The best campsite is Mettlen at Gohl, 2km north of Langnau (034/402 36 58), a modest place with goodish facilities; there’s another, wilder option at Bumbach (034/493 47 00). The spartan HI hostel at Mooseggstrasse 32 in Langnau (034/402 45 26; closed Feb & Oct) has dorms at Fr.14 per person excluding breakfast, while the Berghotels on the summits of the Napf (034/495 54 08, fax 495 60 02; a; closed Mon in winter) and the Marbachegg (034/493 32 66, fax 493 47 94) have dorm places for Fr.30–35.

Otherwise, every hamlet has its choice of small-scale country inns which double as hotel and restaurant, virtually all of which, big and small, use farm-fresh produce and ingredients brought straight into the kitchen from that morning’s market – bad Emmentaler cooking is a contradiction in terms. Affoltern, for instance, has the impressive Sonne (034/435 80 00, fax 435 80 19; b), with a few pleasantly renovated rooms above a good local restaurant; while the Hirschen (034/402 15 17, fax 402 56 23; b), a huge inn in typical Emmentaler style, dominates the centre of Langnau. Kemmeriboden rejoices in the wonderful Kemmeriboden-Bad hotel (034/493 77 77, fax 493 77 70, www.kemmeriboden.com; c), with comfortable rooms, dorm places (Fr.28) a superb Ämmitaler RuschtigMenü and simply dreamy home-made meringues.