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| Our quiet spot in the forest |
The local tourist brochures describe this valley as a “treasure trove of leisure activities” which I think is a very fair description. And, in addition to getting to do those activities surrounded by magnificent snow covered peaks, the majority of them seem to be free when you pay your £1.60 (2.50CHF) per day tourist tax to get your 'Liberte' pass. The pass, which covers the entire valley including all the main villages of Chandolin, Grimentz / St-Jean, St Luc, Zinal, Ayer and Vissoie gives free use of local transport including buses and almost but one cable car (50% discount on that one though because it was only finished last winter), swimming pools, tennis, mini golf, a funicular railway, tours of the villages, Moiry Dam and Copper Mines....
Given all that is on offer we have
found it hard to believe just how quiet it is here. It's Sunday and we are still living at our quiet, free campsite (Ilot Bosquet) just outside of Grimentz having moved our motorhome about 10 metres all week (to get the slightly better view when the Swiss couple left on Wednesday) and during this time there have only been a handful of other campers come and go. Speaking to the
tourist information staff (who we are getting to know quite well, one
even gave us a lift back to our motorhome last night after seeing us
waiting at a bus stop) they say that there is a peak summer season
but it only really lasts 4 weeks from mid-July to mid-August. Either
side of that and you can generally expect peace, quiet and a very
good value stay in the high alps. What more could we ask for?
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| Setting off from Zinal |
Anyway, armed with our Liberte passes,
our first excursion out of Grimentz last Tuesday took us to the
nearby village of Zinal (1600m). It's only about 8km away but as the
direct bus hadn't started running yet we had to head into Vissoie, change bus and
then out to Zinal. This was no great hardship as the scenery was
amazing and we could now enjoy the narrow roads with someone else
driving and we also discovered the CarPostal buses offered free WiFi
so we could catch up with home while we travelled. We set off from Zinal on a well marked trail toward
the Cabine de Petit Mountet at 2142m, a walk which came highly recommended by Shirley and
Robin the day before.
The way took us out of town through a
flat valley with steep sided, forested walls that narrowed as
the paths started to climb through the trees and along the river
carrying the melting glacier water. The drizzle that had started that
morning had stopped and the sun came out as we quickly gained height
to look back down to Zinal already a couple of hundred metres below.
In less than an hour we had lost sight of civilisation and were
completely surrounded by the alpine forests we were climbing through.
To our left was the huge bowl containing the Glacier de Moming
beneath the 4221m Zinalrothorn and directly ahead the Glacier de
Zinal with the peaks of Obergabelhorn and Dent Blanche.
Arriving at the Cabane du Petit
Mountet, we decided to push on further and try another path back
towards Zinal via the ski station Sorebois at 2441m. Initially the
going was easy but soon the climbing began as we marched up a
relentless ridge that took us well above the height of our
destination to about 2600m. However, we were rewarded with a majestic
view of the peaks, including the Weisshorn at 4506m and the Bishorn at 4153m. Unfortunately,
after 2 hours of climbing we found our way blocked by a rockfall. As
we deliberated how to proceed our minds were made up for us as more
rocks fell down ahead of us – we were turning back. Retracing our
steps back down though was no bad thing though as it meant we were
facing the peaks and glaciers all over again. Instead of returning
all the way to the Cabane, we turned off and took another route
through a dense pine forest back towards the valley base.
Motorhome Base: Grimentz (or Zinal)
Start/ End Point: Zinal - Cabane du Petit Mountet (- Sorebois ski station blocked by rockfall so returned by the same route) - Zinal
Time It Took Us: 2.5 hours one way to the hut
Level: Moderate
Map: LS 1327 'Evolene' 1:25,000 (see below)
Arriving
back into Zinal after a lengthy walk our legs were tired but we felt
energised. Perusing the bus timetable we realised
we had time to take a dip in the new swimming pool before our return
bus left, again free courtesy of our Liberte card. Arriving in
hiking gear, carrying our poles and dusty boots, we felt a little
conspicuous but the hot shower felt amazing. The pool itself was
like no other we'd seen. One entire wall of the pool was a window
back over the peaks we'd just been walking over. The perfect way to
unwind before our bus ride back to Grimentz.
