Oberems walks

Another high-altitude stage with a stop in Saint-Luc, then transfer to Zinal by post bus.

Today's stage is divided into three parts: on foot from Gruben to Jungu, by cable car from Jungu to Saint-Niklaus, and by bus from Saint-Niklaus to Grachen.

This thirteenth stage takes place in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. The trail is shared with the Apenpässe-Weg, marked with green vignettes No. 6. From the hotel, the trail climbs towards the Augstbordpass, crossing alpine pastures to Grüobu Oberstafel. Then the landscape becomes increasingly rocky until you reach the Augstbordpass. At the pass, you will have earned a well-deserved break. The descent continues through numerous scree slopes and rock fields, but the path is always well marked. From Abiheiji (Twraa Ridge), the route to Jungen is more pleasant and the path is often paved. From Jungen, there is still an 850-metre descent to Sankt Niklaus. (You can take the cable car to avoid this last descent.)

This twelfth stage takes place once again in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. The trail is shared with the Apenpässe-Weg, marked with green stickers no. 6. From the Hotel Weisshorn, descend to the Combavert barn. The ascent to the Meidpass begins on a good path that passes close to Lake Combavert. The route is pleasant until the junction with Lake Armina. The final climb is over scree. The descent, which is steep at first, becomes gentler as you approach Meidsee. Then scree and pastures alternate until you reach the hamlets of Oberstafel and Mittelstafel. A good path then descends to Meiden/Gruben.The Meidpass is the French/German linguistic border.

After a night in this historic hotel, the third stage will take you to Zinal, a traditional village in the Val d'Anniviers. You will soon discover the Weisshorn and Bishorn mountains. At the small Bella Vouarda pass, you can admire the so-called imperial crown with five peaks over 4,000 metres high. As you descend towards Zinal, you will follow the end of the famous Sierre-Zinal race, more commonly known as the "Race of the Five 4,000s".

A beautiful mountain stage with a pass bearing the sweet name of Augstbordpass.

This fourteenth and final stage is the longest, but does not present any difficulties. The route from Sankt Niklaus to Zermatt is obvious. It follows the Matter Vispa, the river that flows down from Zermatt, and the rack railway line, which terminates in Zermatt. All the ingredients for a picture-postcard Swiss scene are there: the Matterhorn, glaciers, the torrent, churches with bulbous steeples, the little rack railway and the magnificent car-free village of Zermatt.

We started out in the Saint-Luc ski area before joining the Tour du Cervin trail to finish the stage in Gruben.

This second stage will take you to the Hotel Weisshorn, but not via the shortest route. Along the way, you will pass peaks such as the Rothorn, Bella Tola and the Aiguilles du Meiden. After Lake Armina, you will join Trail No. 6 (Chemin des Cols Alpins) at the foot of the Meidpass. After the descent to the Combavert mountain pasture, you will need to make one last effort to discover the Hotel Weisshorn, the pearl of the Val d'Anniviers.

This is a long stage passing through two mountain passes, but it is shortened by the cable car connection from Zinal and the bus transfer between Villa Evolène and Arolla. Please note: taking into account the cable car transport, the positive elevation gain is not 2,156 metres as indicated, but only 1,380 metres.

The Val d'Anniviers ends at the Zinal Glacier and the Moiry Glacier, separated by the Pigne de la Lé and the Garda Bordon. The route of this fourth stage will take you to the Cabane de Moiry, very close to the glacier of the same name. To avoid the long climb to Sorebois, take the cable car to the Weisshorn area. You will switch to the Moiry side and overlook this magnificent lake at an average altitude of 2,500 metres. Upon arrival at the Cabane de Moiry, you will be richly rewarded.

And here is the last stage of this route, and what a stage it is! A pleasant climb to reach Hannigalp and find the famous balcony trail that overlooks the valley leading to Saas Fee.

Grachen, an important village, dominates the Zermatt valley, which you will be flying over all day. After a gentle climb to Saint-Nicolas on its pedestal, you just need to pass from scree to scree to reach the welcome Refuge d'Europahutte after a long traverse.

This eleventh stage takes place in the mid-mountains. The Hotel Weisshorn, perched at an altitude of nearly 2,400 metres, is visible from Grimentz. The path descends towards Navisence and then passes through the village of Ayer. Follow the Chemin des Cols Alpins to reach the Hotel Weisshorn. From its terrace, it offers a superb view of the summit that bears its name.

