Martigny

We went to Martigny together so that I could explore while Daniel did a training run up the mountain. Daniel's runs begin at the Château de la Bâtiaz and so that is where my adventure began.

Château de la Bâtiaz

The castle takes its name from the Latin word "bastida" meaning fortress or fortified place. It was commissioned by the Bishop of Sion in the thirteenth century and changed hands several times between Sion and the Count of Savoy. It was burnt on 13 November 1475, but the military importance and defensive position of the castle compelled the new bishop to restore it. The château was destroyed again in 1518 and all that remains today is the central building and the tower.

An imposing fortress overlooking Martigny

The central courtyard

The Hall of Knights

The construction of the tower was taken very seriously and the emphasis was on its defence systems. There are very few windows in the fort, and those which exist are for lookout posts or archers only. The outer courtyard has three trebuchets in it, there is a canon just inside the gate and two other 'war machines' are also on the site. The walls of the tower are 3.5m thick and have a staircase winding up inside. (There are two toilets inside the walls as well!)

The tower rises above the dungeon, which is next door to the torture chamber. The castle sits among picturesque vineyards today, but in the early 16th century those vineyards were gallows. There are 125 steps up to the top of the tower and the views from the top are pretty impressive.

The dungeon, complete with torture instruments and a skeleton

The view from the top of the tower looking up the valley.
Note the terraced vineyards on the slopes of the mountain.

The view down the valley. In the distance there is a wind turbine farm.

Martigny is a gateway town to numerous hiking and skiing trails. After visiting the castle, I followed the little yellow trail signs up through the vineyards and then up and up and up! I walked in the direction of Ravoire, winding up some pretty forest trails.

Lots of options from Martigny

The trail up from the castle through the vineyards

Quiet forest trails

After exploring the mountains, I headed back down to check out the town. Martigny has a population of 15,000 people and it is a bustling town with lots of shops (boutiques and outdoors) and a range of restaurants. The Dranse River flows from the Valais Alps into the Rhone here and there are lovely walks and parks along the river. Martigny has a lot to offer - maybe one day we'll skip the mountains and enjoy the town instead!

An ornate bridge over the Dranse River

Showcasing Switzerland

My uncle and aunt visited us from Newcastle and they chose a perfect weekend to see the sights of Switzerland. We drove to Martigny and caught the Mont Blanc Express up to Les Marecottes.  The train uses a clever blend of tracks, third rail power and cogs to get up the steep mountainside - a delight for my railway engineer uncle!

A spot of map reading on the train up

The quaint station of Les Marecottes

We walked down a little trail to the village of Salvan, also in the Trient Valley, where we stopped for a spot of lunch at Cafe des Alpes.

A tranquil Alpine trail

Salvan, nestled in the Alps

The town square

Some more map reading!

On our drive home we stopped at the Cailler chocolate factory for a bit of chocolate tasting and photo taking :)

Me with my Unkie and Ankie

On Sunday we made the most of the lovely weather to show off our beautiful part of Switzerland. We went on a village tour then headed to the Arboretum for a picnic lunch.

At the end of Aubonne, overlooking Lake Geneva and the French Alps

Picnic in the park

Summer greens in the Arboretum

It was so lovely to spend some time with Kevin and Val and to show them around our new home.

Alpine Running Routes Tour

This weekeend was a long weekend in Vaud and we went on a trip around the lake to Daniel's running haunts in the Alps. We drove to Martigny, the capital of the French-speaking district of the same name in the canton of Valais. The town lies on the east edge of the Rhône Valley at the foot of the Swiss Alps and is the junction of roads between Italy, France and Switzerland. Daniel begins many of his long runs into the Alps from the Château de la Bâtiaz on the outskirts of Martigny.

We wound our way up the valley to Champex-Lac, a village at the foot of Mont Blanc massif, a mountain range in the Graian Alps. Here we strolled around the beautiful lake nestled in the woods.

After plunging back down the valley we then snaked our way up a neighbouring valley to Col de la Forclaz, a mountain pass connecting Martigny and Finhaut. The pass was originally a track used by smugglers from Martigny into France, but is now an important link to tourist areas around Mont Blanc.

The town of Trient with its iconic pink cathedral

Our adventures took us back down the valley and we smuggled ourselves into France for lunch. I finally got to see the famous town of Chamonix and it lived up to all its expectations. Chamonix is the mountain sports capital of Europe, famous for its ski slopes in winter and amazing trails and alpine ascents in summer. It hosted the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and is dominated by the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc. It is home to the start and finish line of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. My favourite part was undoubtedly the spectacular glacier rising above the town. It was a perfect spot for lunch.

I'm sure we'll back in this part of the world before too long as it is rich in trails to explore and adventures to be had.