More Swiss riding

Very few of the trails are purpose-built for mountain bikes. They are mostly gravel roads and walking trails which mountain bikes are permitted to use, which means many are loose, steep and rocky, while others are easy. And we sometimes have to dodge walkers.

Friendly cows with their musical bells.

Zermatt has a variety of transport options to get people up the mountains. This is a cable car.

There are also gondolas where bikes hang on hooks outside the gondola.

And a funicular train that goes up inside a tunnel at about an almost 45 degree incline.

And there is a regular train for rides along the valley.

And the heritage Gornergrat train which uses cogs to climb the steep iclines to 3089 metres.

The Gornergrat train passing through the avalanche shelter as we rode down.

There were five rock fall shelters beside one of the trails.

Sketchy narrow trails. Some sections just have to be walked.

And this suspension bridge, 100 metres long and just as high.

We are mostly riding downhill but we are peddling uphill in some places.

We have had quite a few picnic lunches on our rides.

And the Matterhorn is ever present.

Zermatt - three days of mountain bliss.

If we had a couple of dollars for every time we have said WOW, we could have paid for this trip. 

Morning views from our balcony

Zermatt town

The entrance to the tunnel train, a variation on the numerous gondolas and cable cars and trains that take people and bikes up the mountains.

Real mountain biking in real mountains. Our first day of riding. About 23 kms, some up but mostly down.

A perfect day for reflections in one of the famous lakes. Stellisee.

Morning tea at a mountain restaurant above the lake. 2620 metres above sea level.

Riding down, some roads, some single track.

Lunch time. A bench in the shade with a view.

A day trip to Italy - no bikes.

Cable cars and gondolas to 3830 metres.

Numerous glaciers, permanent snow and summer skiing.

More gondolas over into Italy. We chose to walk the last few steep kms down into Cervinia. The Matterhorn looks different from this side.

We had gelati and gnoochi in Italy. Yum!

Then we rode the gondolas back into Switzerland, stopping to admire the view at the top station. 

And explore the Glacier Palace, in tunnels under the glacier with ice sculptures.

Then back onto the cable cars and gondolas to return to Zermatt.

We stopped at one of the stations on the way down to take more photographs.

And that is just our first three days! 

And, one more Matterhorn photo taken on our first mountain bike ride.