Wengen III SummerCätzz XVIII - The Snowcats
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SummerCätzz XVIII
Wengen III
22 – 29 June, 2019: 7 Days
19 - 29 June, 2019: 10 Days
15 - 29 June, 2019: 14 Days
Now in our eighteenth walking season, the SummerCätzz caravan
returns to WENGEN, the spectacular resort of the Bernese Oberland.
Wengen lies on a sunny, sheltered terrace below the iconic Eiger,
Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains with fantastic views across the
Lauterbrunnen valley to Mürren. Everyone arrives in this charming
village by mountain train as it is virtually traffic free. A variety of small
shops, cafés, and bars line the main street. There are many delightful
walks around and above the village. They meander through pine-
forests and flower-filled meadows, all framed by the spectacular back-
drop of the towering mountains. In June, with its long days, the Alpine
flora is at its superlative best! The SummerCätzz are basically nomadic,
moving from resort to resort and country to country. If it is somewhere
we really enjoyed, then we are happy to explore the venue for a
second time. But to return a third time! Yes indeed; Wengen is
somewhere very special, very dear to our hearts. And all those
waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with free entry to the
renowned Trümmelbachfalls.
PRIORITY Present and past members of the SummerCätzz have priority
Of booking during this present month of May.(2)
TOURISTS
If you are not really a walker at all, or would like to walk just a little, (a toddle really), but
have come for a great holiday, and in particular relish your annual house-party with your
friends, then Wengen, in the Bernese Oberland, is just right for you. The trains take you
everywhere: to the top at the Jungfraujoch to explore the Ice-Palace; to the Schilthorn
above Mürren to see the “OO7” revolving restaurant at the summit; to the Reichenbach
falls near Meiringen where Professor Moriarty pushed Sherlock Holmes to his untimely
death; to Interlaken, for relaxing boat cruises on lakes Thun and Brienz. You will love it all.
STROLLERS
An abundance of relatively easy strolls, and an efficient mountain railway and cable-car
system opens up many possibilities. Take the Männlichen cable-car and walk to Kleine
Scheidegg, along the panorama way, with awesome views of the North face of the Eiger.
Cross the valley to Mürren, for a journey into the historic past, and enjoy gentle walks on
the Allmendhübel plateau, famous for its meadows of Alpine flowers. In the Lauterbrunnen
valley, visit the Staubbach and Trümmelbach waterfalls, and feast on home-made Black
Forest Gateau in Stechelberg, at the base of the Schwärzmönch Mountain.
RAMBLERS
Endless possibilities, using the mountain railway system to take you to Grindelwald,
Mürren, Wilderswil, and the lakes of Interlaken. Take the little old railway from Wilderswil
to Schynige Platte, where there is an Alpine Garden with 600 species of plants. From here,
a six-hour walk takes you past the Faulhorn to First, then back to Grindelwald, for a
wonderful day’s excursion. Close to Meiringen, reached by bus over the Große Scheidegg,
are some fantastic walks: Europe’s highest and longest pedestrian suspension bridge gives
visitors access to the Trift glacier (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!) It just goes on
and on (and on!)
HIKERS
Masses of challenging and long-range hikes. By mountain railway, to the top at the
Jungfraujoch (11,333 ft.) we must go, for walks on the glacier itself. With guides try the two
day hike down the Große Aletsch glacier to Fiesch. (Overnight in Koncordia Hütte) For the
real adrenaline experience, try the Ferrata, which takes you from Mürren to Gimmelwald.
Anchors, metal rungs, and even ladders are part of the iron walkway that allows you to be
attached to the rock-face by a harness at all times. Covering 2.2km, and descending 400
metres, it usually takes three hours. Had enough? There is another one for you to try down
the Schwarzhorn in neighbouring Grindelwald.(3)
TRIPS FOR EVERYONE WITH THE JUNGFRAU TRAVEL PASS
Pure sightseeing, but can include walking if you wish
Take the cog-railway from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, and on to Eigergletscher. Now the train goes in a
tunnel up to Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe” (Pay for this section, at 50%) at over 11,000 ft. Visit the ice-
caves, and the Observatory, and (Optional) walk on the glacier to the Mönchjochhütte, at over 12,000 ft.,
for a hearty lunch. Pick a blue-sky day: this is the “must-do” trip of your holiday.
