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One of my favorite things about Switzerland is their wonderful system of well-maintained, well-marked walking paths, which they call Wanderwege. I will describe only three possibilities here, but there are many more around Thun and Steffisburg. If you plan any serious hiking, pick up the Kümmerly and Frey map entitled Berner Mittelland, widely available in Swiss bookstores. Also useful is the hiking guide entitled Thunersee (in German), which is also published by Kümmerly and Frey.
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| The Jakobshübeli. |
Short Walk in Thun to "Jakobshübeli"
The Jakobshübeli is a small gazebo-like structure in the hills to the east of Thun. Look for the Wanderweg marker next to the Hotel Bellevue. The trail follows a road uphill, then turns right into the forest. The Jakobshübeli is just a brisk 15 minutes from the Hotel Bellevue.
From here is a magnificent view of Thun Lake, with various Alpen peaks including the Eiger and Jungfrau visible in the far distance. A plaque indicates directions to the various landmarks. Nearer by, looming over Thun, is the dramatic, angular Stockhorn. In the other direction are fine views of Thun castle and church. Beyond the castle, Steffisburg with its small church is plainly visible.
Along the Aare and Zulg
There are Wanderwege along the Zulg River in Steffisburg, and along the Aare River in Thun. According to my map, you can follow the Aare upstream to Thun Lake, and walk a short distance along the lake shore before the path turns inland.
The Wanderweg along the Aare follows the eastern shore (castle side) in Thun. If you wish, you can follow the Aare from Thun downstream to where the Zulg joins it, and then follow the Zulg upstream to Steffisburg. This is not the prettiest walk in Switzerland, as the path passes some light industrial areas and a military depot, but I found it to be very pleasant nonetheless. From Thun to Steffisburg by this route is about 3 miles, which is quite a bit longer than the most direct route (1.5 miles).
Long Hike: Thun - Goldiwil - Steffisburg - Thun
This hike climbs 1400 feet from Thun to the hill village of Goldiwil, then descends by another path into Steffisburg. You can return to Thun via the main road, or hike downstream along the Zulg and then upstream along the Aare. It is a long hike of 9-10 miles, but well worth the effort if you're in reasonably good shape. The knowledge that I was exploring the homeland of my ancestors made this one of the outstanding hikes of my life.
I took this hike on March 22, 1997, a cloudy day that threatened rain. I took the 20-minute train ride from Bern to Thun, and picked up a chorizo sandwich and mineral water at the Thun train station. From the train station, I hiked first to the Jakobshübeli, where I enjoyed spectacular views of Thun Lake and the Alps, and, in the opposite direction, Thun castle and my ultimate destination of Steffisburg.
From the Jakobshübeli, the path continues on towards Wartboden, then Rabenflue, then Geissital, and finally Goldiwil. Most of the steep walk upwards to Goldiwil is through woods, the sole exception being the quiet little valley of Geissital. Walking at a steady pace, I reached Goldiwil about 2 hours out of Thun.
Goldiwil is a pleasant village with fine views of Thun lake and the Alps. I had a beer at a local restaurant, but could not have a sausage plate as I'd hoped, because the cook was out shopping. No matter, there was still the chorizo sandwich.
From the main road into Goldiwil, a path on the left leads uphill towards Melli and connects with the Wanderweg down to Steffisburg. The landscape on this side of the hill is quite different from the path up: little forest, but rather a classic Swiss landscape of hillside meadows, farms, chateaus. For the first part of the descent Steffisburg and the church are constantly in view.
The path here follows the single-lane paved roads connecting the various chateaus and farms. One farm had a map of area Wanderwege hung on the side of its barn. As I studied it, a big orange cat sauntered over for some petting. There are lots of cats in Switzerland, and they look just like the common farm cats of America.
I ate my chorizo sandwich on a bench overlooking Steffisburg. This path is probably the best way to approach Steffisburg. The main approach from Thun passes multi-story apartments and office buildings, and is rather disappointing.
In Steffisburg I visited the church and took some short walks into the surrounding countryside. From here, one can walk 1.5 miles along the main road back to Thun, but I took the longer, prettier way downstream along the Zulg and back upstream along the Aare. I had a cheese fondue supper at a restaurant in Thun. After another 20-minute train ride, I was back in my hotel in Bern (where I was visiting on business), very tired but happy.
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