In fact, there's a signposted cycle path from the Italian border through the Eastern Tirol in Austria to the Slovenian border. And it is wonderful. Beautiful, quiet and with only gentle gradients.

In fact, we recommend you do it from bottom to top! But we defy you to notice that it goes uphill. And everything about it is so easy...

You can hire bikes (child’s bike around GBP22.50/15* per week, 'citybikes' GBP 35/22* per week, MTBs cost one-third more and child seats GBP3.50/3* per week, from all major rail stations, and if you have arrived by train you get a substantial discount*. (See also the Austrian Railways web site, or e-mail rentabike@aon.at.)

Every village and town has accommodation and most have tourist information offices to make it even easier. Signs on the route specifically target cyclists... Fahrradfreundliche Hotel/ Pension/Dorf (cycle-friendly hotel/ B and B/ village); Heidi's Radlertreff (Heidi's café/ bar for cyclists). There are camp sites - all scrupulously clean and often on a lake or next to an open air pool, both of which equal 'swimming opportunity' in land-locked Austria; rooms (Zimmer), hotels and so many route signs, R1, you can almost dispense with a map...

As you travel from west to east the valley and the river (which much, much further south, flows into the Danube) is wide and the water vibrant turquoise. Where the Drau marks the border with Italy, it's a trickle, but by now you are among the craggy, towering Dolomites.