Thun calls itself “The City of the Alps” and stands at the north western end of Lake Thun (Thunersee) in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland.
One of the phrases which comes down from generation to generation in Britain, which is used when seeing dark, stormy clouds in the distance. Quick online research shows that the phrase dates back to the 19th century at least, but…
Published on 29th August 2018
We spent the Christmas and New Year period travelling to Scotland and back by road again.
Published on 6th January 2018
I’m certainly no stranger to long-exposure photography. But during the few years that we’ve lived in a flat with a balcony and an unobstructed view of the night sky, I’ve come to realize that I’d never photographed the Milky…
Published on 6th August 2016
The shore of Lake Thun at Gwatt is a great place to photograph the sunrise and the sunset.
Published on 20th April 2016
A thousand-year-old castle on the lake shore near Thun, with wonderful gardens, terrific views, and a hideously ugly restaurant.
Published on 17th April 2016
The tourist motor boat Bubenberg, of the shipping company BLS, arrives at the ship station below Beatenberg at sunset.
Published on 17th May 2015
1st August is Switzerland’s national day, and fireworks and communal events are the norm. On Lake Thun, in the Bernese Oberland, the main ships of the local transport company parade around the lake and the surrounding villages time their…
Published on 17th May 2015
At Unterbergli, on the way to the Sigriswiler Rothorn, there is a large meadow on the privately owned alp. Access is on foot only, and entails a 450m metre ascent of a pretty steep path through the forest. Once…
Published on 9th May 2015
Spitzi Flue is the very Swiss-German-sounding name of a huge promotory of rock on the “Sigriswilgrat” (or mountain ridge). Although the rock looks a bit small in this photo, it’s actually the tip of a rockface around 500 metres high. (Compare…
Published on 9th May 2015
I’d heard people refer many times to the “Niesenbänkli”, a bench on the slopes above Lake Thun which afforded the absolute best view from its northern side to the Niesen on the opposite shore. As the weather forecast was…
Published on 7th May 2015
I just came across a short film I made in January and posted to YouTube at the time. Filmed with my X100 and edited quickly in iMovie, it shows the publicly accessible lake-shore nature reserve at Gwatt, some fifteen minutes’ drive…
Published on 10th December 2014
Creating long exposure photographs with movement and blur leads to great images. But if you want a pin-sharp photo, you'll need to be patient.
Published on 30th July 2014
The Swiss aren’t generally as keen on nature reserves as the British. Despite the stupidly beautiful countryside, there are comparatively few places like RSPB reserves (over 200 in the U.K.) and the National Trust (who is the U.K.’s largest individual…
Published on 9th March 2014
The Swiss are reknowned for their efficiency and I’m used to the smoothness of dealing with officialdom here. The extent of the efficiency surprised me a little this morning, though, when for the first time since I’ve lived here, I…
Published on 5th June 2013
Published on 29th October 2010
The rain clouds lift and show what beauty they have strewn across the higher mountains in our region.
Published on 22nd October 2010
Lake Thun (German: Thunersee) is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It takes its name from the city of Thun, on its north western shore. The lake is fed by water from Lake Brienz to the south…
Published on 14th April 2009
We were in Thun this past weekend, with a couple of friends from Zürich who’d come down for a day of “strobism” (the art of non-studio-based photography using portable flash units for illumination). As well as locations in Spiez…
Published on 5th May 2008
Published on 3rd May 2008
Along the lake shore path at Gwatt are homes perfect for twitchers: this area is separated from the Thunersee by large reed beds full of nesting birds.
Published on 2nd May 2008
Published on 1st May 2008
Published on 30th August 2007
Published on 28th October 2006
