TIM JEPSON’S ITINERARY

Banff

Fly to Calgary direct with Transat (airtransat.com), WestJet (westjet.com) or Air Canada (aircanada. com) from London or Manchester and arrive at lunchtime. Pick up a hire car and drive to Banff, a 90-minute journey. Check into the Rimrock Resort for three nights. If you are feeling energetic, visit the Banff Park Museum or cross the bridge beyond it to the Bow Falls Trail. Melissa’s, in an old log building, is a good spot for food (melissasmissteak.com).

Devote today to an exploration of Banff ’s surroundings. There is time for a boat trip on Lake Minnewanka (brewster.ca) and rafting on the Bow River (banffrafttours.com), along with a ride on the Banff Gondola (brewster.ca) up Sulphur Mountain.

For an easy stroll from the town centre, take the Fenland Trail, a meandering mile through forest and wetlands. The best day hike is Cascade Amphitheatre (five miles/2,030ft of ascent) which begins at the Mount Norquay Ski Area.

Kootenay is the smallest of the Rockies’ national parks, created in 1920, along Highway 93 to Radium Hot Springs. This makes it easy to explore from the road, a round-trip from Banff of around 125 miles. The highway is lined with magnificent viewpoints and trailheads for hikes. The wonderful Stanley Glacier Trail (three hours roundtrip) is the best longer hike and the Marble CanyonPaint Pots trail the pick of the strolls.

If time allows, take a dip in Radium’s hot springs.

Lake Louise