Yesterday morning we awoke to high winds and rain, but trains were running to Scheidegg and there were a few ski lifts open. We stayed at home, but our mate Roger from Lauterbrunnen ventured up to see what was happening. Absolute chaos at the railway station; there have been no trains (and therefore no people) up here for three days while the storm raged. Heavy machinery is needed to dig out the tracks and platforms.

Today the weather is much kinder, with a little rain early on but some brightness. We disposed of all the recycling that we’ve accumulated over the stormy Easter weekend, and did some shopping. The sun came out, so we headed down to the valley for a walk. We start at the Mürrenbach waterfall. It falls 417 metres in 5 cascades, and the meltwater from all the recent snow makes it particularly impressive.

There’s been a lot of forestry work going on in the valley. Some of the trees have been brought down by the storm, and others have been routinely felled as part of the forest maintenance. The wood will be left to season for two years, before being used for construction, fencing or fuel.

The weather is warm enough for the first of the livestock to enjoy the sunshine. Hundreds more cattle, goats and sheep will soon be joining them.

For the first time this spring, we bought ice cream to eat on the way back up to Wengen.