This seventh stage will take you to Vercorin. This small, traditional village is located on the border between the Vallon de Réchy and the Val d'Anniviers. From Grimentz, take the Bendolla cable car and follow the trails through the ski area to reach the Col du Louché. You will then descend into the magnificent Vallon de Réchy. After Lac du Louché, follow the Rèche to the towpath where the peaceful Bisse de Vercorin begins. You will soon reach the pretty little village of Vercorin.

Beautiful hike along a long alpine path, then a steeper trail at the end. At the hut, there is a route equipped with chains, and the one I took, which is less steep. Spectacular view from the hut, very warm welcome, and very comfortable for spending the night. Multiple options for returning to different valleys.

After passing through Swiss stone pine forests, this circular hike leads to an impressive record-breaker: the Charles Kuonen Footbridge, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world.

This eight-day itinerary will take you through the Val d'Anniviers, which boasts many traditional villages such as Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Zinal and Grimentz. You will stay at the Hotel Weisshorn, built in 1882 on a panoramic site at an altitude of over 2,300 metres. On the way to Zinal and then to the Cabane de Moiry, you will have the opportunity to admire the Couronne Impériale, a circle of five 4,000-metre peaks. You will also enjoy a detour into the Réchy valley, which will take you to the village of Vercorin.

For this first stage in the Val d'Anniviers, starting from Les Pontis, the trail climbs along steep, wooded slopes to reach the pretty village of Chandolin. The second part of the route takes you to Saint-Luc, a traditional village and winter sports resort. Saint-Luc also has an astronomical observatory and a planetarium housed in a former 19th-century barn.

A new stage on the balcony at the foot of the great peaks separating the valleys of Zermatt and Saas Fee.

Due to the closure of the large Himalayan footbridge over the Grabengufer scree, it is necessary to take the emergency path down to Tasch and then undertake a remarkable climb to the alpine hamlet of Täschalp, where the Europaweghütte lodge is located.

For this fifth stage, you will leave the Moiry hut and the snow-capped peaks for another hut in a very different world. You will once again follow the Lac de Moiry, but on its other shore. You will cross large grassy expanses to the Alpage de Torrent. From this mountain pasture to the Pas de la Lona, you will follow part of the famous Verbier-Grimentz mountain bike trail. The final climb will take you to the foot of the Becs de Bosson for a night at almost 3,000 metres.

This sixth and final stage arrives in Grimentz, a beautiful village in the Val d'Anniviers. During this day, you will walk along two more bisses. First, the Bisse des Sarrasins, marked with information panels. This bisse is not in water. The route partially follows the old bisse trail. Finally, the Bisse de Saint Jean or Grand Bisse. It was abandoned for a long time and completely restored in 2012. As you approach Grimentz, you will enjoy the snow-capped peaks at over 4,000 metres

This last stage will take you back to the Rhône Valley, to the Chalais-Vercorin cable car car park. On this downhill route, you will rejoin the Rèche. After a pretty waterfall, you will walk along the Bisse de Ricard, then cross vineyards irrigated by this canalised bisse. Back in the forest, you will once again follow this peaceful canal.

Far from the hustle and bustle of Zermatt and away from the tourists, this flat walk allows you to discover the village and its recreational lake. Numerous granaries can be seen along this loop

A route following part of the ‘Sun Trail’ on the southern face of the Bernese Alps, offering panoramic views over the Rhône Valley. The hike takes in typical Valais villages with a rich architectural heritage, such as Eggerberg, Ausserberg, St. German and Raron. In several places, the route runs alongside the railway line between Brig and Bern via the Lötschberg Tunnel, offering an opportunity to appreciate the technical feats involved in its construction at the start of the20th century. Due to its south-facing aspect and relatively low altitude, this hike is best enjoyed in spring or autumn.

Due to the closure of the Europaweg trail between Täschalp and Zermatt, we had to modify the original route. Return to Täsch via another trail and, given the long distance to cover, take the shuttle to Zermatt. Short break in this unique town at the foot of the Matterhorn, cable car to Trockener Steg and then walk to the Théodule refuge.

After a winding toll road, park at Täschalp. Then, continue climbing to the Täschhütte refuge located at the top of a rocky outcrop. Return via a slightly different route, after enjoying a delicious homemade soup at the refuge.

In Valais, ‘bisses’ are irrigation channels built along the mountainside to distribute water from glacial torrents. Walking along the bisses generally makes for easy (little elevation gain) and pleasant walks. The route suggested here combines several bisses to form a circular route: out via the Bisse Neuf and the Bisse de Varen, through the forest; back via the Bisse de Mengis along the edge of the vineyards, passing by the Cascade de la Raspille. This results in a slightly greater elevation gain (as the outbound and return bisses are at different altitudes), but it allows for a greater variety of landscapes along the way.