The dot is in Interlaken, the old tourist town between two lakes, with the label pointing to the Grimsel Pass that lies some forty kilometres to the east. Interlaken sits on a flat strip of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, which is exactly what its name means, and the Aare river runs through it, a bright blue-green ribbon that is wider than you expect. From here, the great white mass of the Jungfrau and its neighbours fills the southern sky, and on a clear morning it seems close enough to touch.
Tourism came early. In the early nineteenth century, English visitors found the Bernese Oberland, and the grand hotels along the Höheweg promenade date from that age, when guests arrived for weeks at a time. The old Augustinian monastery, founded in the twelfth century, gave the town its beginning, and its buildings now house the regional government. Paragliders drift down to a meadow in the middle of town, and the cafes along the promenade are full of people watching them.
For a rider, Interlaken is a base for some of the best roads in Europe. The Grimsel Pass, at 2,164 metres, runs from Innertkirchen and Meiringen through the Haslital, a deep glacial valley, passing the reservoirs of the Oberhasli power company. The road climbs through hairpins, with granite walls and dams on both sides, and the top has a hospice and a lake. From there it connects to the Furka and the Nufenen, forming one of the finest loops in the Alps. Meiringen is the usual place to stop on the way up, and Brienz, on the lake, is known for wood carving.
The town has plenty of fuel and food, with supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants of every kind. Parking is easy, though it can be busy in July and August. Interlaken has two railway stations, and the trains to the Jungfraujoch, the highest station in Europe, leave from here.
The best time to ride is from June to September, when the high passes are open. Rain can set in for days, and morning mist often lingers over the lakes, but evening light on the mountains is superb.