All the women arrived at the Hotel Hardermannli in Interlaken by 9pm, some of them having already spent a number of days in the area whilst others had made their own way to Switzerland by plane or train.

Being a small group we were able to get to know each other fairly quickly over our first dinner together before retiring to bed ready for setting off on our trek. (Sorry, no photos).

As this was the beginning of a number of days trekking I had tried to keep the first day reasonably short allowing everyone to go at the their own pace and break themselves in gently to the terrain.

We were carrying our own packs and were at slightly higher altitude than normal.

We began by walking to the train station, allowing enough time for some of the group to do their last minute shopping and buying snacks etc.

After a five minute train journey we arrived in Wilderswill, enjoyed a coffee before jumping aboard the postbus to Saxeten higher up the valley, from where we began our trek.

We immediately ascended, although it was gradual, and as the weather was overcast we weren't exposed to the heat of the sun.

We stopped occasionally to enjoy the wild strawberries, cross a couple of streams and make our way up through the trees to our first saddle.

Here we descended before climbing again to our second saddle where we ate our lunch looking out to the scree slope that we were about to cross.

After the scree, it was only another forty five minutes to the wonderfully located Lobhornhutte.

We managed to get our first glimpses of the mountain range opposite the hut whilst drinking coffee and eating cake.

As we were sharing a large mattress platform we made up our beds early, ate a great dinner of soup, pasta with sauce, and mousse, then retired looking forward to the day ahead.

We woke early and found the views were improved on the day before - though we still weren't yet blessed with clear skies and sunshine.

After a breakfast of bread, cheese and jam, we said our goodbyes and walked downhill to the stream where we briefly followed the path leading to Isenfluh before setting off towards Murren and Almendhubel.

Today there was much more gradual undulation, meaning that we covered the ground in good time.

After enjoying our picnic lunch and being fortunate to observe a choir singing out in the open air, we arrived at the Sonnenberg, just above Murren.

We almost opted for a trip up to the Schilthorn, but the weather had closed in with low cloud and rain, so we chose a visit to Murren to stock up on supplies instead.

It was also the Schilthorn triathlon, but none of the women felt that they missing out by not competing!

On return to the Sonnenberg, there was enough time to shower and relax, play cards and read before dinner.

Once again it was a set menu; soup, meat, polenta, veg and vanilla cream dessert, accompanied by some wine. Tonight we had the room to ourselves although we were sharing large mattresses again.

Woke up to a beautiful day!

What a view: the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau, Silberhorn, Breithorn and Tschingelhorn in all their glory, glowing in the morning sun.

It almost seemed more impressive as we had been deprived of the views for the two previous days.

Today was the beginning of a number of longer days.

After a hearty breakfast of cereals, yoghurts, bread, cheese and jam, we started the day with a walk round to the next valley, before heading down towards Gimmelwald, crossing behind the waterfalls.

The views all the way were impressive and we couldn't resist a stop in Gimmelwald for a coffee at the Mountain Hostel.

There was still more descending to be done before beginning the ascent up the Lauterbrunnen valley towards Obersteinberg.

We stopped on route for our picnic lunch, basked in the sun and lapped up every detail of the mountains surrounding us.

At the Obersteinberg we stopped for some water, looking out over the impressive Schmadri Falls.

Then began the descent to the river and our route to the Hotel Alpenhof in Stechelberg.

On arrival we were welcomed into our twin rooms, had a cuppa, showered and made our way five minutes down the road to the nearby hotel for dinner.

The menu was extensive and it was nice to make our own choices. Back at the Hotel Alpenhof there was a huge selection of books, so a few women made use of them over a cup of tea to finish off the day.

We were met outside with slight drizzle after our very hearty homemade breakfast. We certainly didn't have any excuses for not making it up the hill today!

The route began down the road towards Lauterbrunnen, before taking a small track towards the Trummelbachfalls.

We ascended with the use of fixed cables rather than take the tourist route and crossed over the falls much higher up on our way to Wengenalp.

This was definitely the day of ascent and at times the climb seemed to go on a long way, but we all walked at our own pace, which helped with the success of the day.

