Back to the Rhône Valley in a roundabout way

After almost a week, it was time to say goodbye to Zermatt. The next big stage was about to begin. First, back down to the Rhone Valley, and then past the Grand Combin into the Aosta Valley. The direct route was out of the question, so first I had to climb a few meters in altitude before descending into the Matter Valley. From Sunnegga, a viewpoint high above Zermatt, I wanted to bid a proper farewell to the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and the rest, before continuing on the Europaweg, following a beautiful flow trail along the slope edge to Täschalp, with exclusive views of the four-thousanders of the Mischabel Group, the third highest massif in the Alps.

After that, it was possible to descend into Täsch, sometimes exposed and through tight hairpin turns. At least if you could maneuver the rear wheel as well as the two bikers who passed me. But with my full equipment, still recovering from an injured hand and the resulting mental blockade, it was often better to push. Overall, I have to say that the trails around Zermatt were definitely more challenging than expected. Here, you don't get into the flow frenzy like in Davos, but even on the trails classified as easy, you have to deal with some intense sections.

But that was all in the past after Täsch. I continued smoothly along the signposted bike path, away from the main roads, until I reached Stalden. Here, I found a bargain at a bed and breakfast with a somewhat quirky Swiss bachelor who insisted on showing me his stamp collection. Even with German stamps. Yes, such things apparently exist in real life too. However, the balcony usage on a warm summer night and the all-you-can-eat breakfast for six Swiss francs were still a hit.

The next day, I took another detour. I wanted to pedal up the next 1500 meters of altitude to Moosalp. On one hand, for the magnificent view of the Dom and the Täschhorn, and on the other hand, for the highly acclaimed trails that stretched almost 1900 meters down to the Rhone Valley.

A special feature in Wallis are the countless irrigation canals that run around the mountain slopes at a pleasant gradient, and along which all the beautiful rideable trails are laid out. This is also the case here at Moosalp. It took forever to work my way down all the vertical meters and I arrived down in the valley quite exhausted. Unfortunately, I still had to pedal another 35 kilometers on cycle paths until I finally reached my campsite behind Sierre and could enjoy a well-deserved evening off.