Take the cog-railways from Wengen to Mürren, then the cable-cars to Schilthorn (Pay for this section; 25%
reduction) Lunch in James Bond’s revolving restaurant, with phenomenal views of the Eiger, the Mönch,
and the Jungfrau.(Optional descent on foot)
From Wengen, take the Männlichen cable-car and gondolas to Grindelwald, and then the bus to Große
Scheidegg. Change buses at Schwarzwaldalp and on to the Rosenlaui gorge to Meiringen, to meet the train
for Brienz (Pay for this section) Lunch here, in this famous wood-carvers village, then a cruise-boat along
Lake Brienz to Interlaken, and then trains and cog-railways home to Wengen. A spectacular day.
Take the cog-railway and trains to Interlaken; change to the main-line train to Brienz, and up the Rothorn
cog-railway (usually steam-driven) to the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn for lunch. Return to Brienz;
cruise on the lake to Interlaken, then home by train. (Free all the way)
Take the railways to Interlaken Öst, then the train to Interlaken West, and cruise beautiful Lake Thun.
Visit the historic town of Thun, at the far end of the lake, for lunch, and perhaps a visit to the Castle and
the old town. (Free all the way)
Maybe we have a rainy day; let’s pray it absolutely buckets down! Why? We take our cog-railway from
Wengen down to Lauterbrunnen, to visit Switzerland’s famous “Valley of the 72 waterfalls” which will be
gushing down in full flood: Awesome! (Perhaps seriously awesome!). J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”
was set here. Visit the iconic Staubbach falls, which inspired Goethe to compose the “Song of the Spirits
over the Water”. Next the Schmadrifällen falls, and then onto the world-famous Trümmelbach falls, with
access via an underground funicular (Free entry if pre-booked for 7, 10 & 14 day clients). We are heading
for the top of the valley, at Stechelberg, beneath Schwarzmönch Mountain, for tea served with a huge
slice of Black Forest Gateau, drenched in Schnapps. We can walk or take the friendly postbus home (Small
supplement). After all this we won’t need any lunch, but maybe a friendly face to guide you home safely!
The sun is out again: fancy an adventure day? So back we go to Grindelwald, via the Männlichen lifts, and
up the Grindel gondola to First. Now a leisurely walk to Lake Bachalp for its scenic views. Then the thrilling
Cliff Walk round Mount First, with its one rope suspension bridge. Horrifying but completely safe. Next a
zip wire descent, (Terrifying), followed by a mountain cart ride down to Bort; finally a Trottbike scooter
down to Grindelwald. Adrenaline buzz the whole way! (Book locally; £64 Sfr)
A gentle day perhaps? How about a round trip: Wengen to Lauterbrunnen by our cog-railway: up to
Grütschalp by cable-car, then narrow-track railway via Winteregg to Mürren (or leisurely panoramic walk)
Funicular to Allmendhübel, finally a leisurely descent on foot or cable-car to remote Gimmelwald for lunch
in full sight of the Briethorn? Heavenly bliss! Home via Stechelberg and the Lauterbrunnen valley. Now
you realise why you need at least a ten day holiday.(4)
THE SUMMERCÄTZZ FAMILY PARTY
The SummerCätzz are a family, but we are not related. We come together each year
because we love the mountains, the flora and fauna, and we love walking. Over eighteen
years we have visited duty-free Andorra, Wengen in the Bernese Oberland, and the
Austrian resorts of Mayrhofen, Kitzbühel, Saalbach, Schladming, Neustift, Ischgl, and Lech,
and not forgetting Selva in the Italian Dolomites. Now we greet each other, once again, in
a return visit to Wengen, in Switzerland. Each year, we “Old Lags” welcome new members
to our family. Refreshed and enlivened by this “New Blood”, we adventure on into our
future together.
A large family averaging forty members, we divide into self-led groups: long tough hikes;
moderate rambles; gentle strolls; or take the day off and be a tourist; enjoying the
amenities of our lakes and mountains region, or taking a trip to somewhere romantic, such
as Berne. Choose whatever suits you best, and feel free to change groups daily as you wish.
