located, has a lot of pretty houses such as this one. 

Continuing toward Luzern on the train, we now pass through the Entlebuch region. This is the valley that heads off to the popular Sörenberg region, and as it turns out, the next day's hike which we did was to the summit of the tree-covered mountain on the left. Unfortunately without this fantastic visibility.