Hiking (mountain trail, in places narrow and exposed)
Alpine route (equipped or very exposed section, snow field, blocks)
R115
Champex » Bourg-St-Pierre
|
5h40 |
16.1 km
|
821 m
|
662 m
Leave Champex on a gentle descent to the north east towards Chez les Reuse, from where you must head down to Orsières. At the bottom of the right-hand side of the Val d'Entremont valley, take the slight ascent up to the old Van d'en Haut pass road - past Forny and Liddes up to Bourg-St-Pierre, the stage destination.
Leave Champex and head eastward, turning onto a woodland trail at the rocky ridge that leads to Chez les Reuse. From here, a meadow trail heads down to Orsières, which has a church that dates back to the 13th century. The trail continues to one of the oldest and most famous alpine pass crossings: Roman legions under Caesar Augustus and soldiers under Napoleon Bonaparte used this pass when marching to war. Just after Orsières, cross the La Dranse d'Entremont river and climb on the right-hand side of the valley across meadows and through woodland, passing the hamlet of Forny. At Les Moulins, change to the other side of the river, later changing back to the opposite bank again near Point de la Tsi. In Liddes, cross to the opposte river bank one last time. On leaving Liddes, you will pass the baroque chapel of St. Etienne. Then follow the farmland path below the pass road. Around 2 kilometres before Bourg-St-Pierre, cross the pass road using a tunnel. Just before Bourg-St-Pierre, the trail passes the Notre Dame de Lorette chapel. In addition to this chapel, it is also worth while paying a visit to the old village centre of Bourg-St-Pierre and the church with a steeple dating back to the 16th century.
(Schweizer Wanderwege)
Natural and cultural heritage
Orsières Orsières comprises a great number of villages and its territory stretches over the entire Ferret valley. The location is an historical stage on the Grand Saint Bernard road, as the village was even known over a thousand years ago. The population peaked in the mid-14th century. Orsières should not be left behind without visiting the church dating back to 1896. The church community built three churches: the first dates back to the 14th century. The second and third churches were built with an interval of 400 years, in 1496 and 1896. The last church built has a Roman church tower and is one of the most beautiful and oldest in the canton of Wallis. The animal sculptures as drainage channels on the south side are of particular interest. Bourg-St-Pierre Bourg-St-Pierre belonged to the Count of Savoyen, and thus the town had the guaranteed privilege of transporting goods over the Grand St. Bernard pass. After the conquest of the Unterwallis region, the Ober Walsers renewed these contracts. In 1800, the French army passed through the valley on its way to Italy. Napoleon Bonaparte spent the night in the village. The church, the bell-tower and the Notre Dame de Lorette chapel are treasures of the religious past, which dates as far back as the 11th century. The church dates back to the year 1739. Outside, there is a fresco under a canopy that represents St. Appoline. The Roman bell-tower is the oldest in the Wallis region. The chimer plays melodies on the six bells of the church tower every weekend. (Schweizer Wanderwege)
Useful topographic maps
282T Martigny ~ Swisstopo (1: 50'000)
Grand-St-Bernard / Dents du Midi-Les Diablerets ~ Kümmerly und Frey AG, 3052 Zollikofen (1: 60'000)
Useful guidebooks
Unterwallis / Waeber/Steinbichler ~ Bergverlag Rudolf Rother GmbH (ISBN 3-7633-4128-5)
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.
Elisabeth - 2015-10-14
Attention : il n'y a plus d'alimentation à Bourg-St-Pierre. Le "VisàVis" a fermé il y a 3 ou 4 ans mais il reste la pancarte... Au pire, on peut se dépanner à la station-service un peu avant le village, moi je l'ai su trop tard !
Automatic translation
[Google]
Warning: there is no power in Bourg-St-Pierre. The "VISaVIS" closed there are 3 or 4 years but it remains the sign ... At worst, you can troubleshoot at the gas station a little before the village, I knew me too late!
In Bourg St Pierre another lodging option is "Au Petit Vélran", further up the road from Auberge Charmette. I would rate this as the best of the 3 inns at Bourg. They offer 3 private rooms & 2 dortoir.
If you search for a cheap accommodation in Bourg-St.-Pierre, you can either stay at the camp site for 20 CHF or at Auberge les Charmettes for 30 CHF. Both places have dormitories.
|
5h40 |
16.1 km
|
821 m
|
662 m
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.