Wednesday took us back through Vissoie
on the free bus but this time onwards to the town of Chandolin at
1936m. Our target for the day was the peak of Illhorn at 2716m close
to the foot of the valley and then to traverse to the famous Hotel
Weisshorn. However, starting out we immediately felt the tiredness
of the previous day in our legs and with the clouds drawing in (not wanting a repeat of the soaking we got at Moiry Barrage),
reined in our plans. Reaching about 2500m the view opened up to the
Rhone valley floor more than 2000m below, looking all the way back
towards Martigny and Alps in France in the distance as well as
opening up a view of the central Bernese Alps around Interlaken to
the north of us.
We then traversed to the Tsape ski station (another
free chair lift on Liberte but which started running on Saturday) and
onwards to the top of the funicular railway between Tignousa and St
Luc where we took the steep and quick descending free ride (thanks to
our pass again) down to St Luc below. Realising that the next bus to
Vissoie was more than an hour and a half away we decided to walk down
via the 'historic path' along traditional alpine houses and a
waterfall with the sun shining and views over the entire Val
d'Anniviers. Arriving at Vissoie we still had more than an hour until
the bus to Grimentz, plenty of time for another free swim, this time
in the outdoor pool at Vissoie! It was a little chilly so the dip
was much shorter today, but the shower was just as welcome.
Walk Information:
Motorhome Base: Grimentz (or Chandolin)
Transport Used: Bus to Chandolin. Funicular from Tignousa to St-Luc. Bus Vissoie to Grimentz.
Start/ End Point: Chandolin - Tignousa - St Luc - Vissoie
Time It Took Us: 4 hours
Level: Moderate
Map: LS 1327 'Vissoie' 1:25,000 (see below)
Walk Information:
Motorhome Base: Grimentz (or Chandolin)
Transport Used: Bus to Chandolin. Funicular from Tignousa to St-Luc. Bus Vissoie to Grimentz.
Start/ End Point: Chandolin - Tignousa - St Luc - Vissoie
Time It Took Us: 4 hours
Level: Moderate
Map: LS 1327 'Vissoie' 1:25,000 (see below)
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| Laundry Day! |
Thursday and Friday saw us resting up
in Grimentz. After 5 days of hiking we decided Thursday was a good
day to rest and tackle our mounting laundry pile. Again thanks to the
incredibly friendly locals we easily found a washing machine courtesy
of one of the apartment management companies and raced off 4 loads
for less than £5. The weather was fantastic that day and although we
were torn about missing a good day in the hills, we both enjoyed
putting our feet up and enjoying our motorhome base. We also got to
know a very friendly British couple, Glenn and Anne, who parked next
to us and invited us in for a lovely chat on Wednesday night and
which we returned the invitation on Thursday evening.
Friday was a less planned rest day as
Esther came down with a nasty tummy bug on Thursday evening. After a
restless night, we did attempt a bus ride to Zinal to try the cable
car to Sorebois, on Glenn and Anne's recommendation, but after the
first leg to Vissoie it was clear it was too much. After waiting in
the sun for 2 hours for the next bus (slightly less pleasant wait for
Esther) we finally got back to the motorhome and Esther spent the day
in bed, while I read, got a fire going with the Kelly kettle and recuperated in the sun,
hoping the next day would be better.
Walk Information:
Motorhome Base: Grimentz (or Zinal)
Transport Used: Bus to Vissoie / Zinal. Cable car to Ski Station Sorebois 2441m.
Start/ End Point: Ski Station Sorebois - Corne de Sorebois 2896m - Ski Staion Sorebois
Time It Took Us: approx 2 hours
Level: Easy / Moderate
Map: LS 1327 'Evolene' 1:25,000 (see below)
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9 Things to See and Do in Val d'Anniviers
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