Permanent Tourist

The personal website of Mark Howells-Mead

Posts about Bernese Oberland

The Bernese Oberland, Berner Oberland or Oberland bernois is a mountainous region in the centre of Switzerland.

  • Spring snow on Sigriswiler Rothorn

    Spring snow

    We had some late snow just recently and although it was lovely to look at, the temperatures were brought down. I’m done with winter and cold, now. I want the mountains to clear so I can get out walking again.

  • Audi Quattro, sliding down from Lombachalp, January 2023

    Another year and another fresh start to a series of monthly recaps. (The complete set from 2022 is here.)

  • Lunchtime dip

    When it used to get hot back in the days when I used to work in Brienz, a lunchtime dip in the freezing waters of Lake Brienz was the thing. When I worked in Bern, I used to go to the river with colleagues and float along for 20 minutes or so to cool down.…

  • Axalp in the snow

    Axalp in the snow

    Walking in the snowy landscape of Axalp, high above Lake Brienz in the Swiss Bernese Oberland.

  • Swallows on a telephone wire

    Last of the swallows

    Last of the swallows for this year, I suspect. I haven’t seen them around much this year at home, but there were dozens out yesterday, feeding their young before their long journey. (We have a perfectly-positioned telephone wire near our balcony, so it’s a great spot to watch and to photograph them.)

  • Taking our bikes further afield

    Finally got a tow bar fitted to the car, which means we can mount a bike rack, which means we can take our bikes further afield at last!

  • Dampfschiff Spiez passing Faulensee

    The steamship “Spiez” – known colloquially and diminutively as “Das Spiezerli” thanks to its small size – en route from Thun to Interlaken for the first time after nearly five years of restoration work.

  • Wengernalp, Switzerland

    The hike from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, is beautiful. But parts of the route are an absolute killer.

  • Unter dem Birg to Engstligenalp

    Time-lapse sequence of the cable car ride from the valley station to the mountain station.

  • Christmas day in the snow at Ballenberg

    Strolling in a winter wonderland on an unusual Christmas Day.

  • Aeschiried, Switzerland

    Photos from a wander in the winter sunshine in 2019.

  • Snow in Lauterbrunnen

    A stomp in the snow

    Note to self. When the cloud is low, the snow is falling gently and the village paths are empty, get out and enjoy it.

  • The memory moon

    When the full (-ish) moon rises above Interlaken at this time of year, it always reminds me of a photo my Dad took in south Wales many years ago, where the reflection wasn’t on a lake but on the smooth surface of the sea off the coast of Freshwater East.

  • I bought a bike because it’s fun, it will improve my fitness rapidly – thereby helping me to get ready for hiking season – and because it means that I don’t have to rely on public transport or on my car for my daily trip to work and back. It also allows me to enjoy…

  • Frozen snow drift at Männlichen

    By applying the right colour profile to your photo, you can get a much more nuanced version than through simple editing.

  • On two wheels

    After many years, I’m back in the saddle with my own e-bike. And I’m loving it.

  • A Day at the Schilthorn

    Schilthorn is a fascinating location where the James Bond Movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed and remains a huge tourist attraction with a revolving 360 degree restaurant. Schilthorn Piz-gloria is one of my favorite places to ski because you’re always above the clouds and the skiing is so beautiful. Words cannot describe the…

  • I visit the wintry mountain-top viewpoint at Männlichen, above Wengen and Grindelwald, to photograph the annual combined Patrouille Suisse/SWISS airliner air show.

  • Goppenstein to Kandersteg

    A time-lapse sequence of the journey between Goppenstein and Kandersteg through the Lötschberg tunnel.

  • Urat glacier in Swiss canton Bern

    Uratgletscher

    Dramatic, ice-clad peaks in the Swiss Bernese Oberland.