In childhood, Paul's family holidays were taken in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland.  As such, it'll always be a special place and Allison now equally loves the place.  And as for Rudy, well there's lots of walks.

 

Camping Jungfrau is a superlative campsite.  It has all the usual facilities, but they're just that much better than the norm.  So the shop is a mini-mart, there's a restaurant with bar (dogs welcome on balcony), cashpoint, internet cafe, reception that doubles as a tourist information centre, wifi throughout the site courtesy of Swisscom, a room where you can bath the dog, motorhome service point, washing facilities, private bathrooms and shower facilities that never close.

 

 

Motorhomes are pitched on hardstanding, typically backing onto the river.  It's difficult to ignore that river...it drains the local glaciers and surges past at a phenomenal pace.  Sleep with the window/Heiki open, and it's difficult to escape the feeling that you're lying in the shower.  There's a helipad on the other side of the river which is pretty busy during the day, but you don't hear the helicopters over the sound of the water!  Back to the pitches, if you're lucky you may just be able to get line of site to watch satellite television...it's tight though.

 

The site really is three or four sites in one.  There's the touring side of things, then a series of permanent vans/sheds, some tents operated by Eurocamps, and a steady stream of coaches arriving/departing with Kontiki tourists staying in bunkhouses.  Although there's some spill-over and the Kontiki guys have a fun time, there's never the feeling of them disturbing the peace.  Plus, sat in the bar listening to the Antipodean teenagers comparing notes on the day, it's difficult not to feel rejuvenated by their wonder at experiencing snow for the first time.

 

Views?  Unbelievable.  Next to the camp is one of the highest waterfalls in Europe, Staubach, falling approximately 1000 feet.  The view along the valley isn't half bad either.  Lauterbrunnen is a hub of Bernese Oberland transport.  You can get a cable car (used to be funicular until swept away by a landslide) towards Murren then onwards to Schilthorn, or train up to Wengen then onto Mannlichen or Kleine Scheidegg/Jungfraujoch (over-rated IMHO, but something you have to do once).  Trains also run the valley down to Interlaken where you can take boats on the lakes, via Wilderswil where you can get the train to Schynige Platte.

 

There's only three downsides to Camping Jungfrau really.  First thing is price...like many things in Switzerland, it ain't cheap (CHF50).  Secondly if you're a sun-worshipper, you should be aware that the sun disappears behind the mountains come seven o'clock in the evening, whereas it'll hang on for longer down in Interlaken.  Finally, when it rains in Lauterbrunnen it rains, and there's not much to do in the area when it's wet.  However, at Camping Jungfrau you're at the heart of the mountains, rather than looking towards them if you stay down at Interlaken.

 

Would we go back?  Definitely.

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