From the moment I started to plan this year?s Swiss tour the outcome remained doubtful. Easyjet had stopped flying to Basel from Liverpool, and the pound had dropped from 2.25 CHF to the pound to 1.6 CHF. Eventually I found a flight from Stanstead and had to plot a convoluted route across Switzerland using only hostels. The final route was far from ideal and I was very apprehensive over my ability to complete some of the daily stages.
Day 1. The ride started at Olten on the river Aare, just 30 minutes train ride from Basel. The first day?s stage was to ride 55 mile to Bern along the Aare before cutting through the rolling farmland of the Mittelland. The countryside here was a delight with numerous small villages and farms. These were not the agro industrial farms we see at home but traditional wooden farmhouses with huge roofs and overhanging eaves. These buildings house not only the farmer and his family, but also the cattle, and provide storage for the hay and equipment. These isolated hamlets were well served with a bus service and I spotted numerous cycles left at bus stops while their owners travelled into town!
Navigation would have been difficult through the maze of back roads if it had not been for the well signposted cycle routes. I normally avoid big cities like Bern as navigation can be difficult, but I was able to follow the cycle route signs through quiet suburbs before arriving at the city centre and the hostel.
Bern is Switzerland?s capital and a UNESCO world heritage site. The old town has a charm of its own; situated on a steep-sided peninsular in a crook of the River Aare. Its street plan and buildings have barely changed since medieval times. It is largely car free (but not tram free) and I spent the rest of the day soaking up the atmosphere and wandering the cobbled streets.
Day 2. The next day?s ride was another easy route, 60 miles following the River Aare into the heart of the Alps. Quiet back-roads took me out of Bern and past the airport. For a capital city, Bern must have one of the smallest airports in Europe - smaller than Humberside. The route took me past the front of the terminal building on deserted roads. Just outside the small town of Mussingen was a beautiful open-air swimming pool complex - 3 pools including a diving board - set in landscaped grounds. As it was starting to rain I used the opportunity to go inside and enjoy a poolside coffee.
Continuing along quiet roads I arrived at the lakeside town of Thun. I was now in the heart of the Bernese Oberland and the local architecture had changed to the traditional alpine chalet style of building. After enjoying a riverside lunch, courtesy of Migros the local supermarket, I abandoned the cycle route and followed the northern shore of Lake Thun to Interlaken. I had ridden the southern route before and now took the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular villages and castles along the steep mountainous northern side of the lake. Approaching Interlaken the road climbed high above the lake to cut through a series of tunnels before descending to Interlaken.
Interlaken is a tourist hot-spot offering spectacular views of the Jungfrau from the main street, but to today the cloud was down and very little could be seen of the mountains. From Interlaken I followed the shore of Lake Brienz to the small town of Brienz where I was booked into the simple grade youth hostel. Here I was introduced to a new feature of hostelling not seen in the UK, the mixed dormitory where I shared a room with two female German cyclists. They did not seem to mind so I didn?t complain!
Day 3. Next morning dawned clear with no wind; ideal for the day?s big stage. The first thing I noticed was just how much snow there was on the mountains. It had snowed overnight down to 2,000 metres. No sooner had I left the hostel when dark clouds started rolling over the mountain ridge behind me, and a strong wind started blowing down the valley reducing my speed to 9 mph on the ?flat?. 13 miles of gentle ascent brought me to Interkirchen and the start of the day?s first big climb to the 2,164 metre Grimselpass - 17 miles with 1,650 metres of ascent.
The Aare valley at Interkirchen has been described as a mini Yosemite with sheer granite mountain walls dropping down to lush green meadows, but the road soon entered the Aare gorge and the first of the climb?s many tunnels. After 7 miles I reached the small village of Guttannen where I stopped for my first break and fill my bottles from the fountain. By now the heat was stifling in the valley bottom and getting enough liquid was vital. but the cloud was chasing me up the valley and looking back Brienz was now enveloped in cloud. Beyond Guttannen I emerged above the tree line into a shattered landscape of rock and ice. The gradient had now steepened to 11% and the climbing was unrelenting up hairpin bends and through many tunnels. All I could do was to crawl along at 5mph taking frequent stops as the altitude was starting to have an adverse effect. By 3 pm I reached the summit café having seen only one other cyclist on the climb. After half an hour at the summit the cloud finally caught up with me and a cold wind was blowing - time to move on and descend into the Rhone valley.
