During my winter in Saas-Fee, I was fascinated by the Britannia Hut. Perched at 3030m, I loved to imagine the stories shared by climbers as they sheltered inside its grey stone walls, the wild mountain weather raging outside as they prepared to scale the nearby 4000m peaks.
On one or two occasions, I skied from the top of the Egginerjoch ski lift for a quick hot chocolate in the Britannia Hut, but it felt like cheating. I would gaze at the photographs in the wood-panelled dining room, the breathtaking views looking down towards the largest earth dam in Europe, the Mattmark Reservoir. I would love to hike the Glacier Trail to the Britannia Hut one day, I dreamt to myself.
Almost twenty years later, on a sneaky summer trip to Saas-Fee, I informed my husband that I could wait no longer. Here we were, mid-July, with a weather forecast showing a clear blue sky for the very next day, so we popped into Intersport to hire some walking poles (a very good decision).
Thinking of hiking to the Britannia Hut?
There are various ways to reach the Britannia Hut in the summer. The most straightforward is to take the Felskinn or Plattjen cable car from Saas-Fee and hike from the top. As I’d waited so long for this bucket list hike, we decided to cut no corners and instead hike the Glacier Trail from the Mattmark reservoir, two short Post Bus journeys from Saas-Fee (via Saas-Grund).
The Mattmark is the largest earth dam in Europe. A destination in its own right, it’s a pretty impressive place to start a hike. In fact, the bus journey itself was pretty impressive, venturing deep into the remote Saas valley before climbing up to the dam.
The bus terminates at the Restaurant Mattmark, which also houses an exhibit about the dam. Most people piled straight in here; others set off to follow the circular hiking path around the dam.
You can also walk over the Monte Moro Pass to Macugnaga in Italy from here. But most people laden down with daypacks (like us) were setting off to hike the Glacier Trail to the Britannia Hut. Part of the route crosses two glaciers and is graded blue-white. Rather than the usual yellow signposts, this was one of the few hiking trails that we’ve done, requiring us to follow blue signposting instead.
If you decide that this is the hike for you, do your research and follow the advice, which includes an early start. If in doubt, hire a guide or choose another hike. It’s vital to cross the glaciers as early in the morning as possible before the sun’s rays get stuck in thawing the ice. So take the earliest bus that you can. I strongly recommend hiking poles and boots for this one, as well as plenty of water and snacks to keep you going.
Read more of my general tips on hiking in Switzerland here.
My experience of the Glacier Trail hike to the Britannia Hut
We started the hike at 9:40 am. The path plunged us straight into darkness in a damp pedestrian tunnel through the cliffside. Emerging into the dazzling sunshine, we followed the wide gravel pathway that set off around the perimeter of the dam.
Before long, our route diverged away from this circular path and launched us uphill. It was a bit of a slog, but so worth it for the views, up and down the valley and down towards the glacial blue waters of the reservoir.
As we reached the higher, rockier ground, it felt like we were entering an eerie moonscape. The glaciers were getting closer and we could now see the Britannia Hut. Even though we knew about the glacier crossings, their vastness was a bit of a shock. The hut still looked decidedly tiny and far away, determinedly positioned halfway up the mountain on the other side of the glaciers.
Ignoring any seeds of doubt, we continued to obediently follow the blue signposts toward the sea of ice. We could now make out a few dots on the ice that we thought were hikers. They were making very slow progress. By the time we reached the edge of the glacier, they seemed no further ahead.
Setting foot on the glacier
We gripped our hiking poles and prepared to set foot on the ice. We could now make out blue poles positioned every few metres. They marked the designated crossing we needed to follow to avoid any dangerous crevasses. I gingerly landed my boot down on the ice to take my first step. I was relieved to find it wasn’t anything like the ice rink that I feared. It was walkable at a slow pace, and by using my poles to test the ground ahead, I could just about avoid my boots sinking into any slushy sections.
Once across the first glacier, the worst was still to come: a sea of huge chunky rocks. It was an ankle-twisting paradise with no visible pathway. We clumsily clamber over the rocky boulders like inelegant toddlers in a soft play zone. My biggest mistake was to foolishly plant my foot in a surprisingly fast-flowing stream after deciding I didn’t like the look of the designated crossing. The stream was scarily slippy; I was fortunate to escape with only spectacularly wet feet.
Next was the second glacier, with more icy footsteps to negotiate. But now, with the added benefit of extraordinarily distracting views. Glaciers fanned out below high ice-capped summits, leading to streams and waterfalls that dropped to the milky blue lake, now three hours below us.
Finally, my dream of hiking to the Britannia Hut had come true!
Nineteen years after the hot chocolate-fueled dreams of my ski rep days, I was back at the Britannia Hut. I’d completed my hike on the Glacier Trail! The huge slate facade stood before me with its red shuttered windows, a multicoloured signpost (telling me that Kilimanjaro was a mere 5895 miles away) and an amazing view back down to the Mattmark on one side and Saas-Fee on the other.
We were ravenous. Our lunch on the Brittania Hut terrace tasted like the best rösti in the world. On that dazzling blue sky day, it was right up there with my very best lunch spots ever. The high-altitude sunshine bounced off the shiny wooden picnic tables. It was just about warm enough to sit in T-shirts despite the fresh breeze sweeping up from the ice we’d crossed to get here.
Fully refuelled on rösti, we dragged ourselves away from the terrace. We had more uneven glacial terrain to cross and a few still-snowy sections. As we descended through Saas-Fee’s winter ski area, every few metres, I turned. The Britannia Hut was getting smaller and smaller. I tried to fix it in my memory, a touch of sadness that I may never return (and even if I do, the chances of getting such an amazingly clear day are slim).
The distinctive flat-topped summit of the Alphubel made a great backdrop for a final photograph or two. Then we reached the top of the Felskinn cable car that would take us back down to Saas-Fee. The whole hike, including photo stops and a lingering lunch took six hours and 15 mins (around 5 hours 40 moving time). Total ascent 1,160m.
Gluten-free gems when hiking the Glacier Trail to the Britannia Hut
The Britannia Hut served my husband a gluten-free rösti. It made his day, and I had a very happy husband indeed.
Finding facts & further information
Read my blog post about summer in Saas-Fee here
Saas-Fee Tourism – Glacier Trail
Mattmark Dam – https://www.myswitzerland.com
The Brittania Hut https://britannia.ch/?lang=en
For more glacier inspiration, click here to read my post on hiking the Aletsch Glacier Trail.