Alps

IN our trusty motorhome, my family and I have gone across much of Europe – but somehow never quite made it to Germany.

Perhaps that was because of my ill-fated attempts at learning ­German at school, which lasted little more than a term.

But keen to head off the beaten path, we loaded up our Bailey of Bristol Adamo XL-DL and headed for the Bavarian Alps.

Of course, there was the slight worry of “what if it’s not as good as where we usually go?”. Spoiler alert: The Bavarian Alps are brilliant.

And they are a region — and part of a culture — with so much to offer the whole family.

The drive to get there was a little longer than we are used to.

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However, much to my children’s delight, stop-off point Lech Camping coincided with a visit to Legoland Germany, providing all manner of brilliant rides and attractions.

It was also the perfect contrast to what awaited us in the mountains.

Our base was Via Claudia Camping, set on the edge of Lake Lechsee in the Allgau region, which gave us easy access to attractions and impressive views of the mountains.

But the mountains would have to wait, because first on the list was a visit to one of Germany’s most ­famous castles.

Perched dramatically on a prominent hill, and surrounded by dense pine forests, Neuschwanstein Castle is, quite simply, magical.

With its towers, turrets and whimsical balconies straight out of a fairytale, you feel Rapunzel herself would have been right at home here.

That was followed by the charming village of Oberammergau, recommended by our campsite receptionist as the best example of something truly Bavarian.

Here you get Luftlmalerei — the centuries-old tradition of painting murals on the exterior walls of houses — giving the village the air of a living storybook.

Our own tale from the village came in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Walking down a small cobbled street, we noticed a vending machine set into the wall.

Half expecting our children to request some sort of chocolate bar, we were surprised to see it wasn’t filled with the usual confectionery.

Instead, it was stuffed with every manner of German sausage imaginable.

It made shopping for dinner easy and I got to tell my joke about German sausages, which the children insist is the wurst.

Talking of silly humour, I had to giggle at the name of the mountain we were headed to for hiking: Wank (pronounced Vank).

Anyone who has hiked with younger children will know they can be fascinated by every stick, rock and oddly shaped pine cone.

So our pace was on the slow side, but it let us appreciate the beauty of the mountains that surrounded us.

Despite frequent stops to play, rest and satisfy the children’s curiosity, we eventually made it to the top and the traditional summit cross found on Alpine peaks.

Our final reminder of why we should never have left it so long to venture into Germany came courtesy of lake Eibsee, lying at the foot of Germany’s tallest peak, the mighty Zugspitze.

Not even moody skies and the threat of rain could dampen our spirits as we set off, us on foot and the children on their bikes, on the 8km trail that heads around the shore of the lake, with the glacier-clad Zugspitze towering over us.

From fairytale castles and storybook villages with sausage vending machines, to majestic mountains and alpine lakes, Bavaria had surprised us at every turn.

And as we savoured a final sunset in the mountains, it left us with one lingering question: When are we coming back to Germany?

Hannah and Simon took an ‘extreme day trip’ instead of having date night in the UK

A couple swapped their usual UK date night to fly to the French Alps for five hours of skiing and fondue. They claimed it could “easily be the same price” to go out for dinner and a show in London.

Hannah West, 39, and her husband, Simon, 52, wanted to see if an extreme day trip to the mountains was really possible. The couple, from Brighton, had an early 6am start in the airport but claim the trip was “totally worth it”.

The pair boarded a 6.10am flight from Gatwick Airport to Geneva in February, and despite the plane being delayed by an hour, they touched down in France by 10am. The content creators spent the afternoon skiing in La Clusaz before grabbing a fondue and flying back to the UK at 9.30pm.

They were back in time to kiss their kids goodnight. They added that, despite the trip setting them back £671.80, it could easily cost the same to go to London to see a show and have a nice dinner.

Hannah said: “We got in five hours of skiing which I think is how much most people would do in a day anyway. I feel like we got a really decent amount of skiing in. It was definitely worth it.

“You could easily have gone to London for the day and spent that if you went to watch a show and had dinner. The fact that we got to do that much skiing and it’s something we will never forget, I think it’s totally worth it.”