Gletsch is a small hamlet at the head of the Rhone valley and my route from here should have taken me east over the 2,429 metre Furkapass to my overnight stop at Hospental. By now it was already 4pm and I knew that it would take another 3 hours to cross the pass. Looking up the valley I could see that the summit was already engulfed in cloud - not an inviting prospect late in the day. A quick change in plan was needed, so I headed west down the valley to the village of Oberwald were for 12 CHF I could put my bike on the car transporter which runs through the rail tunnel under the Furkapass. The tunnel emerges at Realp, just 5 miles from the simple grade hostel at Hospental. By 6 pm as I was sitting down to a substantial meal prepared by the warden when a German student arrived. He had just driven over the Furkapass and reported -2 deg C at the top. I considered my 12 CHF to have been money well spent! Only 45 miles today.
Day 4. Hospental is just a couple of miles from Andermatt, which is becoming a Mecca for cyclists as the town lies at an alpine crossroads. With seven 2,000 metre passes within riding distance of the town many cyclists base themselves here for a few days strenuous riding. Passing through the town en route for the 2044 metre Oberalp pass I spotted several groups heading for the climbs. It is only 8 miles from Andermatt to the summit but it took me 2 hours toiling under an alpine sun; legs still heavy from yesterday. The Oberalp is unusual in so much that it is also crossed by a mainline railway, the route of the famous Glacier Express. The climb is steep at first and the railway resorts to the use of rack and pinion to claw its way up the mountainside.
After a coffee at the summit the easterly descent took me down into the Rhine valley and by lunchtime had reached the town of Disentis where I stoked up on the carbs ready for the afternoon?s toil. From Disentis I would head south once more up the Medel valley to the Paso del Lucomagno (1915 metres). By now it was blisteringly hot and the 900 metre climb would take all afternoon. The Val Medel was entered through a narrow gorge with several tunnels which offered some respite from the heat. Once into the valley it was a sheer delight - no forests, just open pastures and mountains. The narrow road carried little traffic and there were just two villages, thankfully with the essential fountains.
The Hospitz Santa Maria lies at the summit of the pass. This was a beautiful and remote location with none of the commercial trappings often seen at the top of some passes. I booked into the Hospitz and was shown to a room on the top floor with stunning views over the mountains. After two strenuous days of struggling over the passes I broke my golden rule of not drinking while on tour and ordered beer(s) with my meal - tomorrow would be all downhill. Another short day with only 40 miles covered of which 25 miles where uphill.
Day 5. The descent from the Paso del Lucomagno was down another stunning alpine valley. I was now in an Italian speaking canton and the architecture had changed to the typically Italian style of whitewashed stone buildings. This was a morning I could relish, fine weather, beautiful scenery and 40 miles of downhill to my lunch stop at Bellinzona.
Bellinzona is the capital of canton Ticino and contains a medieval town centre with 3 castles. Sitting outside a pavement café I could soak up the atmosphere and watch the beautiful people parading through the streets. For once I had an easy afternoon to look forward too, only 20 miles to the hostel in Locarno. Unfortunately no sooner had I made a start when the thunder storms started to roll in, and the afternoon was spent putting the rain jacket on, or taking it off.
Locarno was journeys end. The town enjoys a glorious location on the shores of Lake Maggorie. The cycle route approached the town along the traffic free promenades following the lake shore taking me to the heart of the old town. Pushing my bike through the cobbled arcades and piazzas I was soon at the hostel. After a meal I headed off to explore the old town and enjoy the café life. Next day I caught the train back to Basel before riding out to the airport.