Up high on the Jungfrau in Switzerland

The Jungfrau is the highest point you can reach by rail in Europe. It’s over 11,000 feet up high in the stunningly beautiful mountains, which are a vision in white.

It was almost overwhelming standing at the top of this force of nature, on the Sphinx observation terrace (which we reached by Switzerland's fastest lift - taking just 27 seconds to reach the height of 3,571 metres). I had wrapped up really warmly for the occasion, so was pleasantly surprised by how hot it was. I guess we were nearer the sun by being so high up! Mind you, I think we were lucky and I can imagine how cold it could get when the wind whips in. The average temperature across the year is -7.9C.

[caption id="attachment_2624" align="alignnone" width="1200"] View of the Aletsch Glacier[/caption]

The Jungfrau is beautiful, and also (you won’t be surprised to hear) very popular. That’s understandable, for who wouldn’t want to enjoy the views over the Aletsch Glacier (the longest Alpine glacier, at 23km), and of the Jungrau, Mönch, Schilthorn and Eiger? When the sun is shining, the vista stretches on and on and you can see the Vosges in France and Black Forest in Germany, but cloud cover can change that in an instant (and sunglasses are a must to avoid snow blindness).

You would expect a place like this to be full of other tourists (over a million of us last year), and it is, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get space to enjoy the surroundings. Despite all the people, I found being outside and enjoying the views utterly wonderful, and very, very special.

However, I was less taken by the added extras which make this such an “experience” for visitors.

[caption id="attachment_2625" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Some of the ice sculptures[/caption]

Some of this is great, and I did appreciate the ice sculpture palace with its slightly eerie, blueish sculptures, and the Alpine sensation with its story of tourism in the region (for example: it was Italian labourers who did most of the work on constructing the railway), but others – such as a very crowded Lindt chocolate shop – are less appealing.  There are also numerous shops and places to eat, including a Bollywood restaurant and the Restaurant Crystal, which serves traditional Swiss cuisine, including fondue (of course).

If the weather is good, you can also hike your way over the mountains, and also take part in skiing, snowboarding and ziplining, which would be terrific fun.

[caption id="attachment_2627" align="alignnone" width="675"] At the top of the Jungfrau[/caption]

A huge part of your Jungfrau visit will be how you get there, and the rail journey (in fact, there’s more than one) is spectacular, with the highest railway station in Europe nestled between the Jungfrau and Monch, at a height of 11,333ft.

We went via Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg and then started our ascent via the Lauterbrunnen valley, with its beautiful scenery and waterfalls, although we came back via Grindelwald. I’d recommend trying both routes out, as it means you see more of the area.

I loved the views of the mountains and took far too many pictures, although the second part of the trip, from Kleine Scheidegg (which is already 6,762 feet up) to the Jungfraujoch is mainly in the Eiger tunnel, which lasts for 7km. Somehow this is still impressive – what a feat of engineering - and it was lovely to stop off twice on the way – at Eigerwand and Eismeer  - to get used to the altitude and also enjoy the view from some great panoramic windows. The snow looked incredible from Eismeer, while Eigerwand gives you the chance to look at the north face of the famous Eiger.

[caption id="attachment_2628" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Coming down the Jungfrau, via Grindelwald[/caption]

All the trains were, as you would expect, extremely comfortable and such a lovely way to travel. Be warned, however, that they do get very crowded – we were fortunate to get seats on the way back – and we needed to sit down and recover from our alpine exertions!

My only negative about this whole experience was the cost. The rail journey is extremely expensive, around 200 Swiss Francs per person for a return trip (around £156) although there are reductions if you have a Swiss Pass (well worth it if you are going to travel elsewhere). You really need to see it as the experience of a lifetime – and budget accordingly.

More on fares and tickes here.

Read more on Switzerland with:

A day in Interlaken

Read about my trip to Meiringen and the Reichenbach Falls!

Disclosure: I was fortunate to visit Switzerland as part of a wonderful Great Railways Journey to the Jungfrau, which meant all my travel was free (including the train up to the Jungfrau). However, none of the establishments had any input into this blog post.

So much to do at Potters Resort, Norfolk

When we were offered the chance to visit Potters Resort in Norfolk, which is the UK’s only five star holiday village, we jumped at it. We knew this wouldn’t be the kind of holiday we normally go on, but it sounded such fun – with the opportunity to play all sorts of sport, have all your meals cooked for you, and to see a show. We'd definitely recommend it for half-term or upcoming school holidays and we saw lots of families there with grandparents too. It really has something for everyone!

[kad_youtube url="https://youtu.be/VU5OUlcXfK8?list=PL21MnxVphOzI2A8wn1ejWBYSXpgwMIkGw" width=200 height=100 ]

 

Here, Robert writes about our weekend away, which we all enjoyed.

[caption id="attachment_2733" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Trying out pitch and putt with the sea behind the course![/caption]

Robert, aged 11, says:

I loved going to Potters Resort as there was such a variety of things to do. You could take part in a swimming gala, learn how to skateboard, play some badminton or just relax in your room. The options seemed endless.

The gift shop is where you can book the sports you want to play, either at that moment or for later on. Just before your scheduled time you come in and collect all the equipment you need from the back of the shop. It's all very well-organised.

