DAY 78 – MARTIGNY TO ORSIERES

We awoke to another day of bright sunshine and warm temperatures. The saving grace is that in the mountains we are getting the benefit of a cooling wind as slabs of colder air drop off the tops. The two local boulangeries advertising that they are open on Sunday mornings were both closed, so no filled rolls for today. On a positive note, as our hotel was well outside the town centre we had a shorter walk to get clear of urban streets and onto wooded hills.

A micro hydroelectric scheme just outside Martigny

Just above Martigny the Dranse valley narrows, with river, railway and road squeezing through a narrow gap between steep mountainsides. Our path initially contoured alongside the railway, but then took to the steep hillside above it for a while before descending again and taking us to the other side of the valley. The path was quite steep at times, with a precipitous drop to our right, and we found our walking poles usefully reassuring for balance.

Contouring beside the railway
Crossing back under the railway
Bridge over a steep ravine and then further steep descent
More impressive Swiss engineering to get us across the valley

Back on the other side of the valley we first had to cross the main road, which proved to be the biggest challenge of the day. The flow of traffic was constant, and it was fast in both directions. In the end we crossed one half of the road in a gap in the traffic, and the car coming from the other direction stopped to let us complete the crossing. We think we may have been breaking a law but there was no other way!

Picking our way behind a service station we followed a minor road into Bovernier where we had to take the train to bypass the landslide which had taken out our path in a recent storm. The train arrived on time and delivered us to the next station at Sembrancher in about 5 minutes, saving us about an hour of walking.

We could see the landslide from the train, and there is no way we could have got around or over it. The only alternative would have been to walk at the side of the busy main road, but that would have been both unpleasant and unsafe. Walking past the Mairie in Sembrancher we found an official notice stating that the path was closed because it was too dangerous to use, and that made us feel a bit less guilty about having taken the train. Typical bureaucracy though, to put up a notice without considering how those affected might learn about it as we only saw it by chance.

Our other practical problem for the day was solved by having lunch at a cafe in Sembrancher. Tom had his first Swiss hamburger which was tasty but enormous! Lunch over, we faced a steep uphill climb out of Sembrancher but were rewarded with wonderful views, both up and down the valley, giving us a good excuse to stop frequently to admire them.

We spent the afternoon working our way up the side of the valley of the Dranse d’Entremont river towards Orsieres, sometimes in woodland and sometimes walking through fields, gaining several hundred metres in height. There were wonderful uplifting views of mountains and clear skies in all directions. This is real Sound of Music scenery! We were amazed to see both vineyards perched on terraces on the south facing slopes, as well as potatoes and even edelweiss being cultivated high on other slopes.

View back towards Sembrancher tucked away distant left – the greyish field beside the track is rows of cultivated edelweiss

Climbing up to the small village of La Garde we found a tiny chapel which was open and positively welcoming visitors, recognising that it lies on several walking paths including the Via Francigena – hence all the yellow signs outside.

Just around the corner we were hailed by a young woman who spotted the banners on our rucksacks and told us she was brought up in Canterbury. Jenny has lived in Switzerland for many years and is now settled here with a young family and husband who is a mountain guide. She was very interested in our pilgrimage and later sent an encouraging email, which we very much appreciated. These chance encounters lift our spirits and boost our resolve to keep going.

Le Catogne on the west (our right) side of the valley

Approaching Orsieres we began to get better views of the valley we will have to climb tomorrow, with the snow-capped peak and glacier of Corbassiere on the far horizon. We will leave that to our left as we go up the valley behind the second ridge towards the Grand Saint Bernard pass.

The final stage into Orsieres took us uphill for more stunning views, across a stream, and then steeply down into the town.

We found our billet very easily as it is right next to the railway station, though we had to wait for a train to go through before crossing the line.

Steep descent into Orsieres

Jenny told us that the hotel restaurant is very good, so we’re looking forward to a good supper tonight!

Highlights of the day? We enjoyed the brief train ride. The views were spectacular all day and in every direction. It was lovely meeting and chatting with Jenny.

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