After lunch, we made the small ascent to Wengenalp, where we visited Trudi's cafe.

Trudi certainly is a likeable character and welcomed us with tea and cakes.

Twice whilst we were there we witnessed an avalanche on the opposite side of the valley below the Silberhorn, but this seemed to be a common occurrence for Trudi as she continued to bake her delicious cakes!

One final push and we were up at the Eigergletscher. What an achievement!!

Inside the Eigergletscher we were shown to our twin rooms, which felt like were going back in time, showered overlooking the Eiger, then ate a superb dinner of soup, pasta and cake.

There was definitely no chance of going hungry on this trek!

Blessed again with just the weather that we needed, we enjoyed great views down the valley above Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald before breakfast; another hearty affair.

Today we walked the famous Eiger trail below the impressive north face.

As we looked up we could make out the windows and lights from the tunnel that allows the train to make its way up to the Jungfraujoch.

We crossed a couple of streams with snow tunnels still evident, then contoured round to the Gletscherschluht, where we ate our lunch looking up at one of the receding glaciers.

We dropped down the Marmorbruck for an ice-cream or drink (or both!) then made our way up to Pfingstegg.

A cable car drops down into Grindelwald from here and a toboggan run makes its way around the mountain, but we took the more relaxed option of continuing on foot to the Hotel Wetterhorn at the base of the valley.

We were back to sharing a room, but this time we had bunkbeds in a room to ourselves and exclusive use of the showers.

Dinner was a set menu of soup, pasta and meat/veggie schnitzels and dessert. No game of cards tonight, maybe we were a little tired!

As everyone felt energised after their breakfast we decided to walk up to Grosse Scheidegg to look at the view in the side valley.

Everyone managed the ascent in very good time and from there we contoured our way around to First where we ate our lunch looking out onto the Eiger, the Finsteraalhorn and the Wetterhorn.

A short ascent after lunch bought us to the Bachalpsee.

Some women had thought that they may take a dip, however it clouded over on arrival and the water didn't look quite as appealing as we had hoped.

With the Hotel Faulhorn looming behind us, we decided to make the final push the last 400m to see what the views would hold.

The Hotel Faulhorn is positioned literally on top of the mountain! Occasionally the cloud swirled around, blocking our view but we kept getting little windows of mountains and valleys.

We were sharing the large mattress accommodation with other people and it was rather chilly up there, so we made our sleeping areas as soon as possible, obtaining as many blankets as we could.

Dinner was a choice and we all chose different food according to our appetite, then shortly after we had finished, it was time to go onto the viewing platform above the accommodation to watch the sunset. It was an incredible view.

I woke early to check if the weather was clear enough to see the sunrise before waking the women.

As the sun rose, the mountains turned pink and the cloud became a thick sea of cotton wool below us.

We stayed out as long as we could, before warming up over breakfast and then heading off on our last day.

As we walked away we looked back up at this incredibly located hotel!

The route took us out to the Schynige Platte, with fabulous limestone rock formations and stunning views down to Interlaken.

The exit from the mountains this way is fairly short, allowing sufficient time for the women to get the train back to Interlaken, shower and relax before dinner.

However, we were all enjoying it so much up there that we made the most of it and walked at a slower pace with more stops to take in the views.

Back in Interlaken, the busy streets packed with tourists came as a shock after being away from it for so many days!

We all ate a delicious last evening meal together at a restaurant near the hotel. Tomorrow we would journey home - although one woman was staying out longer... It has been a great first WW trip in the Jungfrau region!

Comments from the group via Sara: Many women felt that their fitness levels had increased during the week and that they acclimatised well to being at a slightly higher altitude than normal. The trek allowed them to walk at a pace that suited them individually, therefore maximizing on the enjoyment of the holiday. For some, they expanded their comfort zone and learnt new skills and others simply enjoyed being back in the beautiful mountains that they knew. All the huts provided a comfortable stay, with friendly staff offering to help. The Lobhornhutte was a favourite for its simplicity and remoteness and the Eigergletscher couldn't be beaten for luxury.