Kaien to Gonzern
Summary: This final section of the hike takes mostly over the rolling meadows, with a few wooded areas dotted in them, as we continue our way from Kaien up to St. Anton and then back to the parking place at Gonzern.
The signpost at Kaien directs us up a tarmac track that leads towards a house.
When we reach the house, another signpost directs us up the right-hand side of it, along a grassy path across the meadow.
At the rear of the property, the path leads towards a lone tree and a gap in the fence for us to pass through.
After passing through the fence, the grassy track continues upwards, until we finally reach a pair of wooden benches and another signpost.
It is here, with the views of the rolling Appenzeller hills that we stop for lunch.
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For lunch, I paired traditional Swiss cheese, tomatoes and a selection of cold meats with a glass of SOS (Mayday), a collaboration between Scottish craft brewers Brewdog and BRLO from Berlin. SOS (Mayday) is a Maibock style beer produced as part of Brewdog’s collaborations with a number of European craft brewers. Light and refreshing, it was a perfect accompaniment to a hiking lunch. |
Lunch
After our lunch break, we follow the grassy track down the other side of this hill, as it initially becomes a gravel track and then meets a tarmac track.
We follow this track (which eventually becomes gravel again) through the gently rolling hills until it narrows to become a path, before widening out again and eventually reaching the edge of a more wooded area.
Skirting the edge of the wooded area, with views to our left to Heiden and Lake Constance beyond it, we start to gently climb, until we reach a meadow fenced off by electric fence with a gate in it.
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Walking across the grassy track through the rolling meadow, we arrive at a tarmac track and the buildings of Risi.
Turning right, at the signpost, we follow the track through the middle of the farm buildings and then, as it becomes gravel, around and steeply up to the building of Wirtschaft Rütegg.
Staying on this track, we follow it as it passes more properties dotted around the landscape, before reaching the signpost at Büelen.
Into the last kilometer or so of the hike now, we continue on this tarmac road, climbing still, as we head towards St. Anton. Passing more of the properties dotted throughout this beautiful landscape.
Once we reach the main road at St. Anton, we turn left and it is a short walk along it back to the parking at Gozern.
The low-level cloud and drizzle that met us when we started the hike in the morning have thankfully lifted and we are able to get a better view across the valley from St. Anton and Gozern.
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