TWO SWISS HOTSPOTS – it’s no surprise which I prefer.

It’s thrilling to see the Matterhorn for the first time, though I didn’t have it to myself.

I once wrote that to qualify for ‘Most Beautiful Place I’ve Been‘, there should be no crowds, and it should feel like a small achievement to get there.  

90% of Switzerland could be in contention for ‘world’s most beautiful place’ awards, and of course climbing to the summit of the Matterhorn is an achievement well out of my league. But thanks to the super-efficient Swiss tourism industry, getting to eye level with the bottom of the climb is easy. So of course there are crowds.

It’s still spectacular, though there’s another place nearby that meets all my ‘beautiful place’ criteria.   

BEST ONE WEEK WALK IN EUROPE – the pictures

Crossing the Lac des Vaches, with the Grande Casse in the background.

I’d done parts of this walk before – along the GR5 and the GR55, but this was the first time I’ve tackled the whole six-day Tour des Glaciers in the Parc de la Vanoise, the oldest national park in France.

From beginning to end it’s spectacular. Here’s the photographic evidence…