A family of three spent three days hiking the newly launched Buiräbähnli Safari trail in Switzerland's Engelberg region, staying overnight in mountain farms and using historic cable cars originally built for farmers.
The 29-mile circular route links eight cable cars, known as Buiräbähnli (farmer's cableways), which were built after the second world war to transport supplies to remote farms. The trail is an attempt by the local tourist office to promote summer tourism in the area, which is better known for skiing on the 3,238-metre Titlis glacier.
The family began their journey at Engelberg train station and followed the waymarked trail, passing fields of Alpine flowers, a waterfall, and a 100-year-old mountain shelter with an honesty shop selling local cheese and sausage. They encountered Swiss brown cows, and the father noted the sound of cowbells in the meadows.
On the second night they stayed at Alp Oberfeld, a farm with 100 goats milked twice daily. The family slept in a converted barn section above the goats, and the father recalled waking to the sound of goats at 6am, but his two-year-old son fell back asleep, which he described as 'unheard of back home'.
The trail can be completed in about 12.5 hours by trail runners, but the family split it into three stages with two overnight stays. A Buiräbähnli Pass costs from 47 CHF (£41). The family travelled from the UK via Eurostar and Interrail passes to Paris, Berne, Lucerne, and Engelberg.
