Sunday, 10 August 2014

Swiss Alps - Gornergrat to Riffelberg via Rotenboden



Date: Monday 4th August
Route: Gornergrat to Rotenboden then on to Riffelberg
Distance: 3 miles

Our first high-level walk of the week was one of the shortest - but the awe-inspiring scenery brought us back to the same location later in the week for a longer version (see Thursday 7th August for an alternate - and arguably better route).

From a station in the centre of Zermatt, the Gornergrat railway powers out of town, up through the tree-line and on to the high mountains, as it has done since 1898, climbing to over 3,000 metres, from where it is possible to see 29 4,000m+ peaks (weather permitting) and multiple glaciers.

After a frenzy of photography in all directions, we followed a couple of signposted paths down the mountain. The walking paths are not only well sign-posted, but also numbered - and all you need is one of the freely available free maps and activity guides to give you multiple walking options.

We started off on the Aussichtsweg down to Rotenboden, with yet more stunning views out over the mountain landscape and the sprawling glaciers, then from Rotenboden picked up the Sonnenweg down to Riffelberg, at a lower level, walking through flower-strewn hillsides before taking a break at a cafe with a stunningly sunny roof terrace and views of the Matterhorn.

We thought that this was all pretty mind-blowing, both in terms of walking and scenery, but there was even better to come...

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