How we did it

TRAVEL We drove from Zürich airport to Ulrichen, but it is fairly straightforward to travel via train, a journey that takes around four hours. The Swiss SBB railway network is bike friendly and trains to Ulrichen are regular, although expect to make anything between one and five changes. Prices start from around £90 one way, but if you are planning a longer stay in Switzerland with multiple train journeys, a Half-fare Travelcard can be purchased for £140, which not only provides half-price rail fares, but also discounts on museum passes, rail travel in neighbouring countries and car rentals. See sbb.ch for more details.

ACCOMMODATION We stayed in the charming Hotel Nufenen (hotel-nufenen.ch) and were well looked after by husband and wife team Martin and Vrony. In between cheffing in the hotel kitchen, Martin can often be found halfway up the Nufenenpass on his bike, while Vrony is like a mum away from home, offering bidons of hot mint tea for early morning rides and second and even third helpings at dinner for hungry cyclists. There is even a decent bike storage-cum-workshop to boot should you need it.

DESTINATION The Goms region in Upper Valais is almost as famous for its whitewashed, slender-spired wooden churches as it is for its mountains and its proximity to the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-aletsch, a Unesco-protected area containing the north face of the Eiger and the largest glacier in the Alps, the Aletsch Glacier. The Glacier Express panoramic train line serves Goms, linking it with Zermatt, St Moritz and Davos, while just 5km down the road is the start of the Furka Line steam train, which puffs a wonderfully scenic route over 18km of mountain track from Oberwald to Gletsch to Realp. The trip takes two hours in total, so if time is at a premium you might just be better off by bike!