Woke early in preparation of a long day to bike to and swim in four lakes. I hadn't done more than three lakes in one day previously and experience had shown that it is not the biking that adds time, it is the swimming especially if one needs to find a suitable place to get in, so today was going to be a real challenge. The plan was to take the bikes on the train from Klosters to Zernez and then ride and swim to Lai da Ova Spin, Lago di Livigno and then ride through Italy before heading over the pass back into Switzerland to Lago Bianco and finishing with a swim in Lago di Poschiavo and then taking the train back to Klosters. The key to achieving our goal was to catch the 11.35am bus connection (not allowed to bike) through the Munt La Schera Tunnel that links the Engadin Valley in Switzerland  to Livigno in Italy. The estimated route was 85km with nearly 2000m of climbing. Lai da Ova Spin, (ranked 100) the smallest lake on the challenge, is a reservoir on the Spöl river near to Zernez, Grisons in the Canton of Graubunden lying at an altitude of 1630m. Lago di Livigno is a reservoir in the Livigno valley. The reservoir is mostly in Italy whereas the Punt dal Gall arch dam is crossed by the border with Switzerland. It is the 24th largest lake. Lago Bianco is a reservoir at the Bernina pass in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It has an elevation of 2,234 m and lies south east of Livigno. Continuing further south back towards the Italian border lies Lago di Poschiavo, which is a natural lake in the Val di Poschiavo in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is well over 1000m lower than Bianco at 962m.
I am always impressed by the efficiency of organizing travel with bikes on trains. The service at the ticket office in Klosters was simple and easy, with the lady behind the counter switching between Swiss German into perfect English when my almost fluent German (cough) faltered. As the train pulled into the station almost to the second on time, the guard alighted to show us the correct carriage for loading the bikes on. One quick change of train with no problems, we arrived in the small town of Zernez. The weather was already very warm despite us being at an elevation of 1400 metres. We set off and immediately the very smooth tarmacked road led us up an almost continual gradient of about 9% into the surrounding mountains. After about 45 minutes of continual climbing to a height of about 1800 metres we spotted the striking milky blue waters of the Ova Spin lake between a forest of pine trees about two hundred metres below us. On the right, a road signposting the Ova Spin Electrical Works, snaked down towards the northern end of the lake. Jeremy said he was not going down there as he did not want to climb back the 200 metres we would lose. To his credit, the main road started to descend and at the far end of the lake after looking in vain for any path and with me thinking we would have to go back to the works site, he suddenly stopped at the roadside by a footpath signpost. The path was steep, very narrow, very rocky and tree rooted and definitely not suitable for bikes. We therefore locked the bikes together and changing footwear, set off on foot. After about a ten minute walk downhill, the path levelled but still we were 30 metres above the water. Spotting a pebbly area on the waters edge, we took an off piste route scrambling down rocks through the trees (Jeremy tried a bit of rock climbing down, I decided not to follow, preferring to walk a little further along before finding an easier route). Stripping off, Jeremy waded in au natural, followed by me wearing my Speedos into the very cold water. 6 degrees maximum, but a wonderful experience in incredibly coloured water. Back out and changed, we then walked 20 minutes back to the bikes and set off again, the weather now getting hot. The walk and swim had taken almost an hour and we now had to hurry to catch the Tunnel bus. Fortunately it was only about two kilometres and all downhill and we arrived with 15 minutes to spare. The bus collection point is alongside the Swiss border control. The tunnel has only a single lane and the traffic is controlled by red and green lights changing every 15 minutes. Therefore at 11.30 we expected the bus to appear but no sign as the lights changed once more. Finally at about 11.55 the Italian bus appeared. During our wait, an Italian cyclist had joined us and advised with plenty of gestures, that our quest to swim in Livigno was impossible... no water. The journey through the very dark, single lane rocky roofed tunnel was accompanied by the Italian driver in conversation with our cyclist friend, also making gestures and commenting on mad English people wanting to swim in Livigno. Still shaking his head, he unloaded our bikes at the Italian border and departed with a final shrug and gesture towards the completely dry side of the dam. Fortunately we could see water ahead of us, albeit at a very low depth. The difference between the Swiss and Italian side was stark. The Swiss border guards diligently stopped every car, checked papers and contents of vehicles. There was no one at the Italian border! The road alongside the lake is fast and interspersed by many tunnels cut through the rocky outcrops. As we cycled through these tunnel we were passed by several groups of very fit, thin, tanned young Italian cyclists, all chatting like crazy as they hammered past doing over 40km/hr. In the distance we could see a small scrubland area with a potentially less steep rocky gradient to the water. We stopped, changed shoes again and scrambled down the scrub covered and scree filled slope to what was a very murky lake. Because it was relatively shallow, the water temp was relatively warm but swimming through the muddy water was not that pleasant. However, lake swim completed, we headed to the sleepy Alpine town of Livigno. It is a popular ski area in winter but little appeared to be happening in summer. (apart from a lot of construction work). We found the Pizzeria Sportin, its outside terrace occupied by workmen and other cyclists passing through, where we had a couple of paninis washed down with a small beer. Very tasty and good service. Leaving Livigno, the road climbs steadily for 16km from 1800 metres through stunning mountain scenery to just over 2200m before dropping down to 2000 metres, then turning right and climbing again for another 6 km to the summit at 2315m where the Lago di Bianco comes into view. The name, White Lake, is called that for a reason. Even in mid June with high temperatures, the lake was still partially covered in ice and snow which was in contrast to the very blue water. Beautiful but freezing. We discovered this by crossing the railway line at station Ospizio Berlina and heading down the dusty track to the waters edge, we slid into the lake next to an underwater ice shelf. Having not swum in ice water since January, my hands contracted into a claw like grip and my feet went numb almost immediately. We did swim but only for about three minutes before staggering out, shaking our arms vigorously to encourage blood re-circulation. Now for the downhil... 23km of white knuckle ride descending over 1100 metres at speeds reaching 80km/hr.. amazing ...until we reached the town of Poschiavo, the location of our final lake. We decided to turn off the main rouad to explore the town, and were rewarded by cycling though one of the prettiest town squares I have ever seen. Pink and yellow painted hotels and restaurants with outside terraces decorated with flowers and shrubs surrounded a cobbled courtyard. Definitely a place to bring a loved one for a weekend. Onwards through the town to another beautiful blue water lake  with lawns and gently shelving small gravel beaches. However, no time to dawdle, we still had a train to catch, so with a quick dip, we headed to La Prese station closest to the lake, where we caught the Bernina train (highest railway in the alps) which takes one back over where we had just cycled giving fantastic views as it meanders up back up the mountain pass. Three hours and two changes of train later, we arrived in Klosters at about 8.30pm where we met Mark who was joining us on the trip the following day. We enjoyed pizzas and beer at a local restaurant before getting back into cars to head back to Jeremy's place for the night. Now dark, Jeremy, spotting Mark and wanting to let him know to follow, hooted his horn. The horn stuck and continued to blare out across the sleepy town, arousing neighbours and eventually the police. Jeremy drove to a local campsite where it would not wake the townsfolk, just the campers. It was deafening. Trying to fix the problem with no tools failed, but a call to the TCS bore fruit, when a local fireman arrived and proceeded to work on the problem. Police arrived to question Jeremy (we kept a discreet distance away, pretending not to know him) before suddenly the noise stopped. Phew. Back to Jeremy's, one more beer, catch up on football and bed.
Lessons Learned.. Jeremy has amazing balance on his bike going up steep hills.. anybody else going that slowly would fall off. Apart from that, go and visit the area of Graubunden.. stunning