Generation games

A white water raft ride is just one of the highlights when Stephen Hollis takes his daughters on a European adventure

Most parents will agree that family holidays with younger children are fairly easy. A nice campsite with a large swimming pool and play facilities, ideally near a beach, are all that’s needed to keep the little ones sufficiently entertained. If the weather obliges, everyone’s happy! For some, sightseeing and cultural excursions are pretty much off the agenda as they usually result in relentless moaning about how boring the historic castle/fascinating museum/beautiful countryside (delete as appropriate) is. 

Now that my daughters are both teenagers, things have changed. While they still love messing about in the water, they don’t want to spend all their time doing it, and actually enjoy finding out more about the area in which they are holidaying.

This has enabled me to plan more ambitious adventures to countries I have never visited before but have always wanted to experience. Switzerland had been close to the top of that list, so I recently plotted a route that would take us there via Belgium and Luxembourg in our borrowed motorhome. (While Belgium was not strictly a ‘new’ country, aside from a brief city break to Bruges many moons ago, I had only really ever passed through it on the way to somewhere else.)

Belgium bound

Inside Belgium’s Grottes de Han

We spent the first night of our road trip at Black Horse Farm Club Campsite – perfectly located to allow us to catch an early ferry from Dover. This meant we reached our destination of La Clusure in southern Belgium by mid-afternoon – in time to set up on our spacious pitch, make full use of the large site’s pool complex (I told you they still love it!) and enjoy a walk along the neighbouring river.

The next morning we made the short drive to the Grottes de Han (or ‘Caves of Han’). Since opening as a tourist attraction in 1857, these showcaves have become one of Belgium’s most popular destinations, attracting more than 250,000 visitors a year.

This was the exactly the type of outing which would not have been considered a few years ago, but it proved to be an absolutely fascinating couple of hours for us all.

Only Dutch- or French-speaking guides were available, but a leaflet in English explained how the caves and rock formations were created, while a sound and light show in one of the largest chambers was captivating. Your ticket also gives you access to a couple of museums and a wildlife park containing bison, bears and wolverines, but after refuelling with some Belgian waffles smothered in chocolate sauce it was time to head to our next stop in Luxembourg.

Grand opening

Although it is one of Europe’s smallest countries, Luxembourg still packs a punch. The Club works with three sites that make great bases for exploring the world’s only remaining ‘grand duchy’. We opted for Birkelt Village in the pretty town of Larochette, which sits below the ruins of a castle on the banks of a river.

A train from nearby Mersch into the capital (also, slightly confusingly, called Luxembourg) takes just 18 minutes. It is easy to spend a day just strolling around this amazing city. The roll call of important cultural and historic attractions is extensive, but the Bock Casemates – a network of tunnels carved out in the 17th century – are not to be missed. 

Our stay in Luxembourg was all too brief but we were keen to push on and leave the lowlands of Europe behind and end our trip on a high amid the towering peaks of Switzerland.

The drive to our final site near Interlaken was a thrilling taste of what was to come as first the Jura mountain range and then the Swiss Alps loomed into view. The final part of our journey involved guiding the motorhome up and down winding roads or through long tunnels carved through the rock – the scenery was spectacular enough to even distract the girls from their usual routine of snoozing/reading in the back of the van!

Thun fun

Steamboat on Lake Brienz, Switzerland

Camping Alpenblick enjoys a spectacular setting in Unterseen, next to Lake Thun and not far from Lake Brienz (‘Interlaken’ translates as ‘between lakes’). Thun may not be as big or as well known as Geneva or Lucerne but, surrounded by imposing snowcapped mountains, it scores very highly in the beauty stakes.

The beautiful surroundings are not the only thing that take your breath away either. After setting up at Alpenblick we headed straight for a swim in the lake, only to find the temperature a little chillier than expected!

For those who prefer to stay dry, numerous vessels (including a steam boat) sail around the lake all year round, stopping at various jetties to allow tourists to explore the pretty villages dotting the shoreline. 

That evening we wandered into Interlaken itself (there are regular buses from near the site) for dinner and discovered the town is something of a thrill-seeker’s paradise. After we had each devoured a huge rösti in a traditional Swiss restaurant (be warned that eating out can be expensive in Switzerland), we signed up for white water rafting the following day, having decided that bungee jumping, skydiving and paragliding were a bit out of our comfort zones.

Rapid progress

Both girls were slightly nervous as we changed into our wetsuits and life jackets and listened to a safety briefing. But, once we had manoeuvred our raft down the mighty rapids of the Lütschine to the water, their concerned expressions turned into beaming smiles. We hurtled along below the north face of the Eiger before emerging after two hours of exhausting paddling in Lake Brienz.

If we’d had the luxury of more time we would have loved to have taken the famous train to Europe’s highest railway station at Jungfraujoch, which is 3,454m above sea level, but unfortunately we had to make the long trek home (taking advantage of a one-night stop at the excellent Camping Strasbourg).

Youthful boredom had never been part of the equation during this trip, which proved to be the perfect mix of magical scenery, fascinating culture and, yes, splashing about in swimmimg pools…

• If Stephen has inspired you to visit Belgium, Luxembourg or Switzerland, please visit camc.com/overseas to book the featured campsites and find other options.