Adrenalin hits, spa bliss & stunning mountain views above make Switzerland a great escape
AS I'm gripping on to the handrail of a walkway suspended 45 metres above the Swiss town of Grindelwald, I ask our guide: 'Is now a good time to tell you I'm scared of heights?'
We're just south of Thun, one of this year's UEFA Women's Euros host cities and a dizzying 2,000 metres above sea level.
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5
Summit for the weekend in Grindelwald
5
Spread your wings with First Glider
Credit: David Birri
On a misty day like today, we're even higher than the clouds as I look down over the edge on the First Cliff Walk.
And this is actually the tamest activity I've signed up for. . .
FLYING START
I stop for a hearty potato rosti topped with bacon, cheese and a fried egg, £21, at Berggasthaus First, before plucking up the courage for the First Flyer, an 800-metre-long zipwire that reaches speeds of 50mph (
Once down, I realise it would have been a better idea to eat lunch after, not before.
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But I'm soon back up the mountain to try First Glider, where I'm harnessed face down, then pulled back and launched through the air like an eagle (though I don't feel quite so graceful).
Mountain carting – a cross between a go-kart and a sledge – proves my fave, as I speed down a twisty, 3km-long track back towards town.
Tickets for two activities cost £91 per adult (
The Fire & Ice Spa at my chic hotel, Bergwelt Grindelwald, just minutes from the gondola, is a welcome change of pace.
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I warm up in the outdoor sauna with views of the imposing, ragged face of Eiger mountain, before soaking in the heated outdoor pool – the sound of cowbells nearby is the only playlist.
Derrick Rose and girlfriend Alaina Anderson enjoy family vacation in Switzerland
TOP OF THE ROCKS
A 30-minute train ride away is the town of Interlaken, home to the Harder Kulm mountain, where it's a short trip by the 100-year-old funicular to the summit (
At the top, I find Panorama Restaurant, serving 'the coldest beer in Interlaken', £6, in an ice-bottomed glass, as well as daily Alphorn concerts to soundtrack dinner.
5
The Fire & Ice Spa at my chic hotel, Bergwelt Grindelwald, just minutes from the gondola, is a welcome change of pace
Credit: Anja Zurbrügg
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Double rooms at Bergwelt cost from £155
Credit: Anja Zurbrügg
I arrive early and take the hour-long circular hike around the mountain top to work up an appetite, then order the Monch Spezial, £21 – a charcuterie board of Swiss air-dried beef, home-made sausage, smoked ham and alpine cheese – followed by Alpine-style macaroni, £23, with potatoes, onions, cheese and apple sauce (
Higher still is Jungfraujoch – Europe's highest railway station and the only place in the region where you're guaranteed year-round snow.
From the Grindelwald terminal, I take a gondola up to the
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All in all, it takes about 45 minutes, and is well worth it. I send a letter from the highest post office in Europe and take in the panoramic mountain views from the Sphinx Observatory.
Sadly, I can't sledge at the Snow Fun Park, due to blizzard-like conditions, so seek shelter in the Ice Palace, a maze carved into the glacier, with incredible frozen sculptures lining the walls.
At Crystal Restaurant, views rival the observatory and I tuck into a starter of creamy home-made lobster soup, £12.75, and moreish cheese fondue, £26.
As I make my descent, rather than checking tickets, the train conductor hands out chocolates. It definitely beats my usual commute.
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FYI
Double rooms at Bergwelt cost from £155 (
A Jungfrau Travel Pass, from £38, covers unlimited train, cable car, bus and cruises (
Plan a trip at My
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Beauty Editor Tara Ledden in Switzerland
Credit: Tara Ledden
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