Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Diane Clement on August 22, 2011, 09:05:27 PM
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We often travel to the European alps in the third week of July, rather late for the main flush of alpine plants, but we cannot go any earlier due to work. So we always try to select a resort that is high enough still to have plants remaining, and also with lifts to be able to get as high as possible. This year, after recommendations from a few people (to whom, thanks!) we visited Pontresina for the first time. Pontresina is at an altitude of 1800m in the Graubünden or Grisons canton of Switzerland, in the far south east of the country, bordering with Italy. Pontresina is on the River Flaz, a tributary of the River En. Romansch is the local language of the area and En is the Romansch word for the river Inn, thus En-gadine translates as “The garden of the Inn”. The source of the river Inn/En is in the high mountains around the Engadine valley, and it flows east to Innsbruck in Austria (to which it gives its German name) and finally flows into the Danube at Passau in Germany and thence into the Black Sea.
Close by is the larger and more famous resort of St Moritz which nestles in the main En Valley with high mountains each side. The whole area is very easy to travel around, a good network of trains and buses link the towns and villages in the valleys and there are many cable cars and chair lifts to transport you easily up to the mountains. We were very pleased to find that our hotel was part of a scheme offering a tourist pass with free access to all the lifts, buses and trains. This pass was advertised at 200SF, so it was a considerable bonus to be given this free, and it offset the astronomical prices asked for coffee and cakes in the area.
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Day 1 - Alp Languard and the Panoramaweg
Chair Lift from Pontresina at 1805m to Alp Languard at 2330m then walk on the Panoramaweg to Unterer Schafelberg (old style mountain hut with refreshments), then on to Muottas Muragl at 2456m (more refreshments here), then Funicular back down to the Pontresina valley, then bus back to Pontresina
This is a nice style of walk - lift up to a high ridge, walk along the ridge, then get another lift back down, no real steep ascents or descents, walking just above the tree line most of the way.
View from Alp Languard, looking down towards Pontresina, (St Moritz can be seen back left of the picture)
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This was the start of our walk - and yes, it was as cold as it looked!
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Onto the plants we saw on the way.
Sempervivum arachnoideum
Pyrola minor
Gymnadenia conopsea
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This was the start of our walk - and yes, it was as cold as it looked!
So much for "summer" holidays!
author=Diane Clement -We were very pleased to find that our hotel was part of a scheme offering a tourist pass with free access to all the lifts, buses and trains. This pass was advertised at 200SF, so it was a considerable bonus to be given this free, and it offset the astronomical prices asked for coffee and cakes in the area.
That seems a most acceptable "freebie" ..... better than many offers one hears about.
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Where the path had been covered by a landslide, a direct passage had been made
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I was surprised to see Daphne alpina
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Lilium martagon was common in the meadows and edge of woodlands
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Saxifraga ? burseriana
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Jacobae incana ssp carniolica (previously Senecio incanus ssp carniolicus). This eastern ssp is less silvery hairy than the type and is an attractive little plant worthy of a place on the rock garden. The taxonomists have been busy with the Genus Senecio and have separated Senecio sect. Jacobaea into its own genus.
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A good day for wildlife, including Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes, a bird often heard and usually only seen as a fleeting glance as it flies away. This one posed and squawked long enough to get a photo (although still a rather poor distant shot)
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We wouldn’t have seen this Ibex without the help of a chap with binoculars who pointed it out to us. Sorry again for the poor picture, it was a long way down the steep valley, standing on a concrete block
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And so to the marmots with their amazingly loud voices. It's surprising difficult to locate the source of the sound as it echoes around the mountains. We eventually spotted a family group that allowed me to get close enough to take a few pictures
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Day 2 The Diavolezza and Alp Languard
On the second day we took the bus from Pontresina at 1805m up the valley to the Diavolezza station at 2093m, then cable car up to the Diavolezza at 2978m.
The Diavolezza cable car
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the view from the cable car going up
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and finally we reached the top 2978m (9770ft)
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The Swiss lay on activities to suit all tastes. Firstly, not for the faint hearted (Martinr wake up) – you could tackle the Klettersteig routes (Via Ferrata) - all the information here including compulsory equipment including hard helmet and ropes:
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Or, if that’s a bit too tough, there was a mountain top Jacuzzi – at nearly 10,000ft this surely must be one of the highest in the world
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We didn’t indulge in these, as for us, the scenery, plants and wildlife are enough entertainment. The best bird of the day was a Snowfinch Montifringilla nivalis which was feeding off crumbs under the picnic tables.
