We discovered an ideal destination for families, mountaineers and bon vivants who want to spend time being active or just relaxing amidst spectacular mountain scenery.
I’ve said it before but one of the main reasons for us starting this blog was to bridge the gap between me being at home with the children all week and desperate to get out at the weekend, and Jean working all week and wanting to stay at home. We’d find ourselves making half hearted plans to get out and spend the rest of the time attempting to relax at home - which basically meant I did all the same things I was doing every other day of the week but with the football on the tv in the background 😬. We’d finish the weekend feeling tired, and we would often have the impression that we hadn’t maximised our family time together.
The good thing about our new resolve to get out more at the weekend is that it means we usually plan in advance and know we have a nice outing to look forward to at the end of the week. We usually go for a couple of day trips but this weekend were away overnight and it was really welcome. We’d had a bit of a crazy week with two separate school parades for Jude and Elio, saying goodbye to two of Elio’s therapists as the school with take the baton of his care after the holidays, lots of appointments, sleepless nights and work stresses. We were really glad to pack up the car and get a change of scenery for 48 hours.
Our trip this weekend started in Engelberg in the Canton of Obwalden.
We had a bit of an inauspicious start to the day with very grey skies, rain and pretty cool temperatures when we left, but it got brighter the further East we travelled. We parked at the Brunni Bahnen and collected our tickets for the cable car which took us half way up the mountain to Ristis. There were only a few in the cabin with us so we had space to walk around and look a the incredible view from all sides.
The second part of the journey up the mountain is via a chair lift a short walk away from the exit of the cable car. I went with Alba and Jude while Jean had Elio in the baby carrier (obviously this part is inaccessible with pushchairs which you can leave in a special pushchair park at the chair lift station). The ride up was really nice and took us over groups of cows with their bells ringing and lots of pretty wild flowers. Alba was really excited so I held on tightly to her as she waved hello to the cows below.
At the top we had a look around and wanted to try the tickle walk which runs around the edge of a pretty lake. The idea is that you take off your shoes and socks and enjoy the sensations or walking through different matter - such as mud or pebbles etc. I was keen to try with the children but Jude was suffering from a minor “bobo” on his feet and didn’t want to take his sock off and Alba just plain refused.
It’s a nice spot with a restaurant and lots of different hiking paths leading off in all directions. We opted to hike down to Ristis instead of taking the chair lift so that we could fully appreciate our surroundings. It’s a nice 25 minute hike down although a bit rocky in places and sometimes difficult to get a foothold. I had Alba on my back at this stage as she was struggling with the uneven ground and even for Jude it was a bit challenging in places but it was a really nice path and the scenery was exceptional.
Once back at Ristis we decided to explore the playground which boasts a really cool summer luge. Tickets cost CHF13 for 3 laps and it’s recommended for children over the age of 5 (TBC). It was great fun - Jean and I both did a lap with Jude but as my turn was finishing the sky blackened and the wind suddenly became so strong they closed the ride! Elio was in full panic mode, Jude started crying and Alba was struggling to avoid being blown away so we grabbed the children and headed back to the cable car station.
We had a short wait for the next car to arrive then we decided to head to our hotel to regroup.
A little later in the day and the sun had come back so we went for a stroll around Engelberg which is a really nice little town.
Information
Parking : Yes (you need a CHF 5 coin)
Toilets : Yes
Accessibility : Accessible for all until Ristis but inaccessible for pushchairs/wheelchairs from Ristis to Brunni - Take your baby carrier to go everywhere
CABLECAR
Mai 11 till June 7, 2019 - open daily
8.00 am till 5.00 pm, every 20 minutes
June 8 till September 15, 2019 - open daily
7.30, 8.00 am till 6.00 pm, every 20 minutes
September 16 till November 10, 2019 - open daily
8.00 am till 5.00 pm, every 20 minutes
CHAIRLIFT
Mai, 11 till June, 7, 2019 - open daily
8.00 am till 4.30 pm, Lunch break possible from 0.15 till 1.30 pm
June, 8 till September,15, 2019 - open daily
8.30 am till 5.20 pm
September 16 till November 10, 2019 - open daily
8.00 am till 4.30 pm, Lunch break possible from 0.15 till 1.30 pm
SUMMER TOBOGGAN RUN
The toboggan run only operates in dry weather
Mai, 11 till June, 7, 2019 - open daily
11.00 am till 4.00 pm
June, 8 till September,15, 2019 - open daily
10.00 am till 5.00 pm
September 16 till snowfall - open daily
11.00 am till 4.00 pm
COMBINED TICKETS
Return journey on the cableway and a one-way journey on the chairlift (ascent or descent)
Adult (16+): CHF 41.00Adult with a guest card: CHF 39.00Adult with a half-fare card (1/2 Tax) / General Abonnement (GA)**: CHF 25.00Adult with Swiss-Travel-Pass: CHF 9.00Child (6 to 15)*: CHF 20.50Child (6 to 15) with a guest card*: CHF 19.50Child with junior card*: CHF 4.50Dog: CHF 10.00Bike: There is no bike transport from Ristis to Brunnihütte.