The photos speak for themselves.
We headed out early in the day, but still there were many people on the trail. This is the bisse with 100 meter long suspension bridges and wooden catwalks hammered into the sides of cliffs. Add in a cave and some avalanche shelters, and it is a great hike.
Originally built in 1430 by people with brass cajones, it has been rebuilt a couple times, then fell into disuse until it was restored to the hiking destination it is today.
The web site states, "A very beautiful walk but absolutely not recommended for those suffering from a fear of heights.”
It is gated off once the first snows hit, and is not opened until after the winter avalanche cleanup. So the open season is about June through October.
There are informative signboards along the trail, complete with photos from the re-build of the 1800s. There are even a few small sections of the original Bisse, and you can see where they chiseled the holes in the rock along other sections. If you donate money to keep up a section of the trail, you get a big brass plaque with your name on it.
The hike along the bisse is about 8KM one way (you have to hike back out again) not counting the approach hike and then, if you miss the bus back to town, the walk down.
By the end of the day, we walked twenty miles.
You have to check the bus schedule the day before. There are only four times a day that the bus takes you all the way up to the trail;
if you miss the connection it adds another 45-50 minutes of uphill hiking to get to the start. (As you will see, this is why we walked back to Sion in the end.)
On this day we took the 8:03 PostBus #341 to Savièse. (The next bus leaving that made the connection was at 10:00, then twice in the afternoon.)
I told the driver we wanted to go to the Prafirmin Torrent-Neuf stop, so he sold us the through ticket for CHF 7,60 each. The 341 bus took us up and up, through the beautiful village of Savièse to a stop in the woods, where PostBus # 343 was waiting. We walked off one, onto the other, and the second driver took us (the only two on the bus) up to the final stop at Prafirmin Torrent-Neuf. We were dropped off at this stop at 8:36.
The bus ride again was worth it just for the tour and views.
We started walking at 8:40, following the big brown Torrent Neuf signs. It was easy. We made it to the end of the trail at 11:15 (2 hours 35 minutes) and that included a lot of wasted time taking photos and more photos and more photos.
At the trail’s end there is a little cafe. We had a sausage (the other choices are a cheese, or a foie gras) and shared a half-litre of white wine before heading back. Stopping to enjoy the moment is what caused us to walk back into Sion.
If we had not stopped to eat, or if I had not taken so many photos, we would have made the return bus which runs at 13:05. We would have been at the bus stop at 13:20, except when we realized we’d miss it, we took the more direct route home.
*Point of information: the 343 bus down runs at 6:48, 9:09, 13:06 and 17:51. Weekends only at 9:11, 13:07 and 18:11.
You also have only four chances a day (three on weekends) to catch the compete connecting ride up. Ask around at the bus station the day before, or try using google maps, public transportation.
Back to the hike.
We were following the Torrent-Neuf signs. When you are dropped off, you are not yet on the Bisse, you have to hike to the start of it. It is maybe 2KM, and starts out with a nice walk along a road, then into the woods for a section. Once you hit the woods trail, you are on the Bisse, though there is no water flowing in parts of it.
After about 5KM or so, you come to the St. Marguerite Chapel. This is where everyone gathered to pray that god or Mary or Jesus or anybody would keep them from falling off the cliff that day. I think they were very relieved when rope was invented. There are a couple interesting paintings inside the chapel, including one of Mary standing on the wooden walkway, looking serene.
There is a cafe here by the chapel, but we did not stop since we did stop at the end cafe, called Refuge du Brac.
It is from this point that you go through the gates, and turn onto the path along the vertical cliffs. This part through the canyon is about 5KM in length. The wooden walkways and water channel are pretty cool, the suspension bridges swaying over the void are just plain fun. Yes, you can sway and bounce on them.
The views are outstanding, the drop-offs sheer and Wile E. Coyote deep.
You are walking across the northern side of Prabe Mountain, and the Bisse draws water from the Morge river raging far far below.
Near the end you come to the Notre Dame Chapel. There is a rope, so I rang the bell. Always wanted to do that. Ringing the bell.
So, we lingered at the cafe and left at noon. As I said, we missed the bus by fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. So we decided to walk back to Sion, or at least low enough to get to a #341 bus stop. Let me tell you, it is a long way to the 341 bus stops. By the time we were that far, we just decided to go all in on the deal and walk home.
The first part of the walk down was through forest, on a single lane road. We dropped into the village of Savièse, and stopped at a bar for a bottle of water with ice. That was probably the best drink of the trip so far!
First he asked what we were doing, and when I explained that we were heading down to Sion from the Torrent Neuf, he shook his finger and said it was too hot hiking on the road in the sun, why don’t we take this water ditch trail instead? He pointed, and I looked, and sure enough, running right down the edge of his property was another water ditch and trail. “Zur den grosse kirche, geht links…”
OK. I have it. A nice shortcut, and in the shade.
Well, we talked a few pleasantries, and he was surprised to find out we were from California. As I thanked him and we made to head down the hill, he suddenly looked at e and said, “Machen Sie ein photo?”
Well, yes as a matter of fact. I’d love to take a photo, thinking that he must have a good view from his back yard (since we were still high up on the mountain). But, in fact, he walked over to his very big garage (which was huge but somehow I hadn’t seen it until now) and opened a very big door, and my eyes about popped out.
Inside were three beautifully restored old busses. You know, the 1930 type busses you see in old posters of the Alps. Two old yellow ones, and a special looking blue one. But we focused first on the yellow ones. They are from the 1030s, all Swiss made, but one with a British drive (left handed side). We got to poke around and sit in them.
Then we moved over to the blue bus. It was the same thing, but he restore it and turned it into a camper. It was amazing; tables and chairs and even two little chandeliers… beds for four, a bathroom, wood ceiling… and the amazing part was that he restored these busses from the frame up. We stood and looked at his photo albums.
He used to take his family camping, and sometimes they would meet with other campers who restore the same type busses, kind of like a Harley or Miata group. But his wife died a few years ago, and so now it just sits here. I could tell he comes out and sits in it to drink wine once in a while.
Seriously cool. I wanted to offer to buy it from him right there, but the reality was that even if I bought it, how would I get it home?
So, I just stared with my mouth open and thought once again, you just meet the most amazing people, in the damnest circumstances. Sweartogod, I could not make something like this happen in a million years.
One other interesting note.
On the wall of his garage, high up, was a skin. Kind of like a bear skin rug, but…
But it was a dog. A Saint Bernard.
I had to ask.
Yes, his dog. It was a great dog. His sister fell in the mountains, broke her hip. he laid down with her, kept her safe and warm and saved her life. When he died in 1955, well, they saved him.
A great dog.
Still shaking my head in wonder, we shook hands and headed off down the trail. At the great church we turned left. Soon we were walking through the vineyards, then into town, and back to our guest house.
So, we missed our bus back and had to walk. It was a great hike.
Want to go hike it? Here are four websites with information about the Torrent Neuf:
One Two Three Four