Evenings are for relaxing in our comfortable Hotel; enjoying the ambience of an excellent
dinner together, and catching up on news from all our mates; friends (Our family), that we
haven’t seen since last year’s trip. It’s a week-long house party; and when it ends at Zürich
airport, for the journey home; it’s “see you all again next year”.
By hallowed tradition, “Next year” starts “This year” when “us” members of the Lech party
have the first opportunity to book for next year. The SummerCätzz and Inghams, our tour
operator, are pleased to be able to offer many variations of travel from the U.K., together
with different room categories, and lengths of holiday; 7, 10, or 14 days. Please recall that
only small numbers of seats on these flights are available at “Earlybird” lower prices, so
that a delayed booking might result in a particular flight already being full, or seats only
available at a higher category price. So booking early is the solution, please, to enable the
elaborate jig-saw of reservations to be assembled.
LOYALTY BONUS Lech party members who book and pay their £150 deposit by 1st June
Receive a Loyalty discount of £ 20 each. Most years, next year’s party is
Fully booked within a month of publication of this brochure.
This year, the Loyalty Bonus is also extended to members of last year’s
Party to Selva.(5)
Hotel Belvedere
Base camp for our SummerCätzz in Wengen is the three-star rated Hotel BELVEDERE. This
popular “Art Nouveau” style hotel has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and enjoys a
great location overlooking the village and Lauterbrunnen valley beyond. The village centre
is just five minutes’ walk away; for resort amenities, the Männlichen cable-car, and train
station, for access to the walking routes. The attractive bedrooms have bath, TV,
telephone, radio, safe and hairdryer. There are two types of north-facing twins-standard,
some with sloping roof. South-facing rooms have valley views. Some rooms have balconies
(on request). Facilities include a spacious lounge, cosy bar, dining room, sun terrace,
panoramic veranda and free Wi-Fi. Free morning shuttle bus to the train station.
“Four-Quarter” Pension; to include:-
Buffet Breakfast
Daily Packed Lunch
Daily afternoon tea and biscuits (3-5pm)
Four-course evening meal, mainly buffet style, with a salad buffet each evening.
PRICE 7 days £ 955
10 days £ 1133
14 days £ 1405
Supplements per person, per night:
Small Twin, with private Bath, WC (North-Facing) : Included
Twin Room with Private Bath, WC (North-Facing) : £ 13.50
Twin Room with Private Bath, WC (South-facing) : £ 26.00
Single Room with Shower WC (North-facing) : £ 14.50
Single Room with Shower or Bath,WC (South-facing): £ 30.00(6)
TRAVEL
Our main flight will be from Gatwick to Zürich, but it is equally possible to fly to Geneva.
Regional departures are many and variable. Onwards surface transfer from the airport to
Wengen is by Swiss-Rail, so very comfortable and efficient (and on time). The route is via
Bern, then Interlaken Öst, then Lauterbrunnen, finally up the cog-railway to Wengen. First
Class rail in Switzerland is available for a supplement of £ 33. Single. (Airport to Interlaken)
The general plan is that those party members opting for the seven day holiday will come
from 22 – 29 June; the ten day members arriving earlier on Wednesday 19 June, and the
full fortnight clients on Saturday 15 June. So the party keeps on growing in size, and we all
travel home together on Saturday 29 June. Come early, and get “warmed up” before the
main group arrives.
Specially to be recommended is the TEN DAY OPTION; more economical; all our regional
airports fly on Wednesday 19 June; and Wengen and the Bernese Oberland is so
magnificent – we need ten days to do justice to the region. Please note that there are NO
supplements on the main Wednesday departures.
Supplements for our airports
Airport Airline Day Supplement Departure Return
Gatwick - Geneva Easyjet Wed/Sat Nil / £19 Various
Heathrow - Geneva British Airways Wed/Sat Nil / £19 Various
Heathrow - Geneva Swiss Internat. Wed/Sat Nil / £29 Various
Luton - Geneva Easyjet Wed/Sat Nil / £19 07.00/07.30 22.10/21.30
London City - Geneva Swiss Internat. Wed/Sat Nil / £19 08.35/14.15 17.55/17.55
Manchester – Geneva Easyjet Wed/Sat £29/£39 18.25/07.10 22.45/10.35
Edinburgh - Geneva Easyjet Wed/Sat £39/£69 10.45 14.35
Gatwick - Zurich Easyjet Sat £19 07.05 10.25
Heathrow - Zürich British Airways Wed/Sat Nil / £19 Various
Heathrow - Zürich Swiss Internat. Wed/Sat Nil / £29 Various
Luton - Zürich Easyjet Wed/Sat Nil / £19 13.10 17.20
London City - Zürich Swiss Internat. Wed/Sat Nil/ £19 07.55/09.55 16.00/19.00
Birmingham - Zürich Swiss Internat. Wed/Sat £ 109 08.40 17.10
Manchester – Zürich Swiss Internat. Wed-Sat £ 109 08.45 17.10
All the above flights to Zürich are also available on Mondays and Fridays, for your convenience.
