ROUTES
OVERSEAS TRAILS
Hit new peaks of adventure in this trail running – and cheese lover’s – Alpine village paradise
As I turned up in the Lauterbrunnen valley I thought I’d walked into a Christmas card. Luscious green trees, wooden chalets, high flowing waterfalls – awhole valley of treats for both the eyes and my pair of Inov8s that were about to embark on an incredible journey ‘on top of Europe.’ Lauterbrunnen is considered one of the finest examples of a glacier-carved valley, a perfect base for exploring, if breathtaking views and tranquility are what you are looking for…
The Jungfrau region
The Eiger was a peak I have always wanted to see, partially down to the marketing of the infamous Eiger Trail races, but little did I know about the mountain range that would become my obsession over the next three days. The classic trio – the Eiger (3975m), Monach (4105m) and the Jungfrau (4166m) are around every corner, overlooking both the Lauterbrunnen and Grindlewald valleys. Almost all of the Jungfrau is covered with flowers and pastures with plenty of towering mountains and, most importantly, running trails.
The Jungfrau region has over 500 kilometres of trails, but my aim here was to find out what was on offer in the highest village in the Bernese Overland, Mürren. Famed as a host for the world-famous extreme skiing Inferno race, this place always promised to be a winner.
Majestic Mürren
An instant trail running love affair began. Mürren is an uncrowded car-free village at the heart of Switzerland’s beautiful Bernese Oberland. Stood on a sunshine covered balcony with a perfect panorama, I felt like a superstar! From its clif-fedge perch at 1650 metres, the village really does boast a bird’s eye view of what feels like the whole world, but with everything you need on your doorstep for a short break. With a population of 383, it was quiet enough to have the trails to yourself but be sociable enough after your tough days out, rewarded with fantastic Swiss-German hospitality. The small village has a warm feel to it and there is a decent chance of needing your sunglasses and shorts in the summer months, which is always a plus point.
Trails for all
On arrival, it can feel pretty intimidating looking at the terrain. I thought to myself, ‘Do I need to be some sort of mountain goat to even run at the feet of these monsters?’ Thanks to the tourist information point in the village and a well updated and informed Swiss tourism website, it was easy to handpick chosen routes, upload or plot a route to my Garmin watch, and be on my way. Though, even without a watch, you would feel comfortable following the handy yellow route signs so long as you’d plotted the direction
