Walking in the Swiss Alps

 

Mountainous areas are incredibly versatile places, with drastically different scenery, climate and activities in summer and winter and Val de Bagnes in the Swiss Alps is no different. This valley, home to the luxury ski resort of Verbier, was where our group of four cadets and four staff found ourselves based for the first 1034 Squadron Alps trip.

    

Access to the campsite was not simple, and we had to take two trains and a bus from Geneva airport, slowly snaking higher and higher up into the Alps, whilst the heavily loaded car which drove from the UK with the tents and food struggled with the gradient of the roads. But we all agreed that it was worth it! Nestled away beneath a dam, our campsite was quite literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded with impressive mountains in all directions.

 

The campsite had great facilities (warm showers!) and we set up our base around the “Kelk Castle”, the family six man tent with a large area in the middle that we used for cooking. Most mornings involved a 7am start, only made easier by the picturesque surroundings and good weather we knew awaited us once we made it out of our tents. Unlike in the UK, where walking in mountainous areas tends to involve “bagging peaks”, in the Alps, the clearly marked paths seem to avoid the tops of mountains, a blessing in disguise as we still climbed considerable amounts (1000m) and without a specific aim such as “the top”, it could be a little demoralising!

However, after the initial shock of an early start followed by a rigourous pace on a steep gradient, we all fell into a steady pace and enjoyed the breath-taking views that our walk allowed us to catch sight of. This area is full of glaciers, an odd sight above the lush green of the lower mountains and on one day, whilst some of us took a hike to the dam, Danny and Merlin walked up higher to see one up close.

 

One of the highlights of the week was an overnight stay in a mountain hut.  We took this trip around midweek and the first day was relaxed and easy. After taking the gondola up through Verbier, we only had a short hour and a half walk to Cabanne de Montfort, which was perched on a mound high up in the mountains at 2457m, with an amazing view of the Massif des Combins. After a hearty dinner, we spent a carefree evening playing cards and watched the sun set behind the silhouettes of the mountains, before enjoying our best nights sleep all week, in proper beds! The following day the group returned via the “Sentier des Chamoix”, and unsurprisngly, after tackling some snow patches, they caught sight of some  of these typical mountain animals.

 

Another highlight for me was the wildlife, as we spotted lots of new types of flora and fauna. The flowers in the Alps were truly beautiful, and a couple of other members of the group had brought books so we were able to identify a few. My favourites were forget-me-nots, aswell as the Cobwebbed House Leek and Spring Gentians. The week was a huge success as we were blessed with beautiful weather, sweltering heat,fantastic views and great company. Apart from perhaps giving the oatcakes and squeezy-cheese lunches a miss, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!