For a supplement of £ 99 connecting flights on British Airways via Heathrow are available from Aberdeen,
Belfast, Glasgow, Jersey, Leeds-Bradford, and Newcastle
KLM flights via Amsterdam are available from Cardiff, Humberside, Norwich, and Teesside, and Bristol.
As these flights are more than a year away, schedules and prices are provisional; for guidance only.(7)
More Travel Information
THE SWISS TRAVEL DISCOUNT CARD
The Swiss Travel Discount Card is worth nearly £ 100 and is included in our holiday price for all guests
travelling to Switzerland. Known in the market as the “Half-Fare Card”, it entitles us to a 50% reduction on
first or second class travel on most of the Swiss Transport network, including all mainline railways, regular
public and postbus routes. Useful, say, for a visit to Bern, but more importantly, enables us to purchase the
Jungfrau Travel Pass at a much reduced price:-
THE JUNGFRAU TRAVEL PASS
Essential for our unlimited use of the mountain transport in the Jungfrau region and Interlaken. The Jungfrau
Travel Pass includes the trains, the cog-railways, the cable-cars, the gondelbahns, plus the buses in
Grindelwald and up to Große Scheidegg. The cruise boats on lakes Thun and Brienz, and the mainline train
between Interlaken Öst and Brienz are included on six and seven and eight day passes. We purchase and pay
in sterling for these passes in advance, at the heavily discounted rates of approximately:
3 days: £97 6 days: £141 7 days: £161 8 days: £180
HOLIDAYS BY RAIL
Travelling by train is a lovely way to just sit back and relax as the scenery drifts by. Departure is from London
St. Pancras between 7.00 and 9.00 am, by Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. Paris Metro tickets are included
for the short hop to your Paris terminal to connect with the TGV train. Arrival in resort the same day between
6.00 and 9.00pm.
Supplements: (return) Standard Class: £ 90 Standard Premium Class: £ 250
This includes Standard Premium Class on Eurostar, and First Class Travel on TGV. If you wish to continue First
Class on the Swiss rail network an additional supplement of £35 applies. Meals and drinks appropriate to the
time of day are included.
SELF-DRIVE HOLIDAYS
Taking your own car and driving to Wengen from the UK can be a convenient way to travel at your own pace.
Select your P&0 ferry from Dover-Calais (cost included) or upgrade for just £29 per car to Eurotunnel, and
confirm your transit times. Your itinerary is yours to choose, just plan to arrive and depart from Wengen to
coincide with the flight you are not taking. There is a reduction of £ 85 per person.
Fly-Luggage
Swiss Railways operate a service which enables you to send your luggage all the way from your UK airport,
on check-in, to your hotel in Wengen, Switzerland. The service is available to all guests flying to Zürich or
Geneva airports, at an extra cost of £14 per item each way for the standard service. Luggage is normally
delivered the evening after your arrival at the Belvedere hotel, so it is vital to carry an overnight bag with
personal essentials. On your return the luggage is sent back to Zürich or Geneva airport the day before
departure, where, for security reasons, you collect your luggage from the airport railway station.(8)
HOLIDAY INSURANCE
Holiday Insurance is highly recommended and most people nowadays make their own arrangements,
either as an annual or a family cover. Also with a number of us above retirement age (surely not!) and
maybe with other ailments that we need to disclose to our insurance company, it’s best these days to
advise everyone to make their own private arrangements. We travel this year once again with Inghams
Travel, and insurance can be obtained through this tour operator, if necessary. Details will be supplied on
request. But whatever you decide, please make sure you have your European Health Insurance Card
(EHIC), obtainable free of charge from your nearest post office, and bring it with you.
