The Magnificent Matterhorn

Tim Ross travels on the breathtaking Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps, enjoying the spring beauty of the Matterhorn and the warm hospitality of Zermatt...

At 5.30am on July 13, 1865, British mountaineer Edward Whymper set out to make history as the first man to climb the Matterhorn. Desperate to beat his Italian rivals to the summit, Whymper and his team braved the mountain's perilous eastern face. The team were equipped with only a few rudimentary supplies, including rope and some wine to keep them going. By 1.30pm the following day they had reached the summit and conquered for the first time what is arguably the most distinctive mountain in the world. Whymper's great expedition, however, met with a tragic end. On the way back down four of his party fell and were killed. The thin rope they used for a safety support proved hopelessly inadequate to the task and snapped under their weight.

Nearly 150 years on, The Matterhorn and the 38 other 4,000m peaks surrounding the small town of Zermatt continue to attract tourists with a taste for adventure and the fresh, clear air of the mountains. All year round you can ski or snowboard, and in the summer the range of activities widens to include high-altitude hiking, mountain biking and, of course, climbing. Everything in the town itself is suffused with this pioneer spirit, yet runs with a tidy smoothness that could only be Swiss.

Cars are banned from Zermatt and transport is provided either on foot or by an elaborate yet flawless system of tiny electric bus trains, the sort of thing you see taking the very youthful and very elderly around zoos in England. Even the goats, which are still put out to pasture on the slopes of the Matter Valley, troop through the main street at the same time every evening. There is no better way to get to Zermatt than by one of Switzerland's famously punctual trains - the Glacier Express, which runs through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on Earth.

From Davos, "the slowest express in the world", as it is known, takes the best part of a day to wind its way through the valleys and up the Alpine slopes to Zermatt. Once on board, though, you never want the leisurely journey to end. The train itself is dazzlingly clean, with vast windows that extend into the roof of the viewing carriage. Within the first couple of minutes the reason for this design becomes clear.

With each turn of a corner another stunning vista opens up. As the journey continues, the train passes farmers' sheds on the lower slopes deserted earlier in the year as they moved their cattle to higher pastures. Further into the Alps, towering peaks rise up on either side, still with snow on them in late June. Eventually, as the train slowed to a crawl, we pulled up to the highest point of the route - the stunning 2,000m Oberalp pass.

Here, among thousands of tiny yellow, blue and purple flowers, a lone marmot was perched on a rock, peering at our train as it passed. It's a spectacular day's travelling; well worth paying a little bit more for a first class seat in an observation carriage. After eight hours or so, during which we crossed both the Rhine and the Rhone rivers, at last Zermatt and the Matterhorn were in sight.

When Queen Victoria heard of the disaster that befell Whymper's expedition, she gave orders for a new law banning people from climbing mountains. Luckily, it didn't stick. Many now flock to the area every summer when the main ski season is over to take on the giant peaks - some even attempting to emulate Whymper's efforts at the Matterhorn itself.

"After a breakfast in the mountain-top restaurant, we chose a gentle route back down the slope, covering the sparse landscape of wind-blown rocks and grasses slowly until we came to the shimmering lake, Riffelsee."

For more relaxed visitors like us, Zermatt has about 400km of hiking trails to choose from, ranging from easier beginners' routes to more strenuous treks. We began our own explorations with an early start in the darkness and another train, this time up the Gornergrat mountain, to watch the dawn.

With the temperature only a little above freezing even in summer and the sky blazing to the east, the first rays of the sun coloured the Matterhorn purple, then pink, gold and finally white as day broke over a sea of Alpine peaks. Braced against the glacial wind on the side of a mountain 3,000m high, we were simply not prepared for such a breathtaking show. After a breakfast in the mountain-top restaurant, we chose a gentle route back down the slope, covering the sparse landscape of wind-blown rocks and grasses slowly until we came to the shimmering lake, Riffelsee.

Zermatt has devised many ways to revive and restore tired hikers and one of the best has to be enjoying a slowly poured beer at an outside table in one of the town's cafes.

In addition to a welcome pint, a saunter down Zermatt's main street reveals a number of tempting options: champagne and oysters in a romantic log cabin, hot sausages from Willy Bayard's butcher's grill, and, of course, some of the finest chocolate mankind has ever produced. There are also several genuinely excellent restaurants in the area. All these treats were served with the tidy efficiency and lack of fuss typical in a country that seems to be run on quartz-crystal precision.

But the Swiss did provide us with one refreshingly messed-up moment. One of the country's famously punctual trains was six minutes late, which meant we missed our connection to the airport - and our flight as well. It's nice to know that even in the land of clocks, the cuckoo occasionally gets the last laugh.

TRAVEL FACTS

Tim Ross was a guest of Inghams Lakes & Mountains. He flew with Swiss International Air Lines and stayed at the four star Hotel Sunstar Park, Davos for three nights and at the four star Hotel Alpenhof in Zermatt for four.

Prices start from £664 (two sharing), including half-board accommodation, return scheduled Swiss International Air Lines flights ex-Heathrow and free Swiss half price card usable on most mountain railway, cable car and boat excursions.

Also included in the package is the transfer of one piece of luggage per person, from airport to hotel and on to the next resort. Regional flights ex-Manchester/Birmingham available for supplement.

Inghams' Glacier Express tour includes a 10/11 night, three centre rail holiday via Davos, Zermatt, Montreux and/or Interlaken from £762, including return flights with regional departures available for supplement.

Inghams reservations: 020 8780 4433 or book online at www.Inghams.co.uk.

Brochure hotline: 09070 500 500 (calls cost 50p per minute at all times).