First day - to Oberalpass and then downhill to Iliaz

Our first taste of Swiss railways took us to Oberalpass - basically the source of the Rhine and some 2040m above sea level. I’d like again to report that the railway system didnt run like clockwork, but alas, from the queuing system to the time we rolled into Oberalpass, it was not only impossibly efficient, but also wonderfully spectacular in the views from the 4 separate trains we had to take. You can’t complain about the £73 each ticket price ( although I did winge at the time) as not many railways deposit you at the top of a high mountain pass!

Not how to store your bikes
What wasn’t quite so easy was carting our fully loaded bikes on and off. The Swiss seemed not so keen to get help as we lugged the behemoths on and off, preferring to stand back and mentally tut as their smooth passage onto the train was slowed. That said, we chatted to a very funny Swiss couple who were on their way to holiday in Italy, the reason being that it’s much cheaper there. Yes, even the Swiss find Switzerland ridiculously expensive, with the gold standard of a coffee and a cake reaching about £8.

Now the guide book and profile suggested that the first leg to Ilanz was downhill, so I expected not to have to pedal at all. Wrong- whilst the first 10km was whizzing down hairpin bends, with Sian frequently saying “Eeeeek” into my headset ( we have a helmet walkie talkie system that has proved totally invaluable , but does of course also transmit every grunt and puff and pant unless you remember to switch it to the voice activated setting), the rest of the trip did involve a fair amount of steep humps and not so smooth tracks.

So it all took a bit longer than we had anticipated, but the net result was that we rolled into Ilanz about 6. The guide book had also led us into the false premise that the place was choc a bloc with campsites, B&B’s etc. Hmm- the place seemed deserted and we couldnt even find a tourist information place. I managed to find a place through Booking.com, the only snag being it being a further 4.5miles away. Sian was pretty tired by now, but a quick boost from her remaining porridge in her flask and we made it.

It’s from this hotel that I am writing this. Definitely a tad odd, in that we appear to be the only guests despite there being lots of rooms. Yet it’s not dingy or unpleasant- far from it. The owners speak German, and this is not normal German. Swiss German I am assured is very difficult to understand even if you German! So communication awkward. However, I did understand enough that breakfast is at 8 o’clock.

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