KE’s CEO Ashley Toft chose to mark his milestone birthday on our Via Alpina Trekking – Meiringen to Lenk trip, accompanied by his wife Louise and their adult children, Alex, Joe, and Chloë. With Alex just back from Australia and Chloë freshly out of university, it was the ideal way to celebrate together as a family. Ashley shares his favourite moments from the trek, his thoughts on the stunning Alpine scenery and what made this family adventure so memorable.

With Alex back from Australia for a few weeks and Chloe having just finished uni, it was also a chance for a family reunion, and an opportunity to catch-up on all the latest news. And what better way to celebrate than with a KE self-guided trekking holiday?! When given a few choices, the younger generation overwhelmingly voted for an Alpine trek, although Mrs T was in favour of somewhere a ‘bit hotter’ (but was out-voted!). I’d always wanted to see the north face of the Eiger, so it seemed like an ideal opportunity to travel to Switzerland and to experience this lesser known area of the Alps. I’d heard it was absolutely breathtaking, and less busy than some other parts of this vast mountain range, especially during the peak summer season. The idea of a fairly challenging trek but staying in nice hotels each night was also appealing and helped in persuading everyone that this was the right choice.

It was interesting that there was another group of 3 trekking on the same dates, a father and his 2 sons... and this was his special 60th trip also (a gift from his sons)... so a bit of a consistent theme!

The entire trek was spectacular. Seeing the three legendary peaks — the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau — for the first time was a standout moment for me. But crossing the Sefinenfurgge Pass on Day 3 was, hands down, one of the most breathtaking trekking experiences I’ve ever had. Everywhere I looked, there were snow-capped summits, glaciers, rushing waterfalls, lush meadows and sparkling lakes...

Everything you’ve heard about Switzerland is true, from its world-renowned cheeses to the finest chocolates (yes, Toblerone really does come from here!). The national dish, rösti, is a tasty, pan-fried potato cake, often topped with cheese, onions, or bacon. It’s hearty mountain food at its finest and made the perfect reward after a long day’s trek.

I had always known that Switzerland was a ‘neutral’ country, but understanding that their constitution says ‘not to be involved in armed conflicts with other states’ seems so simple and so poignant in these times of global unrest and ever-increasing armed conflicts. Wouldn’t it be nice if a few more states had that in their constitution!

After a long day of walking, we found ourselves relaxing on the balcony of our hotel in Grindelwald, drinks in hand, soaking in the breathtaking view of the Eiger towering above us. It was the perfect way to unwind and reflect on the day’s adventure. Another memorable moment was hiking through vibrant alpine meadows to an area of pasture with 20-30 cows grazing, all with their bells ringing. It doesn’t get more quintessentially Swiss than that!

Taking a self-guided trip was a great option, especially as there were 5 of us travelling together. The information provided was clear, and the navigation app easy to use. The Via Alpina is well-marked, so once you're on the trail, it’s simple to follow. The app is especially helpful for finding the accommodation and navigating back to the main trail at the start of each day. One of the sections of the route was closed for maintenance when we were there, so we called the local contact to discuss different options. It was reassuring to know that you could call someone local at any time and discuss the intricacies of the itinerary or get any other help required.

It’s not easy getting all the ‘kids’ together, but we are now talking about doing a self-guided cycling trip - the younger ones on regular bikes and the oldies on e-bikes. Sounds like a plan - and maybe the start of a new family tradition for future birthdays!

I highly recommend flying into Zurich and out of Geneva. From the UK, the flight price is very similar, but this allows you to travel via Lucerne and take the scenic Interlaken Express over the Brünig Pass (1008m) and past the high lakes of Sarnen and Lungern to Meiringen. As the track is so steep, the train has to engage its cogwheel system to reach the pass, as do so many in this mountainous country. The hotel in Meirengen was a 3 minute walk from the station, so a great way to join the trip. The train journey from Lenk/Zweisimmen to Geneva at the end of the trip on the Goldenpass Express, was no less spectacular, through the mountains then down to Montreux and along the shore of Lake Leman to Geneva. These train journeys are very much a part of the Swiss travel experience and were a major highlight for us, they run like clockwork (as do the clocks!).