Into the Jaws of Death and beyond; Amy Watkins leaves the City of Glass behind for a breathtaking train journey to the Canadian Rockies.(Features)

Byline: Amy Watkins

As I took my morning swim among the Rockies, it was silent enough to hear a Canadian pine needle drop. Suddenly, a chomping sound interrupted my backstroke. As I swam nearer I could see a sunbathing local sprawled on the grass; my furry companion at the Fairmont Banff Springs pool was an unconcerned young elk eating his breakfast. His kind was here first, after all.

As one of Canada's most picture-perfect towns, snow-sprinkled Banff attracts brown bears, white-bottomed elks and outdoorsy tourists. Sunshine lit up glacial-blue lakes and emeraldgreen forests as I rode the cable car up Sulphur Mountain, kayaked along Bow river - breaking up reflections of the majestic mountains with my paddle - and soaked in the hot springs.

Banff is blessed with photogenic attractions such as the waterfalls of Cascade Mountain and frozen expanse of Lake Minnewanka, but my train journey here through British Columbia had been the real adventure.

Vancouver's glinting high-rises earned it the nickname 'City of Glass', but the urban peninsula is surrounded by mountains and edged by Stanley Park's forest. From the foodie's dream of …

Into the Jaws of Death and beyond; Amy Watkins leaves the City of Glass behind for a breathtaking train journey to the Canadian Rockies.(Features)

Byline: Amy Watkins

As I took my morning swim among the Rockies, it was silent enough to hear a Canadian pine needle drop. Suddenly, a chomping sound interrupted my backstroke. As I swam nearer I could see a sunbathing local sprawled on the grass; my furry companion at the Fairmont Banff Springs pool was an unconcerned young elk eating his breakfast. His kind was here first, after all.

As one of Canada's most picture-perfect towns, snow-sprinkled Banff attracts brown bears, white-bottomed elks and outdoorsy tourists. Sunshine lit up glacial-blue lakes and emeraldgreen forests as I rode the cable car up Sulphur Mountain, kayaked along Bow river - breaking up reflections of the majestic mountains with my paddle - and soaked in the hot springs.

Banff is blessed with photogenic attractions such as the waterfalls of Cascade Mountain and frozen expanse of Lake Minnewanka, but my train journey here through British Columbia had been the real adventure.

Vancouver's glinting high-rises earned it the nickname 'City of Glass', but the urban peninsula is surrounded by mountains and edged by Stanley Park's forest. From the foodie's dream of …