Vallon de Rechy - downhill (nearly) all the way

Alpenrose in bloom as we descend from the Cret

Views of La Maya at the head of the valley

The gondolas in Vercorin started their summer timetable last weekend. With the current heatwave the 1000m ride up to the top of the Cret de Midi at 2330m meant the air was a lot cooler and we reached the start of one of the area's more gentle mountain walks and prettiest ways into the Rechy valley  - without even needing to walk up hill.

Flowering marsh meadows at l'Ar du Tsan

Crossing back before starting our descent

From the top of the Cret we followed a wonderful gentle descending traverse that scribed the hillside south, past blooming alpenrose, to the buttercup filled marsh meadows at L'Ar du Tsan (2180m). From here you could turn north and continue to descend (more steeply) to the next flat area at La Le and the start of the bisse waterway which flows with you all the way back to Vercorin. But we decided to extend our route and climbed up to the next flat area (near Lac Louche) for closer views of La Maya and a great picnic spot before making a loop which brought us back to the Tsan meadows and on down. A great day out.   PK

Descending from Tsan to La Le

Bisse des Sarrasins

Part of the board walk along the Bisse de Sarrasins

This is the perfect time of year to walk this low level path from Vercorin to Pinsec. The route was originally built in the early 15th century to duct water the 9km from the Torrent de Pinsec, around the cliffs, to the pastures and village of Briey above Chalais. After 400 years of use, it was finally abandoned in the early 1830's when a major landslide did irreparable damage.

Boardwalks follow the old route across the cliffs 

In 2004 a group of local enthusiasts started a 10 year project to reinstate the route. Board walks, cantilevering off the cliff now link the lovely forest paths and make this a wonderful walk, especially good in autumn with the golden colours.

Old bisse route, now a wide footpath between Vercorin and Pinsec

The Grand Tour of the Val d'Anniviers

Spectacular views of the Imperial Crown

After 8 years of living here we've walked most of the valley's footpaths and yet the views still stop us in our tracks. Walk the same route twice (or more) and it's different every time - changing with the weather and seasons. So it was a great pleasure when Inntravel asked us to re-walk and adapt their existing tour of the Val d’Anniviers. The journey has high and low level routes to allow for bad weather and tired legs, and includes some of the best this area has to offer - alpine meadows, old chalets and villages, ridges and lakes, and all with the spectacular snow capped mountains to the south. With a bit of luck, there's a chance to see some of the local wildlife too - red squirrels, chamois, ibex, marmots, eagles, adders, fox - to name a few.

From Vercorin explore the 'bisse' and Vall on de Rechy

Starting in Vercorin, the perfect warm-up and introduction to the old valley routes is to follow the 'bisse' - the 500 year old channel which brings water around from the Vallon de Rechy to the village. It’s a gentle walk through woods to the open meadows around the buvette at La Lé where you can stop for a drink and something to eat, before heading back to the village.

The dramatic high route along the Crete from Vercorin to Grimentz

To walk from Vercorin to Grimentz via the Crêt du Midi and Brinta is a highlight. Taking the gondola up from the village to the Crêt, you save your energy for this long ridgewalk with fabulous mountain views. But if the weather's bad there's a lovely walk through the woods and alpages with old chalets, lovely flowers and views too.

Low level walks through meadows and alpine villages

From Grimentz you can spend your day getting closer to the snow with a walk around the Moiry reservoir and on, up to the Cabane de Moiry. The new restaurant extension, with floor to ceiling windows, looks straight out onto the glacier and is a great place for lunch.

A circuit around the Moiry and up to the Cabane from Grimentz 

Some of the most spectacular mountain scenery is from Zinal. The walk up to the Cabane Arpitettaz is as dramatic as it comes with backdrop of the 4506m Weisshorn and the snowy Blanc de Moming giving a Himalayan sense of scale. Then there's the walk over the Roc de la Vache and to the Petit & Grand Mountet refuges through lovely alpine terrain.

Many spectacular walks around Zinal

The high 'balcony' walk from Zinal to St Luc is another classic with views of the Matterhorn, Weisshorn, Pointe de Zinal, Besso and Dent Blanche.

High 'balcony' walk between Zinal and St Luc

From St Luc, to finish your week, there's the wonderful panorama from the top of the Ilhorn. From here you can see your entire route around the valley to the west and south, and perhaps plan a trip north into the Bernese Oberland.

Panoramic views from the Ilhorn above St Luc

So when’s good to walk? From mid June (when the lifts open for walkers) right through until late October. Autumn is one of our favourite times here - perfect walking temperature, golden larches and early snow dusting the mountain tops. And barely a soul to be seen.

Autumn colours in Val d'Anniviers

To find out more about the walking on tour visit Inntravel, or if you fancy to stay put and explore at your leisure then self-catering from one of our chalets is a great option.

Go with the flow - follow the bisse...

Vercorin Bisse

Within the Valais there are over 2000km of 'Bisse' - as they're called in French, and Wasserleite or Suonen in German. These ancient, man-made water channels, traverse the mountains, bringing valuable water from rivers to villages and fields. Once they were a life-line, but after WWII many fell into disuse and disrepair as technology advanced, and the cost of maintaining them rose.

Paddles and locks control the flow of the water along the Vercorin Bisse

Today, many have been restored and you can walk the well graded paths next to the channels. Here, in the Val d'Anniviers, there are several dotted around (although not all have water). Vercorin is a favourite - through forest, and around the hill into the Vallon de Réchy. It's a great walk, and on a hot day the water acts as a natural air-conditioner below the trees. Elsewhere in the Valais, there are more 'sporting' routes, such as the Torrent-Neuf above Savièse. A great example of the risks and feats of engineering that were achieved to get water to where it was needed.

Torrent-Neuf, Saviese

The Torrent-Neuf dates back to 1430, with many extension and even tunnels added over the centuries. It has recently been restored and is open to walkers between May and November. But you need a good head for heights -  bouncy new suspension bridges, link cantilevered sections of boardwalks across the tall cliff face. An amazing route, and the information panels with old photos show just how dangerous this was to build and maintain: www.torrent-neuf.com

For more hiking routes that follow bisse in the Valais:
www.valais.ch/en/activities/hiking/bisses
www.valrando.ch/bisses1/propositionsbisse.php

The Museum of bisses is in Anzère:
www.musee-des-bisses.ch/musee-bisses

Some wonderful old footage of a 'guardian' of the bisse at work:
www.rts.ch/archives/tv/information/3441605-le-gardien-du-bisse.html