Hitting the heights in Tyrol

The Tyrol region of western Austria offers a chance to marvel at some of the world's most majestic scenery, writes Brendan Daly.

Admiring the view in the Stubai valley.

W hen you’re hurtling down the hairpin bend of a mountain bike trail, your brain focuses on the essentials. Can I take this turn? Why is that pothole there? Are my brakes still working? You’re unlikely to be thinking about your surroundings, but when your gnarly path is flanked by off-white Marian shrines and wooden plaques depicting Stations of the Cross, you make an exception.

I’ve just started the steep descent of the ...