Alps Adventure

Sophie Wilson

In August 2026, I had the trip of a lifetime to Switzerland with Girlguiding Anglia. Having applied in January 2025, arriving at Luton airport a year and a half later felt unreal. At the airport, our group (12 girls and 4 leaders) received our trip tops, neckers and badges and reality started to set in: we were going to Switzerland!

Once we had dropped off our bags and gone through security, we had a bit of free time to explore the departures lounge and duty free. A group of us found a photobooth and looked around the shops, before it was time to board our flight to Geneva. We arrived in Geneva in the afternoon and after a long queue at border control, we found our coach to Kandersteg. Finally, we made it to KISC (Kandersteg International Scout Centre) in the evening where we were given a tour by one of the volunteers. After dinner, we went to sleep to get ready for the busy day ahead of us.

Day 2 was a jampacked day. In the morning, we hiked up to Oeschinensee, a gorgeous lake with bright blue water, and ate our lunch. Afterwards, we walked on to the Rhodelbahn, a toboggan ride down the hills near the lake. It was great fun as we sped round corners, controlling the ride ourselves. To get back down to Kandersteg, we took the gondola which offered us beautiful views of Kandersteg and the surrounding mountains. Back in Kandersteg, we walked to the local swimming pool where we all cooled off, with some of us even braving the diving boards. We then went back to KISC to have dinner.

After dinner, we prepared for international evening. We had a table to ourselves, which we donned with a Union flag tablecloth, postcards of our local area and slices of baguette with marmite for people to try. As we could not find anywhere to attach our Union flag, I wore it around myself for the evening. At the evening, there were Scouts from Spain, Portugal and Cyprus as well as several other UK groups; we were, however, the only Guides. Towards the end of the evening, several of us joined in with the dancing happening outside KISC, even dancing with several Spanish Scouts. It was a brilliant evening that our whole group enjoyed massively.

Day 3 was full of adventure and being pushed out of our comfort zones. After an early start, we went by minibus to Abelboden. There, we met our guides for the Via Ferrata, the first half of a challenging day. Once we were harnessed and given our helmets, we started the slippery ascent to the start of the Via Ferrata that went alongside the Engstligenfälle. After a few tips and a quick practice, we started the course up to the top of the waterfall. Some sections of the Via Ferrata were exposed, but we all safely made it to the top. The views at the top were stunning, but we soon had to walk back down to get the minibus in time to go to the adventure park. We made it in time, and after a short minibus transfer, we arrived at Adventure Park Abelboden. At the adventure park, we braved ziplines and high ropes, before enjoying an ice cream back on the ground.

Day 4 was the first day of our most exciting hike: doing an overnight hike through the Gasternal valley and over a glacier. We met our guides and made sure we had everything we needed before setting off. On our hike, we saw waterfalls, old war bunkers and the very large Kander glacier. We ascended around 800m up the valley to get to Gfellalp Hut at 1847m, where we stayed for the night. We were all in awe at the views from the hut, and enjoyed the experience of proper Chalet beds, made even more exciting by the thunderstorm during the night.

Day 5 was the most breathtaking day of our week, as we walked across the Lötschenpass glacier. After an early start, we started the ascent up to the glacier, before we started to walk across it. While most sections were covered in rock, we did get the chance to walk on bare ice! Across the glacier we then had to scramble up to the Lötschenpasshütte at 2690m, where we ate our lunch at the highest point of our hike. After lunch, we headed down to Ferden, even going through a field of highland cows. When we reached Ferden, we waited for a local bus to then catch a train back to Kandersteg.

Day 6 was one of the highlights of the trip, as we went to Abelboden and visited Our Chalet. At the Chalet we did the traditional pinning ceremony and had a tour of the buildings before we had the chance to explore ourselves. After classic photos on the steps of the Chalet, we walked to the Woodcarver’s. At the Woodcarver’s, we received our engraved wooden woggles or name badges, which was very exciting, and my favourite souvenir! Back at Kandersteg, we went out and had a cheese fondue for dinner, a very traditional Swiss meal.

Day 7 was a day full of cheese. Although I unfortunately was under the weather and so did not go hiking that day, the rest of the group went to a cheesery right in the mountains, where they had cattle and chickens. Everyone got to try several types of cheese and enjoy the views of the river Kander at the Höh viewpoint. In the afternoon, we packed up and all enjoyed ice lollies shaped like a hand called “Flutsch Fingers”. After dinner, we presented “Fred the Moose” at the international campfire and enjoyed other skits from the KISC Staff, UK, Portugal and other groups.

Day 8 was our final day all together as we travelled back from KISC. We had a smooth coach transfer to the airport but faced long queues so ran to the gate. Thankfully, we boarded the flight well in time. Although there was turbulence, we made it safely to Luton airport. There, we said our farewells at end of a stunning week together in the Alps, already having made plans to meet up as a group again!