Thanks to all that vertical work yesterday, we had the agreeable situation today of downhill all the way. Downhill from Susch to the border; downhill from the border to our accommodation target in Landeck, Austria. Along with thrilling scenery, sunny weather, light winds and a return to Austrian prices, it made for a very enjoyable day. Also, in contrast to the recent Denmark End to End which was compromised by injury, I finished this traverse with the conventional number of working feet.
Our final Swiss breakfast was a standard budget-hotel affair, enlivened by its setting in what seemed a junk shop selling various vintage sewing machines, crockery and furniture. Travel certainly opens doors unexpectedly, but I hadn’t expected this quite so literally in the shape of dodgy old cabinets.
The sun shone. It was another sunhat and suncream day. We whooshed along the main road down the Inn valley between grand green peaks either side. The border post with Austria is at the village of Martina, only a couple of hours down from Susch. However, the actual border isn’t for another few kilometres.
Not that it made much difference, as the token border-guard presence at Martina showed no interest in bikes. Panniers tend to be filled not with contraband but soiled laundry.
There was the excitement of a gravel-path bike diversion because of roadworks close to the border, crunching alongside the Inn.
Soon after we could stop at the crossing itself and take celebration pictures of the signs.
Beyond this it was an utterly delightful ride on the flat to Landeck, along a good-spec riverside cycle path well plied by other leisure riders.
This has been another excellent End to End, involving some awesome scenery and trophy climbs. The heavy rain of the first few days didn’t affect the atmosphere – metaphorically, at least; literally it did, by making the air in our hotel rooms noxious with the smell of damp trainers and wet socks – but we had glorious sunshine for most of the second half.
The scary prices of Switzerland, notorious for its high cost of existing, were tamed by the expedient of supermarket eating and drinking, and smart research- and evidence-based decisions on accommodation. Interrail passes enabled us to get there at leisure on the train by interesting ways, with our own side-adventures en route (I explored beautiful Colmar in Alsace, and enjoyed wild swims in a baking-hot Munich and environs).
We tackled some heroic passes – Grimsel, Furka, Oberalp, Albula, who sound like dwarfs of Germanic legend, but there’s nothing diminutive about them. I relished the opportunity to ride these mighty peaks with their thrilling alpine views, though the mountain-epics shtick is not quite what floats my boat. (Which reminds me of the absurdist lighthouse on the top of Oberalppass, a lovely highlight of the trip.)
A totally successful and satisfactory trip.
But, next, I think, somewhere a bit less steep. In all senses.
That said, should you consider a Swiss End to End? Absolutely. It’s awesome. Just make sure your brakes are working.
Miles today: 52
Miles from Chancy to Martina: 378