High and Mighty by Madeleine Brindley

travel
The Swiss Alps are without a doubt one of Europe's natural wonders. But when you're clinging to the side of a mountain by your finger tips 2,500 metres above the valley floor they look a little scary to Madeleine Brindley

High and mighty
As the early morning mist revealed the majestic Reidglacier my first morning in Switzerland dawned to the clanking of cowbells and the distinctive sound of a hungry yak.
Switzerland is skiing country But in the height of August a raft of flowers fill the mountainside with colour and hikers pound the forgotten ski slopes.
A threehour train ride away from the hustle and bustle of Geneva Airport and Lausanne lies the untouched Valais or Wallis region a little slice of Heidi in the mountains.
Small streams of iceGold pure water trickle their way down the face of the mountains as the glaciers melt under the burning summer sun guiding nie towards three days of intensive hiking.

Mountain walking comes as a shock to legs which are usually accustomed to nothing more strenuous than a gentle stroll. Even easy mountain paths up to the stunning panorama at the top of the Moosalp left my tired body crying out for home comforts.

But as 1 shared a glass of Valais wine, grown in the highest vineyard in the region, and looked out over the peaks of the Augstbordhorn, Signalhorn and the giant 3,000metreplus snowcapped peaks in the distance, there was nowhere eise 1 would rather have been.

The Moosalp was my first taste of life in the mountains and as 1 headed for Roti Flüe home of the yaks and the enigmatic DanielI was looking forward to spending a night an the Alps.

Then 1 experienced my first Gable Gar ride. Cable Cars scare the living daylights out of me, but faced with a long steep hike up to Roti Flüe from the village of Embd, I decided to do as the Swiss do.

To call it a cable Gar is perhaps an exaggeration a wooden box which creaked as we made our slow progress up the mountain is perhaps a more accurate description.
But the ride was worth it as narrow dirt tracks led us to remote Roti Flüe and the Tibetanstyle yak farm. The sound of bells around the yaks' necks and the Tibetan flags flapping in the cool evening breeze not to mention a wellearned beer sent me to sleep in a comfortable but basic dormitory.

I had intended to go yak trekking in the morning with an authentic sherpa. Instead we hiked to the yaks following 100yearold wooden water pipes which channelfresh glacier water to the many farms scattered across the mountainside.
Yak trekking is becoming a major attraction in the Valais and my host Daniel is something of a pinup in the Swiss and German media. He regularly takes guided tours high into the mountains and is fascinated by the gentle beasts which provide him with a living.

The slow path took us back to the wooden box cable Gar station and a small church which provided welcome relief from the burning sun and soaring temperatures.
High above us, isolated wooden farm huts and the rocky mountain pass leading to the next range beckoned.
Roti Flüe may be one of the most unusual and interesting places fve ever experienced but across the valley 1,619 metres above sea level lies the historic town of Grächen and the start of the 31kilometre Europa träck to Zermatt along the mountainous skyline.
Staff at the threeStar Hotel Alpina looked at me in amazement when I told them I would be in Zermatt by nightfall. They warned me it was a gruelling twoday hike and packed extra drinks with my lunch.
Three hours later and I was looking longingly back across the valley at the grassy slbpes above Roti Flüe as I struggled through the tree line, along the river glacier and up very steep rocky paths to breach the Grat and the start of the Skyline hike.

Anita, my guide from the tourist office, was annoyingly fit and fall of good advice to take Small steps as I huffed and puffed my way to the lunch stop an the Grat.
I tiptoed my way across huge sections of track made up of little more than fragments of past rock falls; grabbed hold of ropes attached to the mountainside as the paths faded; clung onto huge boulders with my fingertips and watched pebbles scamper the Jong way to the valley floor below as we climbed over stones large enough to block a cave.
Scared? I was petrified. But the aweinspiring views of the snowtopped summits and the looming bulk of the Matterhorn, just visible in the distance, kept me going. The promise of apricot pie at the Europa Hütte helped to keep me going too.
The Hotel Derby in Zermatt didn't have a foot spa for my aching feet bat a hot bath was enough to soothe my weary muscles when I finally reached my destination, thanks to a taxi.
Zermatt is the feather in the cap of the Valais a truly international resort where cars are banned.
By day during the summer months, walkers pack the streets and hundreds of i'estaurante and bars rill the night air with the sounds of the summer equivalent of apresSki.
My final days were mine to do as I wished and with a twoday cable car and train pass I intended to make the most of 400km of walking, hiking and mountain biking tracks.
I joined hordes of. sightseers an the train ride up to the Gorngergrat. At 3,130 metres there are magnificent views of the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa and the Breithorn deep in the heart of yearround snow territory.

The Klein Matterhorn was only three cable car rides away from the htitel and my white knuckles had to be prised off the handrails before I would step out onto the snow. My final adventures in Switzerland took me up to Sunnegga an the underground railway and an to the Gornergorge just outside Zermatt.
The natural gorge channels millions of gallons of freezing water down into the heart of the town at a frightening pace. The sound was deafening as the white water crashed into the sides of the gorge below as I edged across flimsy wooden boards above the abyss my heart in my mouth.
I'm now a strong believer in doing something that scares you every day an holiday, anyway.

Return flights to Geneva from Heathrow cost from £120 plus taxes with Swissair.
A Swiss Pass for unlimited travel by rail, boat and alpine post Buses costs from £93 for four days First class. A stay at the Yak Farm at Roti Flüe costs from about £13 for bed and breakfast. An overnight stay and tour with four yaks starts at about £90. One night's halfboard per Person at the Hotel Alpina starts at £23 and goes up to £32. One night's halfboard for a double room at the Hotel Derby in Zermatt costs between £80 and £107 at current exchange rates. For more Information about summen holidays in the Valais contact Switzerland Tourism an 0207 851 1702