Morschach-Stoos: A hike of ups and downs

It was the hike of my dreams: one that involves taking a cable car to the top of an Alpine ridge, walking along above a panorama of jagged mountains, and gliding easily down on a lift at the other end. We were in Morschach-Stoos, and undertaking the panoramic route from Fronalpstock to Klingenstock. The gondola from Stoos took us upwards, at the heart of the Swiss-est part of Switzerland in Canton Schwyz, to 1,922 metres above sea level at the Fronalpstock. Clean mountain air caressed our faces as we enjoyed the journey listening to jangling cow bells far below. From the top, we could see Lake Lucerne glistening turquoise in a basin of jagged crags. It was almost so picture-perfect as to be a Swiss cliché.

As you'd expect from such a route - it takes around two hours and covers 400 metres of ascent within five picturesque kilometres of narrow path - it was really busy. We spent a lot of time giving way to walkers coming the other direction, and felt we were getting sore throats from uttering "Grüezi" to everyone who passed. It did give plenty of opportunity for admiring the scenery, however. We looked over to the Grosser Mythen, a rocky lump of a mountain that we scaled two years ago, and beyond, the rolling scenery of Canton Zug.

In almost every direction there were turquoise lakes, while the surrounding landscape was vivid green. We spotted an interesting yellow butterfly, as well as clusters of pretty wildflowers in purple and pink hues. Although short, the walk was quite tiring, with lots of uphill and downhill, and rocky terrain underfoot - so much so that I fell asleep on the train journey home.