HOLIDAY COSTS
Holiday Costs include economy class air travel from U.K. airport to Zürich or Geneva, onwards travel by
Swiss Rail to Wengen via Berne, Interlaken Öst, and Lauterbrunnen. (3 hours from Zürich; 3 ¾ hours from
Geneva) Luggage allowance is 20kg. One piece of hand luggage is also permitted, weighing up to 5kg.
“Four-Quarters Board” accommodation at the Three-Star rated Belvedere Hotel in Wengen, is included.
This consists of a buffet breakfast, packed lunch, tea with biscuits, and four-course evening meal, mainly
buffet style. Included also in the price: the U.K. air passenger duty of £ 12: the ATOL protection
contribution of £ 2.50: all known airport security charges. Inghams do, however, as part of their
“Conditions of Business” reserve the right to increase their prices due to such factors as new government
taxes, fuel price increases, or currency devaluations, which are outside of their control. In fact they have
been very good at not doing so in recent seasons. Occasionally we encounter a small resort tax payable
direct to the hotel on departure. If you wish to book this holiday without the flight, there is a deduction
of £ 85 per person.
The Small Print
Booking Places will be reserved on a first-come-first served, basis. Whilst we make every effort to find
Procedure extra places for late-comers, we would ask you to book early, if possible, to secure your place.
A Non-Returnable Booking Fee of £ 150 MUST accompany your booking (per person)
Cancellation In the event of a cancellation by yourself for whatever reason, the Booking Fee is forfeited.
Payment of Full Settlement of the account, including insurance premiums, is due on or before 1st April.
Account 2019. This is our Final Deadline and the right is reserved to cancel any place, with subsequent
Loss of Booking Fee, where the account remains unsettled after this date.
The Tour This SummerCatzz holiday is organised through Inghams Travel, and the “Conditions of
Company Business” of this company will apply. In particular, please note that a late cancellation within
Ten weeks of departure incurs heavy charges in addition to loss of booking fee, varying from
60% to 100% of the total holiday cost. Also a cancellation of a passenger occupying a twin
Room may result in under-occupancy charges for the sole remaining passenger. Full details
Will be supplied on request.
Single The supply of single rooms is always strictly limited, available only on special request, and
Rooms cannot be guaranteed. We would kindly ask you to be prepared to share with other members
Of the party. Single occupancy of a twin room can sometimes be arranged, but not
Guaranteed, usually at a considerable extra premium.(9)
Gatwick Bloc Hotel If you’ve got an early flight from Gatwick, or simply want a hassle free
Start to your holiday, you will find this hotel very convenient. It’s right
Inside the South terminal, so you step straight from reception into the departures area. Book
By calling the hotel direct on 0203 051 0101. Meals can be taken in the airport terminal.
Early Booking Our SummerCätzz party prices represent a discount of £ 55 (7 & 10 day hols)
And £ 75 (14 day hols) over the full Inghams brochure price. You will need to
Book promptly this summer to obtain this price, and it will not apply to “ex allocation” places
Ordered later in the year.
Single Rooms Always the bugbear of our holidays; scarce, and often smaller than the normal
(Austrian) twin rooms. We specially request our members to be prepared to
share; this enables our guests who have no partner to be able to join us, and hence join in all
the fun. Slightly different is the situation of a twin room used for single occupancy, which can
occasionally be obtained later on by special request, and may well carry a hefty supplement.
Zero Inflation A myth surely, but maybe not where the SummerCätzz are concerned. When
We last went to Wengen, eight years ago, in 2011, the 7-day price was £927.
The Swiss economy is remarkably stable. The 10 day version is actually £120 cheaper!
Booking Deposit £ 150 per person, per place.
Address P.M.Weston-Burt
“Avalon”
95, Malthouse Road,
CRAWLEY, West Sussex
RH10 6BJ
Telephone 01293 (Crawley) 522418
Email Paul.Michael.Westonburt@btinternet.com
Electronic Money If you would like to transfer your payment electronically, here are
The details of my account:
Account: P.M.Weston-Burt
Bank: Lloyds, 1, the Broadway, Crawley, West Sussex, BX1 1LT
Sort Code: 30-92-38
Account No. 00232466
Final Payment Settlement of the balance of the account is due by 1st April 2019.
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