'I quit the UK to live on a mountain - something chilling happens each day at 4pm'

A man who left England behind for a Swiss Alpine peak finds himself isolated from civilisation every day at 4pm. Mount Pilatus first welcomed visitors to its summit back in 1860.

Those wishing to reach the ridge initially had no choice but to trek up on foot, a route that remains accessible during the summer months. But with the arrival of Hotel Pilatus Kulm in 1890 came a cog railway, branded the "steepest in the world". The challenging landscape leading to the hotel means everything required, from provisions to guests' luggage, must be transported via cable car. Yet once the service ceases for the day, nothing can travel up or down the towering peak.

Speaking on Channel 4's World's Most Secret Hotels, station worker Steve Wainwright explained: "After 4 o'clock we don't transport anymore. Once the cable car stops running, the mountain is cut-off, that's it, no more.

"If you've forgotten your toothbrush, you've not got a toothbrush. There's not many places in the world where the door closes and you're there for the night whatever happens."

Pilatus Kulm restaurant manager Michel Hummel revealed that "everything" required by the hotel must arrive via the gondolas, with any excess returning the same route.

He said: "All of the stuff that we need, the drinks, the food, they have to bring up everything by the gondola and bring it down too. If there is food waste, we have to send it down again."

Perched at 2,128.5 m (6,983 ft), the location is not without its challenges, and the Hotel Pilatus Kulm must remain operational regardless of the conditions. Staff can find themselves battling winds of up to 120mph one moment, only to be basking in brilliant sunshine the next.

Hotel manager Marcus Bussinger oversees a team of 100 staff, many of whom live on the mountain itself. He said: "It's a very special place, you are quite isolated here and it makes everything very special.

"The weather can change every few minutes, it can be very stormy with winds up to 200kmp/h and on a sunny day, the weather is perfect, you can relax, you can sunburn, but even in summer it can be snowy as well, so we have to be prepared the whole year."

Summer visitors to Switzerland frequently tackle what is known as the Golden Round Trip — a spectacular journey taking in a boat ride across the breathtaking Lake Lucerne, the cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad, panoramic gondolas descending the mountain, and finally a trolleybus back into Lucerne.

The mountain itself comprises several peaks, with the tallest being Tomlishorn at 2,128.5 m (6,983 ft) above sea level, followed by Widderfeld at 2,076 m (6,811 ft).

The cog railway serving the mountain reaches gradients of 48 percent in places, running seasonally between May and October, while the cable car, which takes under four minutes, operates throughout the year.