With my walking boots crunching across the scree, I strode purposefully towards the distant summer snow of the Alpine peaks that glistened high, bright and unbelievably white in the July sun.

And then I made the step across the border into Switzerland, leaving Austria behind without any fanfare.

There was no hint of border security, in fact the topographical moment would have gone quite unnoticed were it not for the old metal sign, with one word on each side – Schweiz and Osterreich.

It should be one of those moments when you stop and breathe in the mountain air, your body blushing with pride at your achievement.

Only the sound of the taxi diminishing into the distance, back down into the Paznaun valley, betrayed the fact that I hadn't really arrived into this splendid wilderness by my own steam.

But still, the day was young, and there was a healthy walk of a few miles still ahead before I would reach the remote Heidelbergerhutte – a skiing hut cum summer walkers' restaurant, where Michelin-starred chef Martin Dalsass was already preparing my traditional Tirolean lunch of Tafelspitz.

After an hour's walk through the beautiful wildflower meadows, with the herds of bell-wearing cows and gushing glacial meltwater torrents, I arrived at the restaurant.

It was well worth the walk to experience Martin Dalsass' Tafelspitz – the boiled beef with roasted vegetables (Austria's national dish) was as tender and tasty as you could wish for from Alpine mountain fare.

This Michelin-starred level of cuisine is the sort of thing Paznaun hikers can enjoy throughout the summer, as part of the Culinary Jakobsweg scheme, which has invited four of the Alps' leading chefs to produce dishes for walkers.

Visitors can also enjoy dishes by Norbert Niederkofler from San Cassiano in Italy, Martin Fauster from Munich's Hotel Konigshof, as well as the world class food of local celebrity chef Martin Sieberer – who has made a name for Ischgl's Hotel Trofana Royal.

Each of the star chefs has taken over a different high altitude walkers' "hut" for the duration of the summer.

If you are a gourmet with a penchant for rambling, it's a prospect that's too good to miss.

The so-called "huts" (they're actually rather plush) are spread out along a mountainous stretch of the Jakobsweg (St James' Way) – one of the pilgrim routes across Europe, which runs all the way from Vienna to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

Last time I visited the Paznaun ski resort of Ischgl, six years ago, it was February, at the height of the skiing season, and the valley was thick with snow. In mid-summer it's barely recognisable as the same place – a lush landscape of outstanding natural beauty.

I'd spent the weekend falling over on the nursery slopes, my feet throbbing and an elaborately mustachioed ski instructor booming out orders to save me from veering suicidally off towards the snow-covered trees.

This time, I was determined to have a slightly easier time of it in the beautiful Paznaun valley.

Comfortably billeted in the Hotel Post in the village of Galtur, I found myself lapping up the giddy mixture of warm weather, verdant mountains, fine wines and gourmet food.

I felt like a battery slotted into a charging adaptor in this blissful setting.

Still on something of a high after my experience at the Heidelbergerhutte, the following day I set off on the more arduous trek to Jamtalhutte – a remote eyrie high above Galtur.

A round-hike of just 10km becomes more of a challenge when you realise it involves a climb of around 500m – the Jamtalhutte sits at 2165m above sea level.

By the time I arrived my shirt was soaked through with perspiration, and my legs were throbbing from the climb. But with a tankard of beer in my hand and the jolly sound of a Tirolean oom-pah band playing joyously on the terrace, the arduous climb was soon forgotten.

As I closed my eyes and allowed the mountain sunshine to envelope me, I could smell Martin Fauster's Michelin-starred cuisine cooking in the kitchen, and it felt like I'd discovered my own slice of a Tirolean heaven.

For more information about the Culinary Jakobsweg, visit www.paznaun-ischgl.com.

● David Clensy travelled to Ischgl courtesy of the Paznaun Ischgl tourist board. For more information about the region, visit the website at www.paznaun-ischgl.com.

He stayed at the four-star Hotel Post in Galtur, where summer prices start from 47 Euros per night. For more information, visit www.hotel-post.at

David flew from Heathrow to Zurich with Swiss. The night before his flight he stayed at the Heathrow Hilton Hotel, where prices start from £248 for one night's stay for a family, including up to two weeks' airport parking at the hotel. For more information about current offers, visit www.hilton.co.uk or call 0208 759 7755.