.

du Midi form an eye-catching part of that panorama.

        For more spectacular views of the Dents du Midi, however, the ridge that runs from La Foilleuse at 1814m to the 1950m Col des Portes du Soleil, takes a lot of beating. The ridge may be gained by footpath or chairlift from Morgins, and less than 2hrs of easy walking is needed to get from one end to the other. Views from here are not only of the Dents du Midi, but of Mont Ruan and the wall of the Dents Blanches to the south which is also impressive, as is the skyline of the Mont Blanc range beyond and above intervening ridges. And it would be perfectly feasible for a keen walker to continue as far as the Portes de l’Hiver (see the previous paragraph) and descend to Morgins by reversing the route suggested above.

        The major walking challenge of the district, however, is the multi-day Tour des Portes du Soleil which, as its name suggests, makes a circuit of the region, much of it in neighbouring France. It’s a longish tour demanding a total of about 44hrs of walking time on an assortment of trails, tracks and minor roads. Sadly there’s a considerable amount of downhill ski terrain to contend with, with the inevitable tows and lifts that clutter the landscape, but the route also enjoys some splendid semi-wild sections with glorious vistas. Accommodation is available in the form of gîtes, refuges and hotels, but such places are not evenly spaced, so some stages are much longer and more demanding than others. The route is highlighted on the carte des sentiers mentioned above, which also gives approximate timings and contact numbers for information. Being a circuit, the Tour could, of course be started almost anywhere, but since this sub-chapter deals with Val de Morgins, the suggestion is to begin in Morgins itself to make a counter-clockwise tour.

1:2 Val d’Illiez

      With the Dents Blanches at its head, the rolling heights of the Portes du Soleil to the west, and the Dents du Midi forming its eastern wall, Val d’Illiez is by far and away the most important valley from which to explore the highest and most dramatic section of the Chablais Alps. Since Troistorrents has only limited accommodation, Champéry and Val d’Illiez are the major resort villages, with direct access by railway from Aigle and Monthey.

      By road the initial approach is identical to that for Val de Morgins (1:1), but on reaching the junction on the outskirts of Troistorrents, about 4km above Monthey, we branch left and skirt the tall, grey stone church, passing the post office, a bank and a handful of shops. Within the village accommodation is limited to five beds at the Chambres d’Hôtes Helvetia.

      A short distance beyond Troistorrents a minor road cuts back to the right to climb in long loops up the hillside on an alternative route to Morgins, while the Champéry road continues above the Vièze to Val d’Illiez (948m), once the valley’s main village. Larger than Troistorrents, Val d’Illiez has some old traditional chalets with projecting gables; there’s a tourist office by the railway station (www.valdilliez.ch), and a choice of accommodation at Hotel Communal which has 31 beds, and the slightly smaller Hotel du Repos with 27 beds. There are also just four b&b rooms (a total of seven beds) available at the Chambres d’Hôtes en Play.

      About 4km further along the road lies Champéry (913m), a pleasantly situated and modestly attractive summer and winter resort which, as if to underline the fact that it makes a good centre for mountain activities, has its own Compagnie des Guides, known as Montagne Experience (tel [phone]). The Office du Tourisme (www.champery.ch) is located near the railway station on the valley road which bypasses the crowded village centre where most of the shops, banks, restaurants and hotels are situated. There are around a dozen hotels, ranging from ungraded pensions and chambres d’hôtes to a handful of 3-star establishments – contact the tourist office for details. At the roadhead another 2km upvalley Camping du Grand-Paradis is a wooded site, open all-year with good facilities, and with the Auberge du Grand-Paradis nearby (www.grandparadis.ch). Almost opposite the tourist office stands the valley station of the Planachaux cable car, or Téléphérique Croix de Culet, which serves the Portes du Soleil ski area (www.telechampery.com), while upvalley near the campsite, a winter-only chairlift, the Télésiège du Grand-Paradis, feeds the same area.

      With its ease of access and unrestricted views, the broad Portes du Soleil ridge is understandably popular year-round. There are paths, tracks and pistes, restaurant facilities and no shortage of accommodation. At Champoussin above Val d’Illiez, the 3-star Hotel Royal Alpage Club has 131 beds (www.royalalpageclub.com), while the less ostentatious Auberge Chez Gaby has 33 beds in 11 rooms (www.chezgaby.ch). Directly above Champéry, Les Crosets has the 3-star Hotel Télécabine (www.hotel-telecabine.com), and the 54-bed Hotel des Portes du Soleil (www.hotel-portes-du-soleil.com). Each of these makes the most of a magnificent panoramic view across the valley, while outline suggestions for walks on the ridge, from which even more extensive views are had, were given under the Val de Morgins sub-chapter (1:1).

      But the Portes du Soleil region does not hold a monopoly either on views or on opportunities for mountain activity. On the eastern side of the valley opposite Champéry, a via ferrata route has been devised that picks a way up cliffs above the Tière, a tributary of the Vièze which drains the Lacs d’Antème on the slopes of the Dents du Midi. The Via Ferrata de Tière begins near the Sous Sex bridge at 913m, and crossing the river in three places, it meanders back and forth across the exposed 75° rock face, rising 125m over a course some 460m long. There is no charge for tackling this via ferrata, but the use of correct safety methods and equipment is compulsory. Specialist equipment can be hired from sport’s shops in Champéry, or from the tourist office in Val d’Illiez. A short artificial climbing wall has also been created on one of the railway supports near the Champéry tourist office.

The Barme alpage

      At the head of the valley, about 11km from Champéry, but reached by track and footpath from Grand-Paradis, an open basin of pastureland lies at the foot of the Dents Blanches at an altitude of almost 1500m. This is the Barme alpage, also known as Barmaz, an utterly charming plateau almost completely enclosed by mountains and sliced with streams. Two rustic mountain inns provide accommodation and refreshments: Cantine de Barmaz, which has 50 places in dorms and bedrooms (tel [phone]); and Cantine des Dents Blanches which is open from the end of May to the beginning of October with 40 dorm places (www.barmaz.com). Nearby, on the edge of woodland overlooking the pastures, a small number of b&b places are available between June and September at Chalet Bicolet (tel [phone]).

      Backed by a line of crags, the Barme alpage lies about 11km from Champéry

      It’s possible to drive to the Barme alpage by way of a minor road that extends from Grand-Paradis, but a direct walking route will only take a little over 1½hrs by way of a good track used by the Tour des Portes du Soleil mentioned in 1:1, and is a much better option. There’s also a scenic high route leading from Planachaux (cable car from Champéry) which joins the GR5 to curve below the frontier ridge on the way to Col de Cou in 2½hrs; and a more devious but highly recommended route from Grand-Paradis which begins by heading southeast to the privately owned Bonavau refuge (Cantine de Bonavau), then westward across a narrow saddle of about 1800m by the Signal de Bonavau, before