Hannah and Simon decided to challenge themselves to an extreme day trip after seeing others go on quick getaways. The mum-of-two said: “I’ve seen a lot of people doing them for city breaks, but I wanted to see if it was possible to do it for a ski trip.”

They spent £164.99 per person on return flights and determined to maximise their time on the snow, the couple hired a car for £59.18 straight from the airport and drove to the resort, allowing them to squeeze in five hours of skiing.

They arrived by midday, and after skiing, the couple still had time to get dinner and drinks. They spent £61 on a cheese fondue for two, dessert, one glass of wine and one cola. Hannah said: “The whole day felt magical and I felt like I was beaming the whole time. I couldn’t believe it was possible, the whole day I was on a high. It was the best date day.”

Their flight back to England was at 9.30pm. They managed to get back to their home in Brighton around 11.30pm, where their children – 11 and eight – were being babysat by their grandmother.

Hannah said: “This is such a great opportunity to have an amazing date day with your partner – to do something you both really love together and have a really special day you’re going to remember forever. It was exhausting, we were totally knackered.”

In total, the trip cost £671.80, which is £335.90 per person. While that may sound steep for a single day, Hannah argues it compares to a luxury day out in London.

She added that booking flights further in advance or travelling in a group would have reduced the cost. She said: “It’s not about replacing a week-long ski holiday, or am I suggesting this is something to do on a regular basis.

“But if you’re time-poor, or don’t have childcare for a week away, you can still have an amazing, special day together.” While she wouldn’t rush to repeat the adrenaline-fuelled day, she says she would do it again if the opportunity arose.

The couple took their trip in February 2025. Flight prices will likely be different now and will vary depending on the location people fly from, if trying to replicate a similar experience.

Cost breakdown (prices from February 2025):

• Parking: £31.68 at Gatwick Airport
• Flights: £164.99pp
• Car hire: £59.18
• Fuel: £14.63
• Tolls: £10.70
• Parking: £12.30
• Day pass skiing: £44.66pp
• Ski gear hire: £22.75 pp
• Food: £78.51
• Total: £671.80 (£335.90pp)

A COUPLE flew to the Alps for a day of skiing – which was still cheaper than a day out in London.

Hannah West, 39, and her husband Simon 52, flew to the French Alps to enjoy fondue and five hours of skiing.

The duo, from Brighton, flew from Gatwick Airport to Geneva last month 6:10am and returned the same evening at 9:30pm.

The day trip included a day of skiing in La Clusaz – including ski gear hire – as well as some fondue, wine and desert.

Hannah said: “We got in five hours of skiing which I think is how much most people would do in a day anyway.

“The fact that we got to do that much skiing and it’s something we will never forget, I think it’s totally worth it.”

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The couple also parked their car at Gatwick Airport for £31.68 and spent £14.63 on fuel and £10.70 on tolls.

The day trip cost a total of £671.80 working out to £335.90 per person.

While Hannah admits it sounds expensive, she said it was still cheaper compared to a day out in London.

For example, the average ticket price for the best seats at a London West End costs around £160 each.

If they were to have dinner before the show, that could easily set them back between £60 and £100 total.

And if they had travelled from Brighton on the train, an open train ticket is £42.70.

This includes just the evening entertainment…

If the couple were to do another activity in the day, this could set them back anywhere between £30 and £100 each, and then, of course, add on having lunch out and getting London transport around the city.

It adds up quickly.

She also explained how she has seen a lot of people head off on city day trips, but “wanted to see if it was possible to do it for a ski trip”.

Hannah said: “The whole day felt magical and I felt like I was beaming the whole time.

“I couldn’t believe it was possible, the whole day I was on a high. It was the best date day.”

“This is such a great opportunity to have an amazing date day with your partner – to do something you both really love together and have a really special day you’re going to remember forever.”

To save even more money, Hannah admitted that they could have booked their flights further in advance or booked as part of a group.

She added: “It’s not about replacing a week-long ski holiday, or am I suggesting this is something to do on a regular basis.

“But if you’re time-poor, or don’t have childcare for a week away, you can still have an amazing, special day together.”

In other extreme day trip news, travel experts have revealed their favourite day trip abroad destinations with £15 flights and free attractions.

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