After my sister’s success with the Frontline Walk 2017 she decided to keep up with the walking. On a whim we decided to take ourselves off to Switzerland for a week of walking.
We drove to Interlaken via an overnight stop in Nancy, the French toll roads were empty and the long drive was actually a pleasure. Door to door was 661 miles, via a short detour to visit the war grave of Wilfred Owen who is buried in Guise.
We camped at Camping Manor Farm, a campsite we know well having spent most of our teenage years there.
Everyone knows Switzerland is expensive, but even on my 18th trip to the region I was gobsmacked at the cost. Anything with wheat or grains is astronomical – £1.20 to £1.40 for a bread roll, pizzas start at c£16 or so and it was c£16 for a salad. Over £4 for a 500ml bottle of coke but every cloud and all that, the beer was cheaper. Still, you can’t put a price on the scenery or the quality of the hiking, and their transport system is still the best in the world.
In terms of the walking we managed to get a few good walks under our boots.
We did manage to complete the following:
- Mannlichen Gipfel then on to Kleine Scheidegg, a nice easy walk to break us in.
- Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, a steep descent through the pine forest.
- Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee and back, a walk neither of us had ever done before, not very long and very pleasant.
- Grutschalp to Murren, a lovely easy walk along the high western part of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
- Grindelwald First to Grosse Scheidegg.