You play badminton in half an hour slots and we did this twice over the holiday. We were put on one of the four courts and had loads of fun. We don’t normally play it, so it was a really nice thing to do, but the badminton at Potters was very popular (and rightly so). This meant that lots of families wanted to play, so we would recommend booking a slot straight after breakfast (you can only book on the day).

In the same hall as badminton is “Cliffhanger”, the climbing wall which was one of my favourite activities and would recommend for both adults and kids. Each group has a ten minute turn -  which does result in a bit of time waiting - and then, after putting on their harness, each person picks one of the six sections to start on. Each one is harder than the last, and you can climb them all if you like - you’re allowed to swap sections throughout the ten minutes. One thing I really liked about Cliffhanger was that you could time yourself by pressing a button at the bottom and top of the wall to start and stop the timer. You can go climbing at nearly every point of every day so be sure to have a go.

We enjoyed playing squash although it should definitely not be a priority. The balls weren’t that bouncy and you had to pay a pound every ten minutes for the lights to stay on, but it was still fun. I loved playing table-tennis and as there were eight tables to play on there was always one free. We did it a lot over the holiday as it was a quick and fun thing to do when we had spare time.

[caption id="attachment_2736" align="alignnone" width="675"] On the bungee trampoline[/caption]

On two of the evenings we also  went and played darts which I’d never done before. I turned out to be pretty good! I don’t think many families knew about it or knew that children could play so there was never anyone there. It was a really nice end to the day, playing darts with my family.

If you’re the sort of person who likes getting really frustrated about hitting a little white ball, then the pitch and putt at Potters resort is the activity for you. My dad loves golf and completed the course twice over the holiday, bringing me along once. I was awful and didn’t find it that enjoyable but it was my dad’s favourite activity. I much preferred playing crazy golf which we all had a good laugh over. It only took half an hour and was really fun. 

Some of the other sports you could have a go at were archery, tennis, bowls and curling. The kids could play a footy tournament in the evening (I did this one night) or get football coaching.

At Potters there are also a whole range of activities you can do sitting down, like the quizzes at the Terrace bar. There was one on Disney, one on sport and even one on TV theme tunes. They were all great fun and didn’t involve any energy. You have to pay and book for Bingo in the evening but disco bingo was free. It involved songs instead of numbers and was a really nice thing to do. At 9.15 every night Potter’s theatre company puts on a show. You don’t have to book or pay and can come in and leave at will, although mum thought the show we saw was a bit old fashioned.

You have to book to go on the giant swing which is on practically all day, every day. The staff running the swing haul you and one other person up 10 metres before letting you go. It is very fun when you are swinging like a pendulum but can be nerve racking when you’re on the way up. I did feel a bit scared (you can see me on the swing in the video).

[caption id="attachment_2737" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Trying out laser clay shooting![/caption]

Laser clays is a really fun activity that involves shooting moving targets in the sky. We were given a gun that was altered so it shot non visual lasers and had a go at hitting flying Frisbees. People over 13 can have a go at rifle shooting and people over 16 can try normal clays, instead of lasers.

Every evening there was an inflatable assault course for both adults and kids, I did it with mum and we really enjoyed it. Each day in the same hall was a different type of “vehicle” to try and master. There were skateboards, segways and even go-karts. Bungee jumping was really fun and so was the sweeper (an inflatable with a spinning arm that you have to jump over. This was my favourite activity at the resort.) 

Potter’s Street fair was held the day before we left. You could go around the stalls winning raffle tickets in the ring toss and hook a duck, listen to the band or help yourself to free candyfloss and popcorn. The fair was really nice and I would definitely pop by, even if not for the whole time.

Around the resort there were various amusement arcades with machines where you try to grab a toy, air hockey, racing games, Pacman and my favourite an old fashioned pinball game. In one of the arcades there were slot machines that the kids could use, and amazingly, I won the £5 Jackpot! The arcade beside the bowling alley was by far the best as you could win and save up tickets. Each one was worth one penny to spend in the shop so if you won 100 tickets playing the games you could get a voucher for £1. This is much better than most arcades where you just win tickets for pretty rubbish toys!

[caption id="attachment_2738" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Yes, Robert needed two desserts.....[/caption]

My parents liked the fact that they didn't have to do any cooking at Potters all the food is provided. There is a huge dining room and set times for three meals a day (plus the possibility of a midnight snack if you want one). The desserts were delicious and there was always a vegetarian choice for the meals too. The main courses were so-so, but there was always something nice to eat and you never really had to queue for anything.

Overall I loved going to Potters Resort and would recommend it for all ages. It is right next to its own beach, and there was a big swimming pool which we didn't even try out because we were so busy doing other things. I loved the fact that there was so much choice of what to do and would definitely go back again. All the staff were very friendly and helpful and we all really enjoyed it. Please watch our video above to see more!

Disclosure: We were hosted by Potters, on the Norfolk/Suffolk coastal border, for a family break in order to write about the experience for our blog. However, no one from Potters had any input or influence on this post. 
To find out more about Potters, visit their website or ring 0333 3207497.
The resort offers family breaks and various 1 night breaks with special guests, with upcoming stars including Dame Joan Collins and Brian Conley.
We stayed on a three night family Weekend Peak Summer ShowBreak in August 2016 in hotel premier rooms. For two adults and two children the inclusive break cost £1,386.

MORE ON NORFOLK:

What to do in Norwich

A boat on the Norfolk Broads

Seeing seals at Horsey Beach