Ramblers, Upper Inn Valley, Austria

Last night after work we took the train from Curriehill station to Manchester Airport, changing at Edinburgh and Preston. We've booked a night in the Manchester Airport Hilton Hotel.

Our flight is at 8.40am so we get up not long after 6 for a buffet breakfast in the hotel.

The airline is Swiss and the flight to Zurich takes off 20 minutes late, but makes up the time en route. In fact the flight time is only one hour twenty minutes. We get a sandwich provided on the plane.

We're met by Ramblers' representatives Ursula and Julian at Zurich Airport. Eight are arriving from Manchester and the rest from London. The London flight is slightly later so eight of us leave with Julian in a minibus.

The trip to Ladis is about 4 hours, shortly after crossing the border into Austria we stop on the way for a break at the Rosenberger service station in Hohenems. The weather is fine and sunny.

Eventually we arrive at the Hotel Goies in Ladis, Upper Inn Valley, Tirol, Austria. This is a very luxurious spa hotel, where we're staying for the duration of the Ramblers' holiday.

We check in and find our room. It's very nice! It's a suite on the second floor with living room, dining area, two balconies, large double bedroom and its own private sauna with view over the mountains.

We have fluffy dressing gowns and slippers for the spa, they even provide a rucksack and umbrella in each room.

The welcome meeting is at 6pm where Julian and Ursula  tell us about the next day's choice of walks.

Then dinner, which is 5 courses: salad buffet, some kind of mousse, soup, pork cutlet with noodles and a pudding. This sets the tone of the eating for the rest of the week, it really is excellent.

After dinner we have a short walk into the village and stop for a drink at the Hotel Bad Ladis. We're the only people in a small, hot room with loads of flies. The waiter puts a fly-swatter on the table, I think we're expected to execute a few.

Bed about 10.30.