Our first attempt at an early start, we were up and away at 8.00 with a confident plan to get to Kandersteg by lunchtime. All went well for the first 40 odd minutes when we then speeded past a small sign that must have said 'Austria' and straight into a motorway tunnel. Now we we had been a bit uncertain but thought we would check if we needed some type of motorway ticket as we entered Austria (we knew we needed a Swiss toll pass but we knew we could buy them at the border). It was like waiting for the axe to drop, and in only a short while as we came out of the tunnel we were pulled over by a very smiley policemen (no doubt we gave him a good start to his daily quota!) Anyway we managed the Swiss border very cautiously and with no financial penalties (unless you count the coffee and muffins we felt we deserved at coffee time in a very expensive service station).

And the drizzle began, turning into a relentless pour down as we approached the mountains. The boys were excited about seeing their mates and seemed oblivious to the wet. So we arrived in Kandersteg and met the Crowle contingent half of whom were standing under Alan's fishing umbrella, the other half seemed to be laughing in their tents which were dry inside despite being pitched on a swampy levelled area.

Sowe left the boys with all the Swiss Francs we had left from what we were allowed to take out on our card for the day! What they don't yet know is we immediately went and booked ourselves into a nice looking chalet hotel for a couple of nights at the end of the week!!!!!

Then off to Lauterbrunnen as wet as when I left it in 1980, but with a much more sophisticated campsite, we pitched the tent for the first time in a the rain but actually had it very cosy in (I'd like to say no time at all but that would be a blatant lie) ......

Just so so Sue can picture this now, with no boys Richard and I are still sleeping upstairs, in the extension we have a drying room and a dressing room the sitting room we've kept the same, but as we can't BBQ on the veranda were cooking on the Cobb in the join between the van and the tent, (there is a choice of dining room; either the van or in the extension)