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At this altitude we are bordering the permanent snow line, and the land not covered by snow was rough with various sizes of boulders and rock
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At this altifude, I was hoping for a few special plants, we were pleased to see large quantities of Ranunculus glacialis in good condition
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Ok, just one more for "you know who" :-*
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Plants growing in these harsh conditions included:
Saxifraga exarata
Saxifraga bryoides
Phyteuma globulariifolium
Leucanthemopsis alpinum
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This is the view towards Piz Lagalp where walked later in the day
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Still at the top, we took a short stroll along the path
and through the snow
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We then returned down to the valley using the cable car, and then took the bus to the famous Bernina Hospice at 2329m, where you can stay the night or have a meal.
On the side of the Hospice, a line marks the snow levels in 1879 and 1986
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We walked from here along the lower slopes of the front of the Lagalp where the flowers were excellent. Later in the week we walked the other side (Val Minor). Thanks to Tony Goode for an account of this area on the old forum, that I had kept for reference.
Here's some of what we saw on the walk
Trifolium alpinum
Saxifraga paniculata
A very large patch of Achillea erba-rotta ssp moschata
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I find the small gentians difficult to identify, I think this is Gentiana verna but would be glad of any corrections to this or any other identifications
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Campanula barbata
Saxifraga paniculata or maybe not?
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When we finally reached the valley, we walked to the train station to see the times of the next train and between the road and the station were damp meadows with large patches of Campanula cochlearifolia
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And our first sighting of a plant that we were later to realise was very common in the area, Dianthus superbus. I never think this plant lives up to its name, it always seems to look at bit ragged
Another plant we were to see more of later, Gypsophila repens
And finally, a plant I was surprised to see here: Polemonium caeruleum
Dianthus superbus
Gypsophila repens
Polemonium caeruleum
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Enough for now, more later
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Enough for now, more later
That was great, though if I'd known I was going walking in the snow I'd have put on thicker socks...... I'll have time to change footwear before the next part...... :) ;)
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The Swiss lay on activities to suit all tastes. Firstly, not for the faint hearted (Martinr wake up) – you could tackle the Klettersteig routes (Via Ferrata) - all the information here including compulsory equipment including hard helmet and ropes:
Now look what you've done....I've got itchy feet now and an uncontrollable urge to climb something 8)
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Now look what you've done....I've got itchy feet now and an uncontrollable urge to climb something 8)
Actually, I thought this was you, Martin
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Thanks for showing Diane !
I visited the area a couple of times and your pix bring back fond memories !! :D
The descent off Diavolezza on the Morteratsch glacier (with a guide ! :o) was one of the most wonderful hikes we ever did ! :D
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Diana,
wonderfull pictures, it is Gentiana verna.
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Now look what you've done....I've got itchy feet now and an uncontrollable urge to climb something 8)
Actually, I thought this was you, Martin
No, this is the real MartinR ... in an alcoholic stupor probably!!!
Excellent pictures, Diane ... I especially like the ... ! ;D :-*
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No, this is the real MartinR ... in an alcoholic stupor probably!!!
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I'll see you in court.........I would never wear those clothes!
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Great pictures Diane, and a wonderful reminder of our SRGC trip there two years ago (and also reminds me that I never completely finished posting all my pictures from that trip – oops) ::)
It is interesting that you saw Ranunculus glacialis in flower on the Diavolezza in August. Our trip was in early July and they were just starting to go over by the end of the week. (And we thought we had a late season…)
I almost hesitate to mention this, but your picture of the ridge north from the Diavolezza cable car station (DSC_3072) was I think taken where there were many Ranunculs glacialis in flower when we were there. Did you continue much further along this ridge, because if you didn’t you missed a good site for Eritrichium nanum. Your picture shows, in the middle distance, a pale grey scree slope descending to the left and just above it the path ascending to the left (reddish rock) above a small cliff. On the steep ground to the right of the path was where I found large clumps of Eritrichium nanum, including a white form, and also Androsace alpina - http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3870.30
I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it, but if you didn’t go that far, you have a great excuse to go back. :D ;D :D ::)
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Excellent pictures, Diane ... I especially like the ... ! ;D :-*
So pleased you've seen the light and become a Saxifraga fan Cliff. ;)
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Excellent pictures, Diane ... I especially like the ... ! ;D :-*
So pleased you've seen the light and become a Saxifraga fan Cliff. ;)
;D ;D ;D