Camp site: Camping Attermenzen, Tasch (8-10 August)

Day 1 - Saturday 8 August

Awoke after a great nights sleep (finally) on the car park, skipped breakfast as we wanted to get on. Drama ensued within an hour as we crossed the Swiss border on the route de Forclaz - and found ourselves on top of a mountain range over 5,000 ft up. This was all fun and games until we started the very steep descent with constant switchbacks and hairpin bends and we could smell a very strong burning smell - the front brakes were literally smoking and boiling hot. We pulled over onto a cliff edge and gave it an hour whilst Mel knocked up some ham and cheese baps. We very gingerly drive off and used the gears for braking at best we could which is hard in second gear at 5000RPM and massive queues behind. We finally made it to the bottom with bottoms twitching and breathed a sigh of relief. Genuinely terrifying. Headed to Lidl in Martigny for supplies, spent about 60 CHF which is roughly like for like for GBP. Scenery has been off the scale on this leg, truly spectacular. Arrived at Camping Attermenzen in Randa at around 3:15 and setup for the day. Weather about 31 degrees and full sun. Proper chilled day by beautiful but huge site surrounded by snow capped mountains and glaciers. Had a few beers and Mel made a lovely pasta dish with chicken, cream and lemon. Retired to bed about 9:30pm, read and fell asleep exhausted after another stressful day! 😃

Day 2 - Sunday 9 August

Awoke to 4 day old festering sausages and scrambled eggs on baps, lovely. We then made a packed lunch and caught the shuttle service from the front of the campsite - 32 quid total for return - everything is so expensive here. Trip took about 20 minutes to Zermatt, stunning place! Walked for miles through the pretty streets looking at the majestic views of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains. Some very expensive shops and chocolatieres here, we had the odd free sample and then moved on. Lots of Swiss out in their traditional “Sunday Best” and walking along with their big horns….and also their musical instruments. Miles of walking and a gazillion photos later we fell into the brown cow pub for a pint, just one mind, at £11 each. We then witnessed some kind of Swiss medieval street festival which was entertaining and then stopped on some rayte comfy benches to have our home made baps overlooking the Matterhorn. Tremendous! We walked for another couple of hours and then grabbed a quick pint before our taxi came for us at around 3:30. We paid our bill to the campsite as it was cash only - £130 for 3 nights, amazing value really considering you can pay 50 odd quid a night at some slumholes in the UK. The rest of the evening was sat under the awning drinking, listening to music and eating a fine meal of marinated chicken breast with salad, cous cous and some other veggie bits and balls of cheese. Then the heavens opened and a huge thunderstorm came and spoilt the party. We grabbed everything, awning wound in and retired to bed. Finished reading the Phil Collins autobiography and out like a light under the rumbles of thunder and pitter patter of Swiss glacial rain.

Day 3 - Monday 10 August

Woke up around 8am for the big day of walking. Had 4 chocolate weetabix to line the stomach, Mel made me a packed lunch and water and off I went on an adventure. The plan was to do the “5 lakes walk”. First step catch the train from Tasch which meant a 2.5km walk in 30 mins, arrived 8 mins before departure and a run to the toilet first. Made it with 2 mins spare, beautiful train journey into Zermatt - £16 return. Then I needed to head to the Zermatt to Sunnegga funicular railway that takes you up inside the mountain and then a cable car to the next highest point - Blauherd where I started the walk. Return tickets were £52. The walk was utterly amazing, a circular that was around 12km. Weather dropped to about 10 degrees at the highest point and was then pretty much mid 20’s onwards. It rained for about 30 minutes. Other than that it was pretty much perfect conditions for walking. The route was packed with mostly German, French and oriental walkers - I didn’t hear one English speaker. I stopped for a picnic at the climax of the walk and it was genuinely THE most amazing view I have ever seen. The Matterhorn to one side and the dramatic Rimpfischhorn and the Findel glacier below. Truly memorable and once in a lifetime stuff. 4 hours later, Exhilarated and exhausted, I caught the cable car and funicular back down to Zermatt and headed to Harry’s Bar - a recommendation from Ginger Andy - it was spot on! A couple of halves of Schneider Weisse - at only £14 a pint! Headed back to Tasch in reverse & picked up a 5 litre bag of fine white wine for £16, shoved it in my backpack and walked the final 2.5km back to the camp site. Quick shower and decided to walk to the local hostel bar for a beer as they are only £5, got there and sign on door stating - closed Mondays. Unbelievable. Walked back to site, wine, beer, music, and disposable BBQ that absolutely smoked out the entire site. There was not a whisper of wind - BBQ’s are also banned, but we like to rebel. Our neighbours were closing their windows and doors around us. Oh well - it was bloody lovely, 2.5 cheeseburgers with mushrooms, plastic cheese, tomatoes, salad and Levi Roots for me and 1.5 for Mel with onions 🤮. Started reading Flea’s autobiography before bed and then retired around 10 ish for our final night at this site. 16 miles walked today and very achy legs.

🏕️ Campsite Rating

  • 🚿 Facilities — 10/10 Immaculate, with everything you could possibly need and more.

  • 📍 Location — 8/10 Very peaceful and incredibly well positioned.

  • 💷 Value for money — 8/10 £43 a night. Considering this is one of the best locations in Europe, it’s still generally cheaper than the UK rip-off shitshow.

  • 🚐 Pitches — 5/10 The only real weakness. The “park where you want” approach can mean you end up with other campers intruding on your privacy.

  • 🧹 Cleanliness — 9/10 Spotless throughout.

  • 🤝 Atmosphere — 8/10 A really enjoyable atmosphere without feeling overcrowded or chaotic.

  • 🛒 Convenience — 6/10 A bit of a slog to get to and from, so it’s not the most convenient campsite for getting out and about.

  • 🌄 Scenery — 10/10 Absolutely spectacular. You simply cannot tire of waking up to snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

  • ❤️ Would we return? — YES

⭐ Overall

This is a campsite where the location and scenery are the stars of the show. Waking up every morning to snow-capped mountains and glaciers is something you could never get bored of, and the facilities are immaculate with pretty much everything you could need.

The pitches are the main thing holding it back. The freedom to park where you want sounds great in theory, but it can mean sacrificing a bit of privacy depending on who arrives around you. It’s also not the easiest campsite to get to or from, which is reflected in the convenience score.

But at £43 a night, we’d still say it’s excellent value for what you’re getting. In one of the most spectacular parts of Europe, you’re paying less than many UK campsites charge for far less.

Our verdict: 8/10 — We’d absolutely return.