Should you be hankering after an Alpine break but one, perish the thought, that does not revolve around braving countless black runs on the ski slopes, Brummell suggests you sample the International Hot-Air Balloon Festival.

The festival in Château-d'Oex runs throughout this week, filling the Swiss skies with an assortment of balloons that are as colourful as they are eclectic and whose slow breathing sound will be heard by the region's hordes of skiers on the slopes far below.