ACCOMMODATION - We wanted to spend two days at 'Andermatt Basecamp' (that was the name of the chalet we had for two nights). This was one of the hardest places to get to despite being able to see it from the station. We thought it was a great place to stay and sat in the sauna watching the snow come down. WARNING There are no roads to this ski chalet!

Overnight it snowed quite heavily although the roads were clear. Generally it was cold and damp so our intended walking day did not happen. We were going to go to the top of the Oberlap Pass pass and walk up to the actual spring the Rhine starts from (that’s what is says in the brochures, anyway).

ANDERMATT - No doubt a very busy place in the skiing season but in May....not so! A couple of supermarkets otherwise its to the railway station to watch the trains!

This is what we woke up to. Despite the snow overnight the roads were clear!

We decided right from the start NOT to extend our first day cycle by walking our bikes up the Oberlapp Pass (especially since it was deep snow). So we let the train take the strain. Took local service (not the Glacier Express, bikes not allowed on that). This 15 min journey saved us several hours of uphill travel. It is also one of the great train journeys in the world.
We were the only people on this train and got off at the first stop. There was heavy snow but the roads were clear! And yes, there is a lighthouse at the top of the pass. Only there so the Swiss can say they have the tallest lighthouse in the world.

Oberlap Pass. This what it looks like on a nice day. We decided right from the start not to extend our first day cycle by walking our bikes up this lot. So we let the train take the strain. Took local service (not the Glacier Express, bikes not allowed on that). This 15 min journey saved us several hours of uphill travel. It is also one of the great train journeys in the world.

We were the only people on this train and got off at the first stop. There was heavy snow but the roads were clear! And yes, there is a lighthouse at the top of the pass. Only there so the Swiss can say they have the tallest lighthouse in the world.

Absolutely great ride at speed all the way to the bottom. A very soon into sun and blue skies. One of the most memorable 'downhills' I have ever done!

We found the route difficult to follow and ended up on the main road as it seemed to be the most direct and easiest route. However, this road took us up a very steep and long hill to Filims which was way-off our intended route. Panic set in a little bit and ended up at a very remote railway station at the bottom of a very, very steep hill. No way were we going back up it. There was a river running by but we were not sure it was the Rhine. Luckily another cyclist arrived to get on the next train and showed us a very well hidden cycle track on the other side of the river. By more luck than judgement we followed the famous Swiss Grand Canyon, where the Rhine forces its way through a narrow ravine.

This was really for mountain bikes but it got us to the outskirts of Chur and a good tarmac road into the city centre. Stayed at a backpackers hostel (JBN). This was perfect for us, more so since we found a good restaurant nearby and had an excellent pizza.

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