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Thursday 22nd May 2026 – a day walking up in the mountains at Murren (Part 1)….

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An absolute stunner of a day for us today, starting with a saunter down to the Lake to gauge visibility and sure enough – pretty good….

After various discussion with the site personnel and a fair bit of googling we have decided that our best course of action is to drive the relatively short distance up to Stechelberg where there is a huge car park at the cable car / bus terminal and go from there. There was no problem parking though it was pretty full and I suspect at the weekend and during the summer parking up here will be quite a challenge. Already the views of the surrounding mountains are quite incredible….

Before getting the cable car we take a closer look at Stechelberg waterfall and the fast flowing icy blue River Lutschene….

The cable car is packed to the rafters so no chance of evening admiring the views let alone capturing them as I am having to carry Tilly – who incidentally was getting a lot of fuss and attention but we took a moment at the top when the car had emptied out and wow….

Murren was just a bit unreal with 360 degree of mountains all around – most significantly the Eiger 3970m, Monch 4107m and Jungfrau 4158m (4 times the height of Snowden!!)….

And towering immediately overhead the Schilthorn 2970m….

The main street of the traffic free village was quite busy but by wandering through the beautiful back streets it was peaceful and magical….

It was also surprisingly warm and so after a while we were quite content to find a little bit of shade and just sit for a bit soaking it all up….

Words fail but I hope the photos give you just a small measure of how stunning it is.

After taking a slightly less crowded cable car back down we caught the bus to Lauterbrunnen and will continue in Part 2.

Wednesday 20th May 2026 – a walk along the shores of Lake Thunersee….

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On and off showers through the night and morning and visibility looked a bit compromised so we postponed our mountain excursion until tomorrow when the forecast looks better and took a leisurely walk along Lake Thunersee in the direction of Thun instead….

A beautiful couple of miles took as to Sundlauenen a tiny little lakeside hamlet….

Also a stopping off point for the lake bus and we timed it just right (to see not board)….

At this point the footpath takes you on a significant climb away from the lake and above the road, which also disappears into the mountainside….

We opted to return the way we came and spend some time down by the lake, giving Tilly some green space to have some off lead play (she soon found a stick to chase) before returning to the van to plan tomorrows little adventure….

Back on site, it has warmed up nicely and the paragliders are out in their numbers providing the early evening entertainment…

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 6
  • O/N – £28.00

Tuesday 19th May 2026 – a walk into Interlaken….

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A bit wet overnight and showery into the morning but by the time we were ready to set off out, the rain seemed to have passed on by.

Starting off along the lake side and through the nature reserve….

we then turned inland following the river Aare for a good mile or so through open farmland and then the outskirts, until the weir marked our arrival in Interlaken…..

Interlaken appears to be an upmarket sprawling town with every designer outlet you could think of, dominated by two stations at either end both a hub of activity mostly feeding the tourist industry with lots of little branchlines into the mountains. Lots of open spaces and small well tended gardens add interest to the mostly modern shops and hotels, mixed in with the old….

In the very centre is a huge open field where a constant stream of paragliders come in to land after gliding down through the valley from Harder Klum the 1300m mountain sitting behind Interlaken. Here we had a break and watched the continuous perfectly executed landings with the Jungfrau (4158m one of the highest peaks in Switzerland and claiming the highest railway station in Europe at 3354m) as the spectacular backdrop….

An absolute beauty of a mountain….

Having had our fill, we set off on the same route for our return to site, arriving almost simultaneously with a few drops of rain. A little later as it had dried up again we popped down to the Lakeside for a last little walk and to enjoy the aftermath of the setting sun….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Cookies for the way back – £7.00
  • O/N – £28.00

Monday 18th May 2026 – driving through Switzerland to Interlaken….

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A little cloudy today but mostly dry for our drive from Vaduz to Interlaken in Switzerland. With the constant back drop of snow capped mountains we made our way, mostly through valleys, so not quite as dramatic as earlier drives but a good bit quicker. We had hoped to take a few stops at the various lakes along the way but it would have meant detours into unknown villages and so we opted to stay on the main road – though we did catch glimpses of Walensee from one of the rest areas on our route…

By mid afternoon we were settled on our Campsite, just outside Interlaken on Lake Thunersee and enjoying an afternoon stroll along the lake….

The east end of Lake Thunersee is a nature reserve with a lovely gravel walkway hugging the shore before heading inland a bit along River Aare….

At the end of the nature reserve we about turned and followed an off shoot of the path out to a viewing point at the end of the lake….

Here we enjoyed a lovely bit of solitude in the sun with just the sounds of birdsong and lapping water and marvelled at the unique shade of blue and clarity of these Alpine waterways before heading back to site along the way we came….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 133
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Country No – 8
  • Groceries – £52.74
  • O/N – £29.82

Sunday 17th May 2026 – a day in Vaduz, Liechtenstein….

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A lovely sunny day as we leave Austria behind and dip our toes into Liechtenstein for a night. My overriding impression was the lushness of this small country completely enveloped by the Alps. The road bobbed in and out of Switzerland with little fanfare just the two countries emblems – the border actually running down the middle of the Rhine as it snakes it’s way down from Germany.

We easily found our park up – a rather scenic train station car park bordered by the small captital of Liechtenstein, Vaduz and the Rhine….

We headed straight into Vaduz and enjoyed a wander around the pristine town, an interesting mix of new and old architecture but all immaculately presented….

The stunning church with it’s cool interior…

The main pedestrianised square and an obligatory Lindt Chocolate shop and yes we did….

High above us the Princely home and castle – home to the Liechtenstein Royal Family, is perched on the hillside overlooking the Capital….

It didn’t take very long, exploring the capital in full so instead of returning to the van we wandered along the footpath / cycle path which shadows this stretch of the Rhine….

Stunning and incredibly peaceful an absolute joy to walk, especially on the lower path which is cycle free and Tilly could happily potter off the lead. We ventured across the footbridge, marked with the national borders and wandered along the Swiss side for awhile before returning for a very peaceful and free night courtesy of the kindness of the country of Liechtenstein….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 76
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Countries – 